Enhancing Views with These Premium Tools for YouTube SEO

10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools to Get More Views

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If we asked you to name the world’s biggest search engines, undoubtedly you’d come up with Google, but what would be number two? Bing? Yahoo? The truth might surprise you.

According to figures, the world’s second biggest search engine is actually YouTube. Millions of people are using it everyday to search for videos about fitness, hair, marketing and more. With such a large audience already searching directly on the platform, doesn’t it make sense that when we use YouTube keyword research and SEO should be as important as it is on our website?

Luckily, we can use YouTube keyword tools to analyze YouTube keywords. Here we’re going to take a look at 10 best YouTube keyword tools out there, which can help you identify and optimize for the highest traffic keywords for your videos. By optimizing your videos, you can rank higher, get more views and enjoy a larger audience on YouTube.

• Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation
• Part 2: Bonues Tips - Google video result keywords

You May Also Like:
YouTube SEO Complete Guide >>
How to Edit and Optimize YouTube Title, Description, and Tags >>

---

Do you want to edit YouTube video easily? Filmora is a YouTube editor that you should have a try. As a YouTube video editing tool, it is simple to use with dragging and dropping. You can add various video effects, filters and transition to make your video better. Besides, titles and texts are also available to use. After editing, you can directly upload video to YouTube plactform. Now, download it to have a tryDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation

Before you can get into using any YouTube SEO tool, you’ll need to identify what the best keywords for your videos are. Let’s start by taking a look at the best YouTube keyword tools available.

1. YouTube autocomplete

When you start to search for something on YouTube, you’ll probably notice that YouTube suggests some keywords to finish your search. This is called autocomplete, and it works by suggesting the most popular keywords that start with the letters you’ve typed so far. What it is essentially saying is that those are the most frequently searched for terms that use the words you’ve already typed.

This means it’s a great place to start building your keywords, and a fantastic YouTube keyword tool for your videos. Just start your search for your video (e.g. shoes for…) and see what comes up. In this case, we can see that the most popular keywords are ‘girls’, ‘men’, ‘kids’, ‘summer’ and ‘boys’.

2. Keywordtool.io

Without doubt, this is one of the most powerful YouTube keyword tools out there, ranking hundreds of keywords by popularity. It captures data from YouTube autocomplete and allows you to create lists of keywords from that data. As well as autocompete data, you can also search for questions people are asking, which makes it highly beneficial as a YouTube SEO tool.

The downside to this particular tool is that it’s fairly limited on the free version. Upgrading to Pro Basic will give you almost double the keyword results and will let you compare the volume of searches made for those terms too. However, this will set you back around $68 a year, so it’s going to be something of an investment if you go for it.

3. SEOChat

SEO Chat is an amazing free tool that can generate keyword ideas from Google, Amazon, Bing and YouTube. You can search for keywords from all of those sources or can just search YouTube alone to find your keyword lists. You’ll need a ‘seed’ keyword, such as ‘shoes’, ‘make up’ or ‘marketing’, and then organizes results alphabetically with other letters following your seed keyword.

Simply scrolling through the results is going to give you loads of ideas for keywords and possibly content too. The tool also allows you to further expand your results by selecting a keyword and running ‘part two’ of the process, which expands those phrases even further. Your chosen keywords can be exported from the software, ready for use in your YouTube SEO tool.

4. Gather keywords from your competitor

Why not learn from the best and see what’s already working for your competitors? Finding their high traffic keywords is easy and can save a lot of time and energy. To do this, pick a channel that is around your size, as they’re your nearest competitors. Steer clear of the huge channels, as you’ll find it hard to rank next to them.

Click the videos tab to see their content, and sort them by ‘most popular’ to see the ones which got the most views. Take a look at the title and the description of those videos, and you’ll find a good fistful of proven keywords that you can start using yourself.

That’s not all though. To maximize your competitor research, let’s dig a little deeper into the tags they have used for their videos too. Unfortunately, these are hidden on YouTube, but are easily seen using the page’s HTML. Simply right click on the page and select ‘view source’. Don’t be alarmed at the great stream of HTML that pops up, it’s easy to search using your search function (press ctrl + f on Windows or ⌘ + f on iOS) by typing in ‘keywords’ to the search box. The following terms are the tags used in the video.

If ploughing through HTML sounds somewhat taxing, there is a handy YouTube SEO tool you can use to display the tags on page. It’s called TubeBuddy and is a Chrome extension which you’ll find in the Chrome store for free.

5. Keyword Tool Dominator

It’s got a grand name, but it’s actually really easy to use and a great place to start if you’re new to YouTube keyword research. Pop in your seed keywords and the Dominator will produce a list of relevant keywords related to those terms. You can then select the most useful and download them to your device.

The drawback with this is that you can only perform three searches a day on the free version. Perhaps that’s enough for you to begin with, but if you want to upgrade to the unlimited version, which will also give you search volumes, it’s a one-off fee of $39.99.

6. Ubersuggest

For getting more data on specific keywords, Ubersuggest from the SEO guru that is Neil Patel is one of the best tools out there. As well as showing search volume and competition, you can see other information such as cost per click and the seasonality of the keyword. It’s free to use with no limitations at all, so is well worth checking out.

7. Google trends

We would highly recommend investigating Google Trends as part of your YouTube keyword research, as it is powerful, accurate and, best of all, free! The options let you narrow down the trend results to just YouTube searches, which is great for gaining insights to your search terms. You can narrow down the results to a specific country too, helping you to gain insight into what your target demographic is currently interested in.

8. VidIQ

The keyword tool in VidIQ is one of very few research tools that has a function for just YouTube built in. You can paste in the keywords you want to research, choose the country you wish to target, and it will return all the search volumes and amount of competition, and will score your keywords based on these figures.

On the downside, there is a fairly complicated subscription process to go through if you want to upgrade from the free version. To be honest, the free version is OK for new users, but for in depth analytics you’re going to want to upgrade eventually.

9. Keyword Keg

Keyword Keg is definitely one of the most powerful YouTube keyword research tools out there. It offers lots of data, drawn from a variety of data sources including Wikipedia, Alibaba, Playstore and more. There are filters for country and language and you can drill down into issues like buyer intent and product info. However, as with most free YouTube keyword tools, there is a strict limit on what you can do before you pay. In this case, you only get to see the first five results unless you want to upgrade.

10. Kparser

Kparser is a YouTube keyword tool that you should notice. You can use it to find YouTube keywords free to use. More than finding the best core keywords, this tool can also give you suggestions on long tail keywords in every field. By use this, you don’t need to worry that you can’t the right keywords to use in title, description and tags. You also can selcet country and language when searching a YouTube keyword. For searching more than one keyword, remember to seperate them with coma.

Part 2: Bonus Tips - Google Video Result Keywords

Getting your video ranking highly on YouTube is excellent and will certainly bring you more traffic. But, do you know what would be even better than that? Getting your video ranking on Google as well.

To do this you’ll need to find ‘video result keywords’ in Google, so that yours can be one of the selected videos that sometimes show up in search. Google decides what should and shouldn’t trigger a video result, and usually shows them when a video would make sense, for example when someone asks ‘how to’ or searches for ‘cute’ or ‘funny’ things.

