Welcome to my review of TubeBuddy, probably the best YouTube marketing tool that will help you optimize and grow your YouTube channel.

When I first started blogging, I tried my hand on making YouTube videos without really delving into the ins and outs of the proper way to do it. I created a couple of videos, got no views (yup zilch) and decided it wasn’t for me.

Back then it was an easy decision, I was afraid of making videos, I was not only scared of how I would look but also how I sounded. However, I wasn’t fully aware of how important and powerful videos were and was relieved that I wasn’t required to make them.

But times move fast and as the data shows, video marketing is more important than ever, especially if your business is going to thrive in this digital age. But like I found out, you cannot just create a video, upload it onto YouTube and expect hordes of views and customers for your business.

Just like you need SEO data to rank blog posts and articles, you need data to rank your YouTube videos.

This where TubeBuddy comes in, this is an all-in-one YouTube management toolkit that has been making video marketing tools for over 12 years ( before Google acquired YouTube). They are also certified by YouTube, suffice to say they know their stuff.

Now I must confess, TubeBuddy comes with a ton of features, most of which someone like will never use. So this review will not cover all the features, only the ones I use.

TubeBuddy Review

I first came across this tool when I was searching for how to optimise YouTube videos for more views and rank them higher on the results page.

TubeBuddy works as a browser extension that integrates directly within YouTube, so there is nothing to download nor do you have to switch between websites to use their services.

There is a free version but it is limited, luckily the paid options are not very expensive and if you are just starting a new YouTube channel, there is a 50% discount.

TubeBuddy features

As I said, TubeBuddy comes with an amazing range of features and unless you have a large YouTube channel that you want to optimise, most of the features will not be required.

TubeBuddy comes with 5 main YouTube marketing tools, they are;

Productivity

Bulk Processing

Video SEO

Promotion

Data & Research

The main features of TubeBuddy that I use the most come under Video SEO, this tool has so many features, however, at the moment I only use a few of them.

Keyword Explorer – This is basically their keyword research tool, however, it differs from the traditional keyword research tools in that it does not give a search volume estimate.

Instead, every time you enter a keyword ( or tag), it gives you an overall score out of 100, the higher the score, the easier it will be to rank for that keyword.

TubeBuddy gives you two overall scores, one is weighted, this score is calculated by analysing your YouTube channel. The other is unweighted, this does not take into consideration your YouTube channel.

If you are new to creating videos on YouTube, both scores will be similar.

You also get colour coded data for search volume, keyword competition and if the top-ranking videos are optimised for the keyword.

The data is very easy to understand and you get a quick picture of whether a keyword is worth targeting or not.

The keyword explorer also provides you with related search terms, video topic ideas and the most used tags that are being used on the top-ranking videos.

Tags are one of the most important parts to getting your videos ranked, having the correct data on which tags will be easy to rank is vital if you are going to succeed on YouTube and this is what Keyword explorer provides.

Search explorer – This is pretty similar to keyword explorer, it gives an overall keyword score and provides related search terms. It also provides data about videos and YouTube channels that come up on the search results for that particular search term.

Suggested Tag – This provides you with two lists of suggested tags, one is search terms that people have used to find your video and the other is terms that are related to the content of your video. All suggested tags are given a difficulty score, so you will know which one will be easier to rank.

Search Rankings – This feature allows you to see where your video is ranking for each search term. You can then optimise for the terms that ranking and make changes to the ones that are not.

Best Practice Audit – YouTube has a set of guidelines that you should follow when uploading a video, TubeBuddy automatically takes you through a checklist to make sure you are following these guidelines.

Instasuggest – Similar to Google suggests, this feature will instantly suggest tags for your video by analysing the ones you have already entered.

Video A/B testing – Create variations of your videos titles tags, thumbnails, description and search terms and see which one gets more views.

Other features for Video SEO include the following;

Tag sorter – Order your tags with the ones you want to place more importance on.

Tag lists – Stores your most used tags for quick and easy access

Opportunity finder – Find keywords that will drive traffic from Google search engine.

Captions service – Reach a wider audience by having your video professionally transcribed.

Auto translator – Translate your videos titles, tags and description for more views and wider audience.

Keyword rank tracking – Track the progress of your video SEO skills and track where your keywords are ranking on YouTube search results.

Those are features I use the most, however, there are tons of other features that are included in the other 4 tools.

TubeBuddy Productivity Tool

There are 18 features in this tool, they include, advanced embedding features, automated comment response, comment notification, scheduled video updates, thumbnail generator, auto-publish to Facebook and a host of other features.

I don’t use many of the features in this module, the ones I do use are the following;

Thumbnail generator – Having a good thumbnail that stands out can increase your CTR and get you more views. You can create a good thumbnail with TubeBuddy.

Emoji picker – This gives you the option to include emojis in your title, tags and description. Emojis are known to increase CTR.

TubeBuddy Data & Research Tool

This module is really for established YouTube channels, you get access to 15 tools that will provide a ton of data for your channel and those of your competitors.

You get data for what your audience is saying about your videos, how well your videos are doing on social media, how your channel stacks up against your competitors and lots of other related data points.

Haven’t touched this module but if you have a big YouTube channel, it could prove useful.

TubeBuddy Promotion Tool

Get access to tools with which you can run promotions and grow your channel and videos through different mediums. This is another tool that I do not need at the moment, so I haven’t played around with it much.

TubeBuddy Bulk Processing Tool

Update cards, end screens, thumbnails for your videos in one go without having to do them individually. This tool is for people who are uploading multiple videos a day and want to save time by 

Who Is TubeBuddy For?

If you are serious about YouTube marketing, I believe this tool or a similar tool is essential if want the best chance at success.

It really has something for everyone, whether you are just beginning like me or already have an established channel that you would like to grow further, TubeBuddy has the tools to help you.

Having a tool like this helps in so many ways and speaking from a beginners point of view, it helps especially when it comes to keyword research and choosing low competition tags so that you can rank higher and get some quick views on your videos.

It has lots of helpful articles and videos as well as a very active community forum in which you can get help and advice.

TubeBuddy Pricing

TubeBuddy has three pricing plans and a free plan in which you will have limited access to some of its features.

You can get discounts if you meet the following criteria

1. Have less than 1000 subscribers

2. Pay Yearly

3. Have more than 1 YouTube Channel

4. Are partnered with an MCN

5. If your channel is part of a non-profit organisation.

Final Thoughts

TubeBuddy is a fantastic YouTube management tool that comes with features developed to help optimise and grow your channel.

I believe it is an essential tool if you are to have the best chance at success on YouTube. There is a free version, but it is limited to what features you have access to. However, the paid options are not very expensive and if you are just starting a YouTube channel, you can get a pro account for less than $4 pm (if you pay yearly).

Are you marketing on YouTube and do you use TubeBuddy to optimise and grow your channel? Leave me a comment.