Building a successful video empire on YouTube takes lots of time and effort. Not only do YouTubers have to please their target audiences with ample content offerings, but they must also satisfy the vast array of algorithmic factors that determine who sees what (and when). While there are numerous factors to consider when targeting audiences, keywords remain one of the most crucial by far.

As it turns out, there are many keyword tools available that can help YouTube users determine how best to target their niches. With so many options, the question turns to which ones provide the best benefits and value. To answer that, let’s take a look at this year’s most effective keyword research tools for YouTube.

vidIQ

Stand-alone programs and bulky apps are definitely in the past for most content and marketing solutions. This is why so many YouTube professionals are turning to vidIQ for keyword research and analysis solutions. This browser extension (available in both free and premium options) enhances the YouTube UI with information vital to uncovering which keywords and niches you should be targeting.

Not only will you be able to see what competitors are pinging users with in terms of keywords and tags, but you’ll also be able to export this data into a spreadsheet for later use. Additionally, discovering how competitive a particular keyword is – along with elements such as search volume and most commonly-used keyword groupings – couldn’t be easier.

TubeBuddy

A mainstay in many professional YouTubers’ research arsenals, TubeBuddy offers the same flexibility as vidIQ in terms of browser integration. Also available in free and premium options, TubeBuddy integrates YouTube with a useful sidebar that displays all relevant information for each keyword, search term and video.

What’s great about TubeBuddy is that it really breaks down the usage of keywords, showing users how often it is used in tags, video titles and descriptions. Additionally, it supplies users with all the information you’d expect such as search volume. Often used to uncover just how fruitful particular long-tail keywords and phrases can be for video marketing efforts on YouTube, TubeBuddy even integrates elements such as social shares into the equation; now you’ll be able to see metrics both on YouTube and on social media for given keywords and videos.

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

While not designed exclusively for YouTube content creators, Ahrefs Keywords Explorer is built to function with the platform. With hundreds of millions of YouTube keywords built into the platform, finding comprehensive information on the niches you intend to target is seamless. Ahrefs allows users to uncover search volume, geographic distribution of interest in keywords, overall clicks and keyword recommendations based on your initial input.

Before you start pinging users with videos based on a certain topic, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer offers an intimate assessment of how successful those keywords will be in reaching your target audience. It also provides a litany of generated reports based on your exact needs, whether that be exact match keywords or broader categories and variations.

With so many tools to consider, narrowing down your choices is the first step in optimizing your YouTube content. These three keyword tools are optimal choices, with professionals on YouTube largely relying on them for maximum information beforehand. Now you can choose which of these tools you want to put to work for your needs!