Spam indicator
Has "tags" in video descriptions
What it checks
How many of the channel's video descriptions use the word "tag" or "tags".
The exact rule
- The share of the channel's public videos whose description contains "tag" or "tags" as a whole word, in any case, from 0% to 100%.
- "Hashtags" doesn't count.
Why it can point to spam
Channels chasing search traffic paste a block of keywords under "Tags:" in every description. YouTube's help says that adding excessive tags to a video description is against its spam policies.
When it fires on a legitimate channel
The word has ordinary meanings: "tag a friend", "price tag", "laser tag", a wrestling "tag team", and "Tag", the German word for "day". Any of them counts.
How to change it
If you run the channel and your descriptions end with a keyword list, remove it and put a few accurate tags in the tags field instead: in YouTube Studio, select Content, open the video and edit it on its Details page, click Show more and add them under Tags.
YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery; the title, thumbnail and description matter more.