Google is saturated.
Facebook is charging for everything.
So, what alternatives do you have?
Youtube!
Youtube is the second largest search engine after Google.
3000000000
Searches / Month
There are over 3 billion searches a month on Youtube (here are even more crazy stats on Youtube).
It is time you started taking Youtube seriously as a source of traffic and customers for your website.
However, the biggest "challenge" with Youtube is figuring out what kinds of content to create. Content that will actually get ranked on Youtube too.
To do that, you should always start with keyword research.
The two most important steps:
1. Figure out what people are searching for - that is relevant to your audience and your goals.
2. Find out if you can rank for those keywords
The Tool Challenge
There are far less tools out there for Youtube keyword research.
And, most of them are not mind-blowing (like ahrefs or kwfinder are for Google Search keyword research)
So, I decided to dive deep and find ALL the relevant and useful tools for Youtube keyword research. Saves you the effort, right :>
I present to you - the Ultimate List of Youtube Keyword Research Tools!!
(NOTE: I SAVED THE BEST ONE TIL LAST)
Youtube Keyword Research Tools
I want to dive into all the tools I could find that will help you find the best keywords for Youtube.
Often, they are part of another keyword tools or should be supplemented by other keyword research tools. But they are always a good place to start.
Free Tools
FREE tools are completely free. They often have limited functionality and no volume or ad data. But hey, they are free, right?
Youtube
Youtube gives us autocomplete options when we start typing in a search. This is where most search tools get their data from.
So, to start with, you can simply type in your core idea into the youtube search and see what suggestions it gives.
This doesn't give you all the variations or an easy way of accessing them (eg. downloading a list) which is why the other tools are usually better.
PROS
- FREE
- Simple to use while in Youtube
CONS
- Limited Results
- No way to export data
Google Adwords Display Planner
The Youtube keyword tool was retired back in late 2014 and replaced by the Google Adwords Display Planner.
Not the simplest tool in the world to use, but the data and results you get are worth the effort.
First, you need to sign up for adwords with a gmail account. Then you can do straight to the tools section (top right) or just click this link.
Here is a quick video on the tool to show you what it is like:
The trick with this tool is you have to change the settings to use only video so that you get the youtube results.
So, when you have the tool open - go to the filters and deselect everything except video.
Then, you get data like in the image below! Booyah.
PROS
- FREE and from Google
- Powerful tool with lots of data not found in most other tools
CONS
- Not as simple to use, but worth learning
- Only other data source is Keyword Planner, another tool you can try
Keyword Kiwi
Another straight quite powerful keyword research tool that includes Youtube and a bunch of other data sources.
Keyword Kiwi also offers 5 types of keywords to search for which is a new thing these tools are doing which I love.
It is missing some bells and whistles (export, search data etc) but for a FREE tool you can't complain!
PROS
- Multiple data sources including Youtube
- 5 types of keywords to search for
- Country filter also
- FREE
CONS
- No search volume or PPC data
- Lack of powerful filtering of results
- No export
HyperSuggest
This is a little gem I discovered on a forum or chat recently and thought it was worth mentioning. While Ubersuggest is not really working or has a clear future, it is a great alternative.
HyperSuggest offers 4 kinds of keywords searches and 3 data sources (Youtube, Google, and Google Shopping).
It also has a country and language filter, which as we know is always handy for those outside the USA.
Quick Note: The default language and country are Germany and German (as the developer is there).
PROS
- Multiple data sources including Youtube, Google, Google Shopping
- 4 types of keywords to search for
- Country filter and download options
- FREE
CONS
- No search volume or PPC data
- Lack of powerful filtering of results
- Not as many data sources as some of the other tools
SEO Chat Keyword Suggest Tool
Most of the Youtube keyword tools work with Autocomplete from various sources.
SEO Chat has a tool that does the same thing and covers Youtube, Google, Bing and Amazon.
The results are split up alphabetically (ignoring the words you entered in the search).
And they also have an export function, although it seems to ignore which keywords you select for export.
PROS
- Various keyword autocomplete sources
- Ability to export keyword list
CONS
- Export is not working 100% (no choice)
- No search volume data
SEO Stack (Chrome Extension)
SEO Stack is a chrome extension that is actually a pretty decent keyword research tool. Considering it is FREE!
It is basically an autosuggest tool (that takes suggested searches from various places) that has a Youtube specific option.
The results are pretty similar to many of the other tools in this list, and it also has a ranking (so position in the autosuggest the keyword was found) to help prioritise results.
It comes with a few other search options to help you get better results, such as:
- Choice of where to pull the data from (Google, Youtube, Bing, Amazon, Ebay)
- Filters for language and country
- Choice of what kinds of results you want (letter, numbers, capitals)
PROS
- Lots of autocomplete keyword options from various sources
- More control over your search
- Easy to create a list and export
CONS
- Only works on Chrome browser
- No search volume data
Soovle
Soovle has a big range of data sources for keywords (Netflix, Answers, Weather Channel - no idea why), BUT the tool is a mess.
Visually it is quite difficult to see your keywords and the download button (top left if you missed it like me) is well hidden.
It's a FREE option but not one of my favorites.
PROS
- Lots of data sources, including some I don't know why you would use them
- Free
CONS
- Runs the search as you type, which is not ideal
- No further data
- A mess
UberSuggest
UberSuggest has a Youtube search options and a few cool tools (like Keyword Cloud) that look quite interesting.
BUT
I did a simple search I have used for this review "tie a tie" and nothing came up.