There’s a bit of trial and error involved as there is no YouTube keyword tool to find video result keywords… yet. But you can use Google to search your keywords and see if they are video result keywords. Just type them in, and if a video appears in the listings below, you’ve discovered a video result keyword that is well worth optimizing for.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If we asked you to name the world’s biggest search engines, undoubtedly you’d come up with Google, but what would be number two? Bing? Yahoo? The truth might surprise you.

According to figures, the world’s second biggest search engine is actually YouTube. Millions of people are using it everyday to search for videos about fitness, hair, marketing and more. With such a large audience already searching directly on the platform, doesn’t it make sense that when we use YouTube keyword research and SEO should be as important as it is on our website?

Luckily, we can use YouTube keyword tools to analyze YouTube keywords. Here we’re going to take a look at 10 best YouTube keyword tools out there, which can help you identify and optimize for the highest traffic keywords for your videos. By optimizing your videos, you can rank higher, get more views and enjoy a larger audience on YouTube.

• Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation
• Part 2: Bonues Tips - Google video result keywords

You May Also Like:
YouTube SEO Complete Guide >>
How to Edit and Optimize YouTube Title, Description, and Tags >>

---

Do you want to edit YouTube video easily? Filmora is a YouTube editor that you should have a try. As a YouTube video editing tool, it is simple to use with dragging and dropping. You can add various video effects, filters and transition to make your video better. Besides, titles and texts are also available to use. After editing, you can directly upload video to YouTube plactform. Now, download it to have a tryDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation

Before you can get into using any YouTube SEO tool, you’ll need to identify what the best keywords for your videos are. Let’s start by taking a look at the best YouTube keyword tools available.

1. YouTube autocomplete

When you start to search for something on YouTube, you’ll probably notice that YouTube suggests some keywords to finish your search. This is called autocomplete, and it works by suggesting the most popular keywords that start with the letters you’ve typed so far. What it is essentially saying is that those are the most frequently searched for terms that use the words you’ve already typed.

This means it’s a great place to start building your keywords, and a fantastic YouTube keyword tool for your videos. Just start your search for your video (e.g. shoes for…) and see what comes up. In this case, we can see that the most popular keywords are ‘girls’, ‘men’, ‘kids’, ‘summer’ and ‘boys’.

2. Keywordtool.io

Without doubt, this is one of the most powerful YouTube keyword tools out there, ranking hundreds of keywords by popularity. It captures data from YouTube autocomplete and allows you to create lists of keywords from that data. As well as autocompete data, you can also search for questions people are asking, which makes it highly beneficial as a YouTube SEO tool.

The downside to this particular tool is that it’s fairly limited on the free version. Upgrading to Pro Basic will give you almost double the keyword results and will let you compare the volume of searches made for those terms too. However, this will set you back around $68 a year, so it’s going to be something of an investment if you go for it.

3. SEOChat

SEO Chat is an amazing free tool that can generate keyword ideas from Google, Amazon, Bing and YouTube. You can search for keywords from all of those sources or can just search YouTube alone to find your keyword lists. You’ll need a ‘seed’ keyword, such as ‘shoes’, ‘make up’ or ‘marketing’, and then organizes results alphabetically with other letters following your seed keyword.

Simply scrolling through the results is going to give you loads of ideas for keywords and possibly content too. The tool also allows you to further expand your results by selecting a keyword and running ‘part two’ of the process, which expands those phrases even further. Your chosen keywords can be exported from the software, ready for use in your YouTube SEO tool.

4. Gather keywords from your competitor

Why not learn from the best and see what’s already working for your competitors? Finding their high traffic keywords is easy and can save a lot of time and energy. To do this, pick a channel that is around your size, as they’re your nearest competitors. Steer clear of the huge channels, as you’ll find it hard to rank next to them.

Click the videos tab to see their content, and sort them by ‘most popular’ to see the ones which got the most views. Take a look at the title and the description of those videos, and you’ll find a good fistful of proven keywords that you can start using yourself.

That’s not all though. To maximize your competitor research, let’s dig a little deeper into the tags they have used for their videos too. Unfortunately, these are hidden on YouTube, but are easily seen using the page’s HTML. Simply right click on the page and select ‘view source’. Don’t be alarmed at the great stream of HTML that pops up, it’s easy to search using your search function (press ctrl + f on Windows or ⌘ + f on iOS) by typing in ‘keywords’ to the search box. The following terms are the tags used in the video.

If ploughing through HTML sounds somewhat taxing, there is a handy YouTube SEO tool you can use to display the tags on page. It’s called TubeBuddy and is a Chrome extension which you’ll find in the Chrome store for free.

5. Keyword Tool Dominator

It’s got a grand name, but it’s actually really easy to use and a great place to start if you’re new to YouTube keyword research. Pop in your seed keywords and the Dominator will produce a list of relevant keywords related to those terms. You can then select the most useful and download them to your device.

The drawback with this is that you can only perform three searches a day on the free version. Perhaps that’s enough for you to begin with, but if you want to upgrade to the unlimited version, which will also give you search volumes, it’s a one-off fee of $39.99.

6. Ubersuggest

For getting more data on specific keywords, Ubersuggest from the SEO guru that is Neil Patel is one of the best tools out there. As well as showing search volume and competition, you can see other information such as cost per click and the seasonality of the keyword. It’s free to use with no limitations at all, so is well worth checking out.

7. Google trends

We would highly recommend investigating Google Trends as part of your YouTube keyword research, as it is powerful, accurate and, best of all, free! The options let you narrow down the trend results to just YouTube searches, which is great for gaining insights to your search terms. You can narrow down the results to a specific country too, helping you to gain insight into what your target demographic is currently interested in.

8. VidIQ

The keyword tool in VidIQ is one of very few research tools that has a function for just YouTube built in. You can paste in the keywords you want to research, choose the country you wish to target, and it will return all the search volumes and amount of competition, and will score your keywords based on these figures.

On the downside, there is a fairly complicated subscription process to go through if you want to upgrade from the free version. To be honest, the free version is OK for new users, but for in depth analytics you’re going to want to upgrade eventually.

9. Keyword Keg

Keyword Keg is definitely one of the most powerful YouTube keyword research tools out there. It offers lots of data, drawn from a variety of data sources including Wikipedia, Alibaba, Playstore and more. There are filters for country and language and you can drill down into issues like buyer intent and product info. However, as with most free YouTube keyword tools, there is a strict limit on what you can do before you pay. In this case, you only get to see the first five results unless you want to upgrade.

10. Kparser

Kparser is a YouTube keyword tool that you should notice. You can use it to find YouTube keywords free to use. More than finding the best core keywords, this tool can also give you suggestions on long tail keywords in every field. By use this, you don’t need to worry that you can’t the right keywords to use in title, description and tags. You also can selcet country and language when searching a YouTube keyword. For searching more than one keyword, remember to seperate them with coma.

Part 2: Bonus Tips - Google Video Result Keywords

Getting your video ranking highly on YouTube is excellent and will certainly bring you more traffic. But, do you know what would be even better than that? Getting your video ranking on Google as well.

