Free YouTube SEO Tool

YouTube SEO Tool: Find Keywords That Get Videos Found

Enter a video topic to get scored keyword ideas in seconds. Then use vidIQ to check search volume and competition, optimize your title, description and tags, and see where your video ranks.

What's included

Everything vidIQ does for YouTube SEO, in one place

  • Keyword research

    See YouTube search volume, competition and an overall keyword score for any phrase, along with related keywords and rising searches. Choose topics people actually search for, where you have a realistic chance to rank.

    Keyword research toolsTrending keywords

  • SEO score and optimization checklist

    The Scorecard gives any video an SEO score, shows how its tags compare with popular ones, and runs a 15-point optimization checklist. It also flags controversial keywords that could put monetization at risk.

    Scorecard

  • Optimize existing videos

    Optimize reviews your uploads and suggests stronger titles, descriptions, tags and categories. Sort by the lowest score to fix your weakest videos first, then track your channel's optimization score over time.

    Optimize

  • Tag generator and tag extractor

    Generate a relevant tag set from your topic, or paste any public video URL to see the tags it uses. YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery, so add them once your title and description are right.

    Tag generatorTag extractor

  • Rank checker

    Paste a video and a keyword to see its position in YouTube's relevance-ordered results for the country you choose. It's free, with no account or extension required.

    Rank checker

  • Competitor and outlier research

    Track competing channels and sort their top videos by views or views per hour. Outliers surfaces videos that beat their channel's usual results, so you can see which topics, titles and thumbnails work in your niche.

    CompetitorsOutliers

How YouTube SEO works

YouTube SEO is the practice of making your videos easy to find in YouTube search. According to YouTube's own help page, How YouTube search works, its search system prioritizes three elements, and how much each one counts can vary by type of search.

Results can also be personalized by a viewer's search and watch history when that history is turned on, so two people may see different results for the same search. YouTube also states that it doesn't accept payment for better placement in organic search results.

So no tool can buy or guarantee a ranking. What an SEO tool can do is help with the parts you control: choosing a topic people search for, describing your video so it clearly matches that search, and packaging it well enough that searchers click and keep watching. YouTube's help page on adding tags adds that your title, thumbnail and description matter more for discovery than tags do.

  • Relevance

    How well a video's title, tags, description and content match the search query.

  • Engagement

    Signals such as how long viewers watch a video they found for a particular query, which help YouTube judge whether people find it relevant.

  • Quality

    Signals that help identify channels showing expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness on a topic.

How to use vidIQ for YouTube SEO

  1. Pick a keyword people search for

    Start with the generator above, then open keyword research to compare search volume and competition. A specific phrase with steady demand is often easier to rank for than a broad term dominated by large channels.

  2. Study what already ranks

    Search the keyword on YouTube with the vidIQ extension on to see scores for the top results, or use Outliers to find videos beating their channel's usual views. The tag extractor shows the tags a competing video uses.

  3. Write your title and description around it

    Use the keyword naturally in your title and the opening lines of your description so both clearly match what viewers search for. The title generator and description generator give you drafts to edit.

  4. Check your SEO score before you publish

    Work through the Scorecard checklist, add a focused set of tags, and fix anything the score flags. For older uploads, Optimize shows which videos to update first.

  5. Track rankings and search traffic

    Use the rank checker to see where a video appears for your keyword, and the search terms report in YouTube Studio to see which searches bring views. Then refine titles and descriptions based on what you learn.

Browser extension

SEO data inside YouTube and YouTube Studio

vidIQ Vision for YouTube adds keyword scores, search volume, competition and video SEO scores to the YouTube pages you already use, with optimization recommendations while you upload. It works in Chrome, Firefox and Edge.

Chrome extension users

4M

Chrome Web Store

Chrome extension rating

4.8/5

Chrome Web Store

Chrome Web Store figures checked .

vidIQ browser extension keyword score panel

Start free, upgrade when you need more

Every vidIQ account starts on the Free plan, which includes limited access to keyword research, the browser extension and other core tools. Paid plans raise research and optimization limits and add more AI credits.

Compare plans

YouTube SEO tool FAQs

A YouTube SEO tool helps your videos get found in YouTube search. It shows which keywords people search for and how competitive they are, checks your title, description and tags against those keywords, and tracks where your videos rank. vidIQ combines these in one account and a browser extension.

Get your videos found in YouTube search

Join 30M+ creators who use vidIQ for keyword research, video optimization and rank tracking.