Neil Patel has bought this tool recently and big changes are afoot (I believe) so maybe we just have to wait and see on this one.
For now, don't bother. It does not work. (March 17 2017)
Freemium Tools
Freemium mixes the best of both worlds. In most cases at least. They let you use the tool, and payment gets you more functionality or searches.
Keyword Tool Dominator
This Youtube keyword tool is focused on finding long tail keywords for Youtube.
All you have to do is type in your core/seed search term and it will generate a list.
These are given a ranking based on how far down the Youtube autocomplete they were found, with the assumption that keywords further down are less valuable.
They also provide a second list you can put your keywords into for download later.
PROS
- Details of all Youtube autosuggest keywords
- Easy to create a list and export
CONS
- Limited FREE options
- No search volume data
Keyword Keg
Keyword Keg is impressive. These guys have their sh*t together when it comes to a keyword research tool that includes Youtube.
It is probably the best I have seen.
They offer a tonne of data and functionality include the most search data sources and data as a result.
The only downside is that the FREE option only gets the first few results. For the rest you have to pay.
But then again, if it's good, I am not suprised you have to pay - and if you like it, you probably should.
Here are some of the kickass features they have:
- 11 sources of keyword data (like the rest but also including Alibaba, Wikipedia, Yandex, Playstore and more)
- Filters for language and country
- 5 types of keywords (questions, buyer intent, alphabetical, product info)
- Volume and ad data pulled from Google
PROS
- Lots of autocomplete keyword options from various sources
- Lots of useful data in the results
- 5 keyword types to choose from
CONS
- Limited FREE option
- Yearly price is $76 (actually reasonable)
KeywordTool.io
KeywordTool.io has one of the most powerful Youtube tools out there.
Ok, so most of the Youtube tools are pretty straight forward (so the bar is quite low) but they have added a few cool features:
- Choice of where to pull the data from (Google, Youtube, Bing, Amazon, App Store)
- Paid version has search volume and ads data (pulled from Keyword Planner presumably)
- Two types of search - Autocomplete and Questions
This tool is not cheap, but if you rely on Youtube for your traffic it might be worth the investment (minimum $488 a year).
PROS
- Details of all Youtube autosuggest keywords
- Easy to create a list and export
CONS
- Limited FREE options
- No search volume data
WordTracker
Up there with the better keyword research tools on the market WordTracker but it's Youtube section is quite limited compared to say Keyword Keg.
The features you get for the Google search are great. It gives you lots of data including a competition value, various filters and functions which are certainly helpful when it comes to finding those hidden gems.
The minimum monthly price is about $27/month, so it's not cheap. But if you are also looking at other traffic sources (Google and Amazon) it is a good option.
PROS
- Covers Google, Amazon and Youtube
- Lots of keyword filters
- Export function
CONS
- Limited FREE options
- Limited data for Youtube keywords
- Quite expensive for what you get
Paid Tools
You are only after the best and you don't mind paying, right? The following tools are paid only. However, keep in mind that some of the Freemium tools above are also worth considering.
Freshkey
I got Freshkey quite a while ago when I signed up for a course from Digital Marketer. And to be honest I have not really used it.
So, I tested it for this post and it actually came up with quite a few Youtube keywords. For "tie a tie" - 233 results to be exact.
It is a one-time fee of $49 which is great, but for me the data it pulls (keywords only) is not as impressive as some of the Freemium tools above.
It does have a few data sources, like Youtube, Google, Ebay, Bing, Amazon, Google Market and Wiki. That is certainly a plus.
For the rest, you can export the data. That is about it.
PROS
- Details of all Youtube autosuggest keywords
- Easy to create a list and export
CONS
- Limited FREE options
- No search volume data
YTCockpit
YTCockpit is the Rolls Royce of Youtube Keyword Research tools.
It is completely Youtube focused which is unusual, so what you get is perfect for Youtube-focused keyword research.
Here is what you get in terms of data in a YTCockpit keyword search result
- Youtube: Likes, Views, Subscribers, Video Length, How many are HD in a given result
- A "score" which tells you how easy the keyword is (aka competition)
- Keyword data - volume, CPC bids
It gets even more interesting/better too. Once you click on a specific keyword, you can drill down and see exactly how the top 20 on Youtube compare in terms of:
- Youtube: Title, Channel, Views, Length, Captions, Category, Likes/Dislikes etc
- Links to the video (internal and external), page authority and MozRank
They also allow you to compare your videos to the top 20 to see how you compare and see what the traffic trend is for that particular search (to see if it is worth pursuing!).
Given this is such a pro tool, it also comes with tools to manage your keyword research including favorites, folders, editing etc.
PROS
- Almost everything you could need in a Youtube keyword research tool
- Detailed stats on keywords and youtube videos
- Easy comparison with your video
- Trends for keywords
- Management of keywords (lists)
CONS
- Paid ONLY
Which Tool Should You Use
With any keyword research it all depends on your goals and the time investment you want to make.
I would start off with either a simple keyword suggest tool (which ones does not matter that much, but I like Keyword Keg) to give you some ideas, or try Display Planner from Google to get the juicy data you need.
For those who are really serious about Youtube you can't go past YTCockpit, it is actually the best Youtube keyword research tool I have found. The data and functionality they provide are killer and can help you find keyword gems in no time.
One thing is clear though, without keyword research (for SEO or Youtube) you are really shooting in the dark and will never really get the results you are after. So, please, use a keyword research tool.
And of course, this list is not complete, but I hope to make it the go to resource on the topic. So, if you come across any other keyword research gems, let me know!