To do this you’ll need to find ‘video result keywords’ in Google, so that yours can be one of the selected videos that sometimes show up in search. Google decides what should and shouldn’t trigger a video result, and usually shows them when a video would make sense, for example when someone asks ‘how to’ or searches for ‘cute’ or ‘funny’ things.

There’s a bit of trial and error involved as there is no YouTube keyword tool to find video result keywords… yet. But you can use Google to search your keywords and see if they are video result keywords. Just type them in, and if a video appears in the listings below, you’ve discovered a video result keyword that is well worth optimizing for.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If we asked you to name the world’s biggest search engines, undoubtedly you’d come up with Google, but what would be number two? Bing? Yahoo? The truth might surprise you.

According to figures, the world’s second biggest search engine is actually YouTube. Millions of people are using it everyday to search for videos about fitness, hair, marketing and more. With such a large audience already searching directly on the platform, doesn’t it make sense that when we use YouTube keyword research and SEO should be as important as it is on our website?

Luckily, we can use YouTube keyword tools to analyze YouTube keywords. Here we’re going to take a look at 10 best YouTube keyword tools out there, which can help you identify and optimize for the highest traffic keywords for your videos. By optimizing your videos, you can rank higher, get more views and enjoy a larger audience on YouTube.

• Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation
• Part 2: Bonues Tips - Google video result keywords

You May Also Like:
YouTube SEO Complete Guide >>
How to Edit and Optimize YouTube Title, Description, and Tags >>

---

Do you want to edit YouTube video easily? Filmora is a YouTube editor that you should have a try. As a YouTube video editing tool, it is simple to use with dragging and dropping. You can add various video effects, filters and transition to make your video better. Besides, titles and texts are also available to use. After editing, you can directly upload video to YouTube plactform. Now, download it to have a tryDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation

Before you can get into using any YouTube SEO tool, you’ll need to identify what the best keywords for your videos are. Let’s start by taking a look at the best YouTube keyword tools available.

1. YouTube autocomplete

When you start to search for something on YouTube, you’ll probably notice that YouTube suggests some keywords to finish your search. This is called autocomplete, and it works by suggesting the most popular keywords that start with the letters you’ve typed so far. What it is essentially saying is that those are the most frequently searched for terms that use the words you’ve already typed.

This means it’s a great place to start building your keywords, and a fantastic YouTube keyword tool for your videos. Just start your search for your video (e.g. shoes for…) and see what comes up. In this case, we can see that the most popular keywords are ‘girls’, ‘men’, ‘kids’, ‘summer’ and ‘boys’.

2. Keywordtool.io

Without doubt, this is one of the most powerful YouTube keyword tools out there, ranking hundreds of keywords by popularity. It captures data from YouTube autocomplete and allows you to create lists of keywords from that data. As well as autocompete data, you can also search for questions people are asking, which makes it highly beneficial as a YouTube SEO tool.

The downside to this particular tool is that it’s fairly limited on the free version. Upgrading to Pro Basic will give you almost double the keyword results and will let you compare the volume of searches made for those terms too. However, this will set you back around $68 a year, so it’s going to be something of an investment if you go for it.

3. SEOChat

SEO Chat is an amazing free tool that can generate keyword ideas from Google, Amazon, Bing and YouTube. You can search for keywords from all of those sources or can just search YouTube alone to find your keyword lists. You’ll need a ‘seed’ keyword, such as ‘shoes’, ‘make up’ or ‘marketing’, and then organizes results alphabetically with other letters following your seed keyword.

Simply scrolling through the results is going to give you loads of ideas for keywords and possibly content too. The tool also allows you to further expand your results by selecting a keyword and running ‘part two’ of the process, which expands those phrases even further. Your chosen keywords can be exported from the software, ready for use in your YouTube SEO tool.

4. Gather keywords from your competitor

Why not learn from the best and see what’s already working for your competitors? Finding their high traffic keywords is easy and can save a lot of time and energy. To do this, pick a channel that is around your size, as they’re your nearest competitors. Steer clear of the huge channels, as you’ll find it hard to rank next to them.

Click the videos tab to see their content, and sort them by ‘most popular’ to see the ones which got the most views. Take a look at the title and the description of those videos, and you’ll find a good fistful of proven keywords that you can start using yourself.

That’s not all though. To maximize your competitor research, let’s dig a little deeper into the tags they have used for their videos too. Unfortunately, these are hidden on YouTube, but are easily seen using the page’s HTML. Simply right click on the page and select ‘view source’. Don’t be alarmed at the great stream of HTML that pops up, it’s easy to search using your search function (press ctrl + f on Windows or ⌘ + f on iOS) by typing in ‘keywords’ to the search box. The following terms are the tags used in the video.

If ploughing through HTML sounds somewhat taxing, there is a handy YouTube SEO tool you can use to display the tags on page. It’s called TubeBuddy and is a Chrome extension which you’ll find in the Chrome store for free.

5. Keyword Tool Dominator

It’s got a grand name, but it’s actually really easy to use and a great place to start if you’re new to YouTube keyword research. Pop in your seed keywords and the Dominator will produce a list of relevant keywords related to those terms. You can then select the most useful and download them to your device.

The drawback with this is that you can only perform three searches a day on the free version. Perhaps that’s enough for you to begin with, but if you want to upgrade to the unlimited version, which will also give you search volumes, it’s a one-off fee of $39.99.

6. Ubersuggest

For getting more data on specific keywords, Ubersuggest from the SEO guru that is Neil Patel is one of the best tools out there. As well as showing search volume and competition, you can see other information such as cost per click and the seasonality of the keyword. It’s free to use with no limitations at all, so is well worth checking out.

7. Google trends

We would highly recommend investigating Google Trends as part of your YouTube keyword research, as it is powerful, accurate and, best of all, free! The options let you narrow down the trend results to just YouTube searches, which is great for gaining insights to your search terms. You can narrow down the results to a specific country too, helping you to gain insight into what your target demographic is currently interested in.

8. VidIQ

The keyword tool in VidIQ is one of very few research tools that has a function for just YouTube built in. You can paste in the keywords you want to research, choose the country you wish to target, and it will return all the search volumes and amount of competition, and will score your keywords based on these figures.

On the downside, there is a fairly complicated subscription process to go through if you want to upgrade from the free version. To be honest, the free version is OK for new users, but for in depth analytics you’re going to want to upgrade eventually.

9. Keyword Keg

Keyword Keg is definitely one of the most powerful YouTube keyword research tools out there. It offers lots of data, drawn from a variety of data sources including Wikipedia, Alibaba, Playstore and more. There are filters for country and language and you can drill down into issues like buyer intent and product info. However, as with most free YouTube keyword tools, there is a strict limit on what you can do before you pay. In this case, you only get to see the first five results unless you want to upgrade.

10. Kparser

Kparser is a YouTube keyword tool that you should notice. You can use it to find YouTube keywords free to use. More than finding the best core keywords, this tool can also give you suggestions on long tail keywords in every field. By use this, you don’t need to worry that you can’t the right keywords to use in title, description and tags. You also can selcet country and language when searching a YouTube keyword. For searching more than one keyword, remember to seperate them with coma.

Part 2: Bonus Tips - Google Video Result Keywords

Getting your video ranking highly on YouTube is excellent and will certainly bring you more traffic. But, do you know what would be even better than that? Getting your video ranking on Google as well.

To do this you’ll need to find ‘video result keywords’ in Google, so that yours can be one of the selected videos that sometimes show up in search. Google decides what should and shouldn’t trigger a video result, and usually shows them when a video would make sense, for example when someone asks ‘how to’ or searches for ‘cute’ or ‘funny’ things.

There’s a bit of trial and error involved as there is no YouTube keyword tool to find video result keywords… yet. But you can use Google to search your keywords and see if they are video result keywords. Just type them in, and if a video appears in the listings below, you’ve discovered a video result keyword that is well worth optimizing for.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If we asked you to name the world’s biggest search engines, undoubtedly you’d come up with Google, but what would be number two? Bing? Yahoo? The truth might surprise you.

According to figures, the world’s second biggest search engine is actually YouTube. Millions of people are using it everyday to search for videos about fitness, hair, marketing and more. With such a large audience already searching directly on the platform, doesn’t it make sense that when we use YouTube keyword research and SEO should be as important as it is on our website?

Luckily, we can use YouTube keyword tools to analyze YouTube keywords. Here we’re going to take a look at 10 best YouTube keyword tools out there, which can help you identify and optimize for the highest traffic keywords for your videos. By optimizing your videos, you can rank higher, get more views and enjoy a larger audience on YouTube.

• Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation
• Part 2: Bonues Tips - Google video result keywords

You May Also Like:
YouTube SEO Complete Guide >>
How to Edit and Optimize YouTube Title, Description, and Tags >>

---

Do you want to edit YouTube video easily? Filmora is a YouTube editor that you should have a try. As a YouTube video editing tool, it is simple to use with dragging and dropping. You can add various video effects, filters and transition to make your video better. Besides, titles and texts are also available to use. After editing, you can directly upload video to YouTube plactform. Now, download it to have a tryDownload Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Part 1: 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools Recommendation

Before you can get into using any YouTube SEO tool, you’ll need to identify what the best keywords for your videos are. Let’s start by taking a look at the best YouTube keyword tools available.

1. YouTube autocomplete

When you start to search for something on YouTube, you’ll probably notice that YouTube suggests some keywords to finish your search. This is called autocomplete, and it works by suggesting the most popular keywords that start with the letters you’ve typed so far. What it is essentially saying is that those are the most frequently searched for terms that use the words you’ve already typed.

This means it’s a great place to start building your keywords, and a fantastic YouTube keyword tool for your videos. Just start your search for your video (e.g. shoes for…) and see what comes up. In this case, we can see that the most popular keywords are ‘girls’, ‘men’, ‘kids’, ‘summer’ and ‘boys’.

2. Keywordtool.io

Without doubt, this is one of the most powerful YouTube keyword tools out there, ranking hundreds of keywords by popularity. It captures data from YouTube autocomplete and allows you to create lists of keywords from that data. As well as autocompete data, you can also search for questions people are asking, which makes it highly beneficial as a YouTube SEO tool.

The downside to this particular tool is that it’s fairly limited on the free version. Upgrading to Pro Basic will give you almost double the keyword results and will let you compare the volume of searches made for those terms too. However, this will set you back around $68 a year, so it’s going to be something of an investment if you go for it.

3. SEOChat

SEO Chat is an amazing free tool that can generate keyword ideas from Google, Amazon, Bing and YouTube. You can search for keywords from all of those sources or can just search YouTube alone to find your keyword lists. You’ll need a ‘seed’ keyword, such as ‘shoes’, ‘make up’ or ‘marketing’, and then organizes results alphabetically with other letters following your seed keyword.

Simply scrolling through the results is going to give you loads of ideas for keywords and possibly content too. The tool also allows you to further expand your results by selecting a keyword and running ‘part two’ of the process, which expands those phrases even further. Your chosen keywords can be exported from the software, ready for use in your YouTube SEO tool.

4. Gather keywords from your competitor

Why not learn from the best and see what’s already working for your competitors? Finding their high traffic keywords is easy and can save a lot of time and energy. To do this, pick a channel that is around your size, as they’re your nearest competitors. Steer clear of the huge channels, as you’ll find it hard to rank next to them.

Click the videos tab to see their content, and sort them by ‘most popular’ to see the ones which got the most views. Take a look at the title and the description of those videos, and you’ll find a good fistful of proven keywords that you can start using yourself.

That’s not all though. To maximize your competitor research, let’s dig a little deeper into the tags they have used for their videos too. Unfortunately, these are hidden on YouTube, but are easily seen using the page’s HTML. Simply right click on the page and select ‘view source’. Don’t be alarmed at the great stream of HTML that pops up, it’s easy to search using your search function (press ctrl + f on Windows or ⌘ + f on iOS) by typing in ‘keywords’ to the search box. The following terms are the tags used in the video.

If ploughing through HTML sounds somewhat taxing, there is a handy YouTube SEO tool you can use to display the tags on page. It’s called TubeBuddy and is a Chrome extension which you’ll find in the Chrome store for free.

5. Keyword Tool Dominator

It’s got a grand name, but it’s actually really easy to use and a great place to start if you’re new to YouTube keyword research. Pop in your seed keywords and the Dominator will produce a list of relevant keywords related to those terms. You can then select the most useful and download them to your device.

The drawback with this is that you can only perform three searches a day on the free version. Perhaps that’s enough for you to begin with, but if you want to upgrade to the unlimited version, which will also give you search volumes, it’s a one-off fee of $39.99.

6. Ubersuggest

For getting more data on specific keywords, Ubersuggest from the SEO guru that is Neil Patel is one of the best tools out there. As well as showing search volume and competition, you can see other information such as cost per click and the seasonality of the keyword. It’s free to use with no limitations at all, so is well worth checking out.

7. Google trends

We would highly recommend investigating Google Trends as part of your YouTube keyword research, as it is powerful, accurate and, best of all, free! The options let you narrow down the trend results to just YouTube searches, which is great for gaining insights to your search terms. You can narrow down the results to a specific country too, helping you to gain insight into what your target demographic is currently interested in.

8. VidIQ

The keyword tool in VidIQ is one of very few research tools that has a function for just YouTube built in. You can paste in the keywords you want to research, choose the country you wish to target, and it will return all the search volumes and amount of competition, and will score your keywords based on these figures.

On the downside, there is a fairly complicated subscription process to go through if you want to upgrade from the free version. To be honest, the free version is OK for new users, but for in depth analytics you’re going to want to upgrade eventually.

9. Keyword Keg

Keyword Keg is definitely one of the most powerful YouTube keyword research tools out there. It offers lots of data, drawn from a variety of data sources including Wikipedia, Alibaba, Playstore and more. There are filters for country and language and you can drill down into issues like buyer intent and product info. However, as with most free YouTube keyword tools, there is a strict limit on what you can do before you pay. In this case, you only get to see the first five results unless you want to upgrade.

10. Kparser

Kparser is a YouTube keyword tool that you should notice. You can use it to find YouTube keywords free to use. More than finding the best core keywords, this tool can also give you suggestions on long tail keywords in every field. By use this, you don’t need to worry that you can’t the right keywords to use in title, description and tags. You also can selcet country and language when searching a YouTube keyword. For searching more than one keyword, remember to seperate them with coma.

Part 2: Bonus Tips - Google Video Result Keywords

Getting your video ranking highly on YouTube is excellent and will certainly bring you more traffic. But, do you know what would be even better than that? Getting your video ranking on Google as well.

To do this you’ll need to find ‘video result keywords’ in Google, so that yours can be one of the selected videos that sometimes show up in search. Google decides what should and shouldn’t trigger a video result, and usually shows them when a video would make sense, for example when someone asks ‘how to’ or searches for ‘cute’ or ‘funny’ things.

There’s a bit of trial and error involved as there is no YouTube keyword tool to find video result keywords… yet. But you can use Google to search your keywords and see if they are video result keywords. Just type them in, and if a video appears in the listings below, you’ve discovered a video result keyword that is well worth optimizing for.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Starting From Scratch: Essential Gear List Guide

Essential YouTube Equipment For Starting Your Channel - What Do You Really Need?

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Check out our most updated guide on this topic: YouTube Equipment Starter Guide For Beginners .

The first thing to make sure of before starting a YouTube channel is having all that you need to record and upload high-quality videos regularly. That doesn’t mean you have to take out a loan and spend thousands to purchase a brand new camera and all other gadgets that professional filmmakers use.

The smartest way to get started is to go through a list of necessary equipment for YouTube and check whether or not you already own some of it. Once your channel starts growing, you can then start thinking about whether you want to invest in upgraded equipment. Here is a quick overview of all items that you need to start entertaining your online audience and gaining subscribers to your YouTube channel:

• Your YouTube Camera
• Microphones and Audio
• Lighting Gear for YouTube
• Tripods and Camera Stands
• Smartphone Camera Gear

YouTube Cameras

The short version: Use whatever you already have, even if it’s your phone or webcam. It’s nice to have sharp, fine-tuned, 4K footage, but viewers will forgive lower visual quality if your content is good.

The long version: You will need a camera, but there are a lot of different devices you can use including DSLRs, point and shoots, webcams, and your smartphone.

Your choice of camera will have a tremendous impact on the visual quality of your content and might drive your decisions regarding other pieces of equipment. However, you shouldn’t feel obliged to work with a top-notch camera from day one, especially since cheaper options can produce great results if used the right way.

On one end of the spectrum, you have basic smartphone cameras and web cameras, which are easy to come by and simple to operate. These days, high-end phones come equipped with quite powerful cameras that are more than sufficient for the needs of the average YouTuber. Better webcams can also do the job, although high-performance webcam models can get pretty expensive too. It is probably wise to resist the urge to start broadcasting with the built-in camera in your laptop and at least get a webcam or use your phone, but your computer’s camera is still always an option. Not having a better camera should never stop you from making YouTube videos.

If you already have a DSLR camera then it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it. You have far more freedom to adjust the settings and achieve a professional look for your videos with a DSLR, but that does mean it’ll take some time to become an expert at using it. Ultra-high resolution is not required for YouTube, but it certainly won’t hurt to have additional sharpness and more detail in the scene. If you’re shopping for a DSLR, look for one with a flip screen that allows you to quickly check what your viewers see.

YouTube Microphone and Audio

The short version: Audio quality is extremely important. If you can buy either a new camera or an external microphone, but not both, it might be better to go for the microphone. Click here for advice on upping your audio quality without an external microphone.

The long version: Sound capturing is every bit as important for your success as your video feed. In fact, poor audio can be even more damaging to your subscriber count than grainy video, since people won’t spend their time listening to something they have to put effort into understanding.

Again, most YouTube video makers have a limited budget at their disposal, so professional microphones are mostly off the table. However, investing in a directional microphone (‘shotgun mic’) that can pick up your voice clearly and without background noise is certainly a smart move. Such microphones can be pointed towards you while you speak, and since most YouTubers sit still while doing their shows there won’t be too much need for in-session adjustments.

If you’re not ready to invest in a shotgun mic, you can also find very inexpensive (often under $20) LAV mics. These small microphones can be pinned to your shirt, which allows them to record very clear dialogue because they’re so close to your mouth.

Lights for YouTube

The short version: You need as much light as you can get. Lighting kits can be affordable on Amazon, but you can also achieve a great look using daylight/windows and ‘daylight’ lightbulbs.

The long version: If you’ve ever tried to make a video indoors, you already know that it’s necessary to have additional light. Often just filming with the normal lights in a room will cause your footage to look dark and grainy, and possibly be tinted orange. To overcome these problems you need to increase the amount of light you have available.

Sometimes, it is enough to film near windows and/or bring more household lamps into your filming area. For any household lamps or lighting fixtures you use, make sure to put in white or ‘daylight’ lightbulbs instead of using the orange/tungsten bulbs that you might have for everyday use (this is how you avoid tinting things orange).

If you have the budget available to get some lighting equipment, you can find softbox lights or LED panel lights available fairly inexpensively online. Softbox lights are great because they provide even, diffused, light.

Another useful piece of lighting equipment to have is a reflector. A reflector is usually a piece of white, silver, or gold fabric stretched over a frame. You can use it to bounce light from one light source back towards yourself (this is a great way to fill shadows cast by your main light). Reflectors tend to be inexpensive, but you can also use white cardboard or tinfoil in place of purchasing a reflector.

Tripods and Camera Stands

The short version: You need something to hold your camera. If you mostly film in your own home that can be a desk or a stack of books, but if you make a lot of videos while you’re on the go you probably need a tripod or gimbal. Heavier cameras need heavier tripods.

The long version: While handheld cameras can deliver solid results for vloggers and casual streamers, viewers do expect reasonably stable footage. For many types of videos, the camera needs to be completely still and flatly positioned on a horizontal plane. Tripods and camera stands can cost very little, so it’s a good idea to look into getting some kind of stabilizer.

When you are choosing a tripod, pay attention to how much it weighs. If the camera that needs to be mounted on it is very heavy (like some DSLR models), you want to ensure that the structure itself weighs enough not to be easily tipped over. Too thin tripods can put your camera at risk, and that’s the last thing you want. Smaller cameras such as GoPros are more flexible in this regard and can be placed on a wider range of tripods.

Even if you are using a phone or a webcam to record YouTube videos, you should consider mounting the device on a stable stand. It is possible to find mini tripods ideal for smartphones for as little as $10. These tripods are small enough to carry in your pocket, so you will be prepared to start making a video no matter where your adventures take you. If you are using a web camera, you should attach it to the stand so that it won’t move accidentally after you touch the surface it is placed on.

Smartphone Camera Gear

The short version: There’s a lot of gear out there designed with smartphone photos and videos in mind, including clip-on lenses, tripod mounts, phone-mounted LED lights, and inexpensive microphones that plug into the audio jack.

The long version: Recording your videos with a mobile phone can be a good decision. It all depends on the phone you have and the range of add-ons and apps that you complement it with. Almost every high-end model released in the past five years can shoot videos in 1080p or higher. Some can even produce 4K footage. If you perfect your smartphone filming technique, your YouTube videos could look as if they were made with pro equipment.

On the flip side, smartphone cameras typically perform poorly in low light. It is possible to download an app that lets you play around with settings to overcome this, but a phone-mounted LED light is probably a better solution. An external microphone might also be a necessity, but there are some good (inexpensive) options that can simply be plugged in through the headphone jack.

Another common downside of smartphone cameras is that most of them use digital zoom, which is vastly inferior to optical zoom. If you intend to shoot anything that’s further away than a few feet, you need a clip-on lens that goes on top of the built-in camera. This inexpensive device will give you a lot of freedom to work in space, and allow you to make spectacular shots even without high-end YouTube equipment.

Equipment with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Check out our most updated guide on this topic: YouTube Equipment Starter Guide For Beginners .

The first thing to make sure of before starting a YouTube channel is having all that you need to record and upload high-quality videos regularly. That doesn’t mean you have to take out a loan and spend thousands to purchase a brand new camera and all other gadgets that professional filmmakers use.

The smartest way to get started is to go through a list of necessary equipment for YouTube and check whether or not you already own some of it. Once your channel starts growing, you can then start thinking about whether you want to invest in upgraded equipment. Here is a quick overview of all items that you need to start entertaining your online audience and gaining subscribers to your YouTube channel:

• Your YouTube Camera
• Microphones and Audio
• Lighting Gear for YouTube
• Tripods and Camera Stands
• Smartphone Camera Gear

YouTube Cameras

The short version: Use whatever you already have, even if it’s your phone or webcam. It’s nice to have sharp, fine-tuned, 4K footage, but viewers will forgive lower visual quality if your content is good.

The long version: You will need a camera, but there are a lot of different devices you can use including DSLRs, point and shoots, webcams, and your smartphone.

Your choice of camera will have a tremendous impact on the visual quality of your content and might drive your decisions regarding other pieces of equipment. However, you shouldn’t feel obliged to work with a top-notch camera from day one, especially since cheaper options can produce great results if used the right way.

On one end of the spectrum, you have basic smartphone cameras and web cameras, which are easy to come by and simple to operate. These days, high-end phones come equipped with quite powerful cameras that are more than sufficient for the needs of the average YouTuber. Better webcams can also do the job, although high-performance webcam models can get pretty expensive too. It is probably wise to resist the urge to start broadcasting with the built-in camera in your laptop and at least get a webcam or use your phone, but your computer’s camera is still always an option. Not having a better camera should never stop you from making YouTube videos.

If you already have a DSLR camera then it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it. You have far more freedom to adjust the settings and achieve a professional look for your videos with a DSLR, but that does mean it’ll take some time to become an expert at using it. Ultra-high resolution is not required for YouTube, but it certainly won’t hurt to have additional sharpness and more detail in the scene. If you’re shopping for a DSLR, look for one with a flip screen that allows you to quickly check what your viewers see.

YouTube Microphone and Audio

The short version: Audio quality is extremely important. If you can buy either a new camera or an external microphone, but not both, it might be better to go for the microphone. Click here for advice on upping your audio quality without an external microphone.

The long version: Sound capturing is every bit as important for your success as your video feed. In fact, poor audio can be even more damaging to your subscriber count than grainy video, since people won’t spend their time listening to something they have to put effort into understanding.

Again, most YouTube video makers have a limited budget at their disposal, so professional microphones are mostly off the table. However, investing in a directional microphone (‘shotgun mic’) that can pick up your voice clearly and without background noise is certainly a smart move. Such microphones can be pointed towards you while you speak, and since most YouTubers sit still while doing their shows there won’t be too much need for in-session adjustments.

If you’re not ready to invest in a shotgun mic, you can also find very inexpensive (often under $20) LAV mics. These small microphones can be pinned to your shirt, which allows them to record very clear dialogue because they’re so close to your mouth.

Lights for YouTube

The short version: You need as much light as you can get. Lighting kits can be affordable on Amazon, but you can also achieve a great look using daylight/windows and ‘daylight’ lightbulbs.

The long version: If you’ve ever tried to make a video indoors, you already know that it’s necessary to have additional light. Often just filming with the normal lights in a room will cause your footage to look dark and grainy, and possibly be tinted orange. To overcome these problems you need to increase the amount of light you have available.

Sometimes, it is enough to film near windows and/or bring more household lamps into your filming area. For any household lamps or lighting fixtures you use, make sure to put in white or ‘daylight’ lightbulbs instead of using the orange/tungsten bulbs that you might have for everyday use (this is how you avoid tinting things orange).

If you have the budget available to get some lighting equipment, you can find softbox lights or LED panel lights available fairly inexpensively online. Softbox lights are great because they provide even, diffused, light.

Another useful piece of lighting equipment to have is a reflector. A reflector is usually a piece of white, silver, or gold fabric stretched over a frame. You can use it to bounce light from one light source back towards yourself (this is a great way to fill shadows cast by your main light). Reflectors tend to be inexpensive, but you can also use white cardboard or tinfoil in place of purchasing a reflector.

Tripods and Camera Stands

The short version: You need something to hold your camera. If you mostly film in your own home that can be a desk or a stack of books, but if you make a lot of videos while you’re on the go you probably need a tripod or gimbal. Heavier cameras need heavier tripods.

The long version: While handheld cameras can deliver solid results for vloggers and casual streamers, viewers do expect reasonably stable footage. For many types of videos, the camera needs to be completely still and flatly positioned on a horizontal plane. Tripods and camera stands can cost very little, so it’s a good idea to look into getting some kind of stabilizer.

When you are choosing a tripod, pay attention to how much it weighs. If the camera that needs to be mounted on it is very heavy (like some DSLR models), you want to ensure that the structure itself weighs enough not to be easily tipped over. Too thin tripods can put your camera at risk, and that’s the last thing you want. Smaller cameras such as GoPros are more flexible in this regard and can be placed on a wider range of tripods.

Even if you are using a phone or a webcam to record YouTube videos, you should consider mounting the device on a stable stand. It is possible to find mini tripods ideal for smartphones for as little as $10. These tripods are small enough to carry in your pocket, so you will be prepared to start making a video no matter where your adventures take you. If you are using a web camera, you should attach it to the stand so that it won’t move accidentally after you touch the surface it is placed on.

Smartphone Camera Gear

The short version: There’s a lot of gear out there designed with smartphone photos and videos in mind, including clip-on lenses, tripod mounts, phone-mounted LED lights, and inexpensive microphones that plug into the audio jack.

The long version: Recording your videos with a mobile phone can be a good decision. It all depends on the phone you have and the range of add-ons and apps that you complement it with. Almost every high-end model released in the past five years can shoot videos in 1080p or higher. Some can even produce 4K footage. If you perfect your smartphone filming technique, your YouTube videos could look as if they were made with pro equipment.

On the flip side, smartphone cameras typically perform poorly in low light. It is possible to download an app that lets you play around with settings to overcome this, but a phone-mounted LED light is probably a better solution. An external microphone might also be a necessity, but there are some good (inexpensive) options that can simply be plugged in through the headphone jack.

Another common downside of smartphone cameras is that most of them use digital zoom, which is vastly inferior to optical zoom. If you intend to shoot anything that’s further away than a few feet, you need a clip-on lens that goes on top of the built-in camera. This inexpensive device will give you a lot of freedom to work in space, and allow you to make spectacular shots even without high-end YouTube equipment.

Equipment with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Check out our most updated guide on this topic: YouTube Equipment Starter Guide For Beginners .

The first thing to make sure of before starting a YouTube channel is having all that you need to record and upload high-quality videos regularly. That doesn’t mean you have to take out a loan and spend thousands to purchase a brand new camera and all other gadgets that professional filmmakers use.

The smartest way to get started is to go through a list of necessary equipment for YouTube and check whether or not you already own some of it. Once your channel starts growing, you can then start thinking about whether you want to invest in upgraded equipment. Here is a quick overview of all items that you need to start entertaining your online audience and gaining subscribers to your YouTube channel:

• Your YouTube Camera
• Microphones and Audio
• Lighting Gear for YouTube
• Tripods and Camera Stands
• Smartphone Camera Gear

YouTube Cameras

The short version: Use whatever you already have, even if it’s your phone or webcam. It’s nice to have sharp, fine-tuned, 4K footage, but viewers will forgive lower visual quality if your content is good.

The long version: You will need a camera, but there are a lot of different devices you can use including DSLRs, point and shoots, webcams, and your smartphone.

Your choice of camera will have a tremendous impact on the visual quality of your content and might drive your decisions regarding other pieces of equipment. However, you shouldn’t feel obliged to work with a top-notch camera from day one, especially since cheaper options can produce great results if used the right way.

On one end of the spectrum, you have basic smartphone cameras and web cameras, which are easy to come by and simple to operate. These days, high-end phones come equipped with quite powerful cameras that are more than sufficient for the needs of the average YouTuber. Better webcams can also do the job, although high-performance webcam models can get pretty expensive too. It is probably wise to resist the urge to start broadcasting with the built-in camera in your laptop and at least get a webcam or use your phone, but your computer’s camera is still always an option. Not having a better camera should never stop you from making YouTube videos.

If you already have a DSLR camera then it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it. You have far more freedom to adjust the settings and achieve a professional look for your videos with a DSLR, but that does mean it’ll take some time to become an expert at using it. Ultra-high resolution is not required for YouTube, but it certainly won’t hurt to have additional sharpness and more detail in the scene. If you’re shopping for a DSLR, look for one with a flip screen that allows you to quickly check what your viewers see.

YouTube Microphone and Audio

The short version: Audio quality is extremely important. If you can buy either a new camera or an external microphone, but not both, it might be better to go for the microphone. Click here for advice on upping your audio quality without an external microphone.

The long version: Sound capturing is every bit as important for your success as your video feed. In fact, poor audio can be even more damaging to your subscriber count than grainy video, since people won’t spend their time listening to something they have to put effort into understanding.

Again, most YouTube video makers have a limited budget at their disposal, so professional microphones are mostly off the table. However, investing in a directional microphone (‘shotgun mic’) that can pick up your voice clearly and without background noise is certainly a smart move. Such microphones can be pointed towards you while you speak, and since most YouTubers sit still while doing their shows there won’t be too much need for in-session adjustments.

If you’re not ready to invest in a shotgun mic, you can also find very inexpensive (often under $20) LAV mics. These small microphones can be pinned to your shirt, which allows them to record very clear dialogue because they’re so close to your mouth.

Lights for YouTube

The short version: You need as much light as you can get. Lighting kits can be affordable on Amazon, but you can also achieve a great look using daylight/windows and ‘daylight’ lightbulbs.

The long version: If you’ve ever tried to make a video indoors, you already know that it’s necessary to have additional light. Often just filming with the normal lights in a room will cause your footage to look dark and grainy, and possibly be tinted orange. To overcome these problems you need to increase the amount of light you have available.

Sometimes, it is enough to film near windows and/or bring more household lamps into your filming area. For any household lamps or lighting fixtures you use, make sure to put in white or ‘daylight’ lightbulbs instead of using the orange/tungsten bulbs that you might have for everyday use (this is how you avoid tinting things orange).

If you have the budget available to get some lighting equipment, you can find softbox lights or LED panel lights available fairly inexpensively online. Softbox lights are great because they provide even, diffused, light.

Another useful piece of lighting equipment to have is a reflector. A reflector is usually a piece of white, silver, or gold fabric stretched over a frame. You can use it to bounce light from one light source back towards yourself (this is a great way to fill shadows cast by your main light). Reflectors tend to be inexpensive, but you can also use white cardboard or tinfoil in place of purchasing a reflector.

Tripods and Camera Stands

The short version: You need something to hold your camera. If you mostly film in your own home that can be a desk or a stack of books, but if you make a lot of videos while you’re on the go you probably need a tripod or gimbal. Heavier cameras need heavier tripods.

The long version: While handheld cameras can deliver solid results for vloggers and casual streamers, viewers do expect reasonably stable footage. For many types of videos, the camera needs to be completely still and flatly positioned on a horizontal plane. Tripods and camera stands can cost very little, so it’s a good idea to look into getting some kind of stabilizer.

When you are choosing a tripod, pay attention to how much it weighs. If the camera that needs to be mounted on it is very heavy (like some DSLR models), you want to ensure that the structure itself weighs enough not to be easily tipped over. Too thin tripods can put your camera at risk, and that’s the last thing you want. Smaller cameras such as GoPros are more flexible in this regard and can be placed on a wider range of tripods.

Even if you are using a phone or a webcam to record YouTube videos, you should consider mounting the device on a stable stand. It is possible to find mini tripods ideal for smartphones for as little as $10. These tripods are small enough to carry in your pocket, so you will be prepared to start making a video no matter where your adventures take you. If you are using a web camera, you should attach it to the stand so that it won’t move accidentally after you touch the surface it is placed on.

Smartphone Camera Gear

The short version: There’s a lot of gear out there designed with smartphone photos and videos in mind, including clip-on lenses, tripod mounts, phone-mounted LED lights, and inexpensive microphones that plug into the audio jack.

The long version: Recording your videos with a mobile phone can be a good decision. It all depends on the phone you have and the range of add-ons and apps that you complement it with. Almost every high-end model released in the past five years can shoot videos in 1080p or higher. Some can even produce 4K footage. If you perfect your smartphone filming technique, your YouTube videos could look as if they were made with pro equipment.

On the flip side, smartphone cameras typically perform poorly in low light. It is possible to download an app that lets you play around with settings to overcome this, but a phone-mounted LED light is probably a better solution. An external microphone might also be a necessity, but there are some good (inexpensive) options that can simply be plugged in through the headphone jack.

Another common downside of smartphone cameras is that most of them use digital zoom, which is vastly inferior to optical zoom. If you intend to shoot anything that’s further away than a few feet, you need a clip-on lens that goes on top of the built-in camera. This inexpensive device will give you a lot of freedom to work in space, and allow you to make spectacular shots even without high-end YouTube equipment.

Equipment with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Check out our most updated guide on this topic: YouTube Equipment Starter Guide For Beginners .

The first thing to make sure of before starting a YouTube channel is having all that you need to record and upload high-quality videos regularly. That doesn’t mean you have to take out a loan and spend thousands to purchase a brand new camera and all other gadgets that professional filmmakers use.

The smartest way to get started is to go through a list of necessary equipment for YouTube and check whether or not you already own some of it. Once your channel starts growing, you can then start thinking about whether you want to invest in upgraded equipment. Here is a quick overview of all items that you need to start entertaining your online audience and gaining subscribers to your YouTube channel:

• Your YouTube Camera
• Microphones and Audio
• Lighting Gear for YouTube
• Tripods and Camera Stands
• Smartphone Camera Gear

YouTube Cameras

The short version: Use whatever you already have, even if it’s your phone or webcam. It’s nice to have sharp, fine-tuned, 4K footage, but viewers will forgive lower visual quality if your content is good.

The long version: You will need a camera, but there are a lot of different devices you can use including DSLRs, point and shoots, webcams, and your smartphone.

Your choice of camera will have a tremendous impact on the visual quality of your content and might drive your decisions regarding other pieces of equipment. However, you shouldn’t feel obliged to work with a top-notch camera from day one, especially since cheaper options can produce great results if used the right way.

On one end of the spectrum, you have basic smartphone cameras and web cameras, which are easy to come by and simple to operate. These days, high-end phones come equipped with quite powerful cameras that are more than sufficient for the needs of the average YouTuber. Better webcams can also do the job, although high-performance webcam models can get pretty expensive too. It is probably wise to resist the urge to start broadcasting with the built-in camera in your laptop and at least get a webcam or use your phone, but your computer’s camera is still always an option. Not having a better camera should never stop you from making YouTube videos.

If you already have a DSLR camera then it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with it. You have far more freedom to adjust the settings and achieve a professional look for your videos with a DSLR, but that does mean it’ll take some time to become an expert at using it. Ultra-high resolution is not required for YouTube, but it certainly won’t hurt to have additional sharpness and more detail in the scene. If you’re shopping for a DSLR, look for one with a flip screen that allows you to quickly check what your viewers see.

YouTube Microphone and Audio

The short version: Audio quality is extremely important. If you can buy either a new camera or an external microphone, but not both, it might be better to go for the microphone. Click here for advice on upping your audio quality without an external microphone.

The long version: Sound capturing is every bit as important for your success as your video feed. In fact, poor audio can be even more damaging to your subscriber count than grainy video, since people won’t spend their time listening to something they have to put effort into understanding.

Again, most YouTube video makers have a limited budget at their disposal, so professional microphones are mostly off the table. However, investing in a directional microphone (‘shotgun mic’) that can pick up your voice clearly and without background noise is certainly a smart move. Such microphones can be pointed towards you while you speak, and since most YouTubers sit still while doing their shows there won’t be too much need for in-session adjustments.

If you’re not ready to invest in a shotgun mic, you can also find very inexpensive (often under $20) LAV mics. These small microphones can be pinned to your shirt, which allows them to record very clear dialogue because they’re so close to your mouth.

Lights for YouTube

The short version: You need as much light as you can get. Lighting kits can be affordable on Amazon, but you can also achieve a great look using daylight/windows and ‘daylight’ lightbulbs.

The long version: If you’ve ever tried to make a video indoors, you already know that it’s necessary to have additional light. Often just filming with the normal lights in a room will cause your footage to look dark and grainy, and possibly be tinted orange. To overcome these problems you need to increase the amount of light you have available.

Sometimes, it is enough to film near windows and/or bring more household lamps into your filming area. For any household lamps or lighting fixtures you use, make sure to put in white or ‘daylight’ lightbulbs instead of using the orange/tungsten bulbs that you might have for everyday use (this is how you avoid tinting things orange).

If you have the budget available to get some lighting equipment, you can find softbox lights or LED panel lights available fairly inexpensively online. Softbox lights are great because they provide even, diffused, light.

Another useful piece of lighting equipment to have is a reflector. A reflector is usually a piece of white, silver, or gold fabric stretched over a frame. You can use it to bounce light from one light source back towards yourself (this is a great way to fill shadows cast by your main light). Reflectors tend to be inexpensive, but you can also use white cardboard or tinfoil in place of purchasing a reflector.

Tripods and Camera Stands

The short version: You need something to hold your camera. If you mostly film in your own home that can be a desk or a stack of books, but if you make a lot of videos while you’re on the go you probably need a tripod or gimbal. Heavier cameras need heavier tripods.

The long version: While handheld cameras can deliver solid results for vloggers and casual streamers, viewers do expect reasonably stable footage. For many types of videos, the camera needs to be completely still and flatly positioned on a horizontal plane. Tripods and camera stands can cost very little, so it’s a good idea to look into getting some kind of stabilizer.

When you are choosing a tripod, pay attention to how much it weighs. If the camera that needs to be mounted on it is very heavy (like some DSLR models), you want to ensure that the structure itself weighs enough not to be easily tipped over. Too thin tripods can put your camera at risk, and that’s the last thing you want. Smaller cameras such as GoPros are more flexible in this regard and can be placed on a wider range of tripods.

Even if you are using a phone or a webcam to record YouTube videos, you should consider mounting the device on a stable stand. It is possible to find mini tripods ideal for smartphones for as little as $10. These tripods are small enough to carry in your pocket, so you will be prepared to start making a video no matter where your adventures take you. If you are using a web camera, you should attach it to the stand so that it won’t move accidentally after you touch the surface it is placed on.

Smartphone Camera Gear

The short version: There’s a lot of gear out there designed with smartphone photos and videos in mind, including clip-on lenses, tripod mounts, phone-mounted LED lights, and inexpensive microphones that plug into the audio jack.

The long version: Recording your videos with a mobile phone can be a good decision. It all depends on the phone you have and the range of add-ons and apps that you complement it with. Almost every high-end model released in the past five years can shoot videos in 1080p or higher. Some can even produce 4K footage. If you perfect your smartphone filming technique, your YouTube videos could look as if they were made with pro equipment.

On the flip side, smartphone cameras typically perform poorly in low light. It is possible to download an app that lets you play around with settings to overcome this, but a phone-mounted LED light is probably a better solution. An external microphone might also be a necessity, but there are some good (inexpensive) options that can simply be plugged in through the headphone jack.

Another common downside of smartphone cameras is that most of them use digital zoom, which is vastly inferior to optical zoom. If you intend to shoot anything that’s further away than a few feet, you need a clip-on lens that goes on top of the built-in camera. This inexpensive device will give you a lot of freedom to work in space, and allow you to make spectacular shots even without high-end YouTube equipment.

Equipment with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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