Blog
Guides and tutorials on YouTube channel IDs, tags, metadata, monetization, shadowbans, and channel naming — from the team behind YTDetective.
Featured
Monetization & Earnings19 min read
How to Get Monetized on YouTube: The Full Process
How to get monetized on YouTube: the entry levels, the Studio application, review time, AdSense and tax setup, rejection fixes, and how AI channels are judged.
2026-09-26
Growth & Algorithm23 min read
Best YouTube Niches in 2026: 10,495 Channels Analyzed
The best YouTube niches in 2026 from our data on 10,495 channels: what small channels gain, Shorts vs long-form, faceless and AI channels, and ad limits.
10,495small channels gaining 100K+ views a day, by niche
Monetization & Earnings9 min read
YouTube Monetization Requirements: What Changes in 2027
The current YouTube Partner Program requirements, the changes that start on February 1, 2027, and what you can and cannot check from outside a channel.
8,000 hwatch hours for new applicants from Feb 2027
From our data
YouTube Niche Map
Which niches small channels are growing in, from 10,495 tracked channels in September 2026: views gained, Shorts share and posting pace, with the method and a CSV.
Latest guides
Growth & Algorithm6 min read
How to See Dislikes on YouTube: What Is Still Visible
Can you see dislikes on YouTube? Who can still see the exact count, what the API returns since December 2021, and what browser extensions really show.
Hiddendislike counts since November 2021
Growth & Algorithm7 min read
YouTube Play Buttons: Silver, Gold, Diamond Requirements
YouTube Play Buttons explained: the subscriber milestones for Silver, Gold, Diamond and Red Diamond, who is eligible, how to redeem one and how rare each is.
19,691of our tracked channels have passed each award tier
YouTube SEO7 min read
YouTube Private vs Unlisted vs Public: What Each Does
YouTube private vs unlisted vs public: who can see each, which show up in search or on your channel, comments, sharing and what counts toward watch hours.
3 settingspublic, unlisted and private compared
Monetization & Earnings6 min read
YouTube Partner Program Countries: Which List Applies
Which countries can join the YouTube Partner Program? YouTube Help has three different lists. What each one covers, where they disagree and how to check yours.
99countries on the expanded Partner Program page
Monetization & Earnings7 min read
YouTube Yellow Dollar Icon: What Limited Ads Means
What the yellow dollar icon on a YouTube video means: limited ads, how long the check takes, which content triggers it, and how to ask for a review.
Limitedwhat the yellow icon means for ads
YouTube SEO16 min read
YouTube Captions, Subtitles and Translations Explained
YouTube captions, subtitles and translations: how to add captions, why automatic captions vary, translating titles, dubbing, and what the public API shows.
Subtitles/CCYouTube's own name for both
Growth & Algorithm13 min read
YouTube Community Posts: Requirements and How They Work
YouTube Community Posts explained: who can post today, the post types and limits, where posts show up, comment moderation, and what the Analytics report shows.
No minimumsubscribers needed to post, per YouTube Help
Growth & Algorithm13 min read
Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts: What Our Data Shows
We tested 1,710 Shorts from 64 channels: no posting hour or weekday reliably beat the rest. See the numbers, the limits and how to test your own schedule.
1,710views vs typical Short by upload day: no clear winner
Monetization & Earnings10 min read
How Much Do YouTubers Make? What the Sources Show
How much YouTubers make: YouTube's revenue shares, why subscribers do not set income, and daily views for 26,561 channels by subscriber count.
26,561median views a day by subscriber band, 26,561 channels
Branding & Identity6 min read
How to Change Your YouTube Channel Name (Step by Step)
How to change your YouTube channel name in Studio, the twice-in-14-days limit, what happens to your verification badge, and why the change sometimes fails.
2× in 14 dayshow often a channel name can change
Growth & Algorithm16 min read
How to Go Live on YouTube: Requirements and Limits
How to go live on YouTube: the age and verification rules, the 50-subscriber mobile bar, encoder settings, latency, archives, limits and how live streams earn.
50subscribers needed to go live from a phone
Monetization & Earnings15 min read
How to Make Money on YouTube: 9 Ways (With Requirements)
How to make money on YouTube: nine ways, what YouTube requires for each, which need no Partner Program, and how common each is in our data on 240 channels.
9 waysto earn, with what each requires
Growth & Algorithm14 min read
YouTube End Screens and Cards: How to Add and Use Them
YouTube end screens and cards: the rules from Help (25 seconds, 4 elements, 5 cards), how to add them, what the reports show, and how common trailers are.
5–20 sthe window an end screen runs in
YouTube SEO17 min read
YouTube Analytics Explained: What Each Metric Means
YouTube Analytics explained: what each Studio tab and metric means, which numbers anyone can see, and what our data shows about likes and comments per view.
7 tabsin YouTube Studio Analytics
Branding & Identity8 min read
YouTube Channel Name vs Handle vs ID vs URL
YouTube channel name vs handle: what each identifier is, which are unique, which you can still change, and when to use the handle, the URL or the channel ID.
Name, @, IDthree identifiers every channel has
Monetization & Earnings17 min read
YouTube Copyright Claim vs Strike: What Each Does
YouTube copyright claim vs strike: what a Content ID claim does, when a strike happens, how to dispute, what it means for earnings, and what public data shows.
Claim ≠ strikeone is about a video, one about a channel
Monetization & Earnings17 min read
YouTube Made for Kids: What It Changes for Creators
YouTube's made for kids setting: how to decide, which features it switches off, the FTC background, and how often it appears in our data on 4,659 videos.
Requiredevery creator declares made-for-kids
YouTube SEO8 min read
YouTube Shorts Length and Size: The Current Limits
YouTube Shorts length and size: the 3-minute limit, which videos count as Shorts, vertical or square shapes, 1080p, and how long real Shorts run in our sample.
3 minmaximum length of a Short
Growth & Algorithm12 min read
YouTube Subscriber Count: How It Is Rounded and Updated
How YouTube rounds subscriber counts, in steps of 10 to 1,000,000, why the count changes, and what hidden counts mean, with our data on 17,887 channels.
123Kcounts rounded down to three significant figures
YouTube SEO12 min read
YouTube Thumbnail A/B Test: How Test & Compare Works
YouTube thumbnail A/B testing (Test & compare in Help): who can use it, why watch time picks the winner, why tests end with no winner, how to run one.
Up to 3thumbnails or titles in one test
Branding & Identity10 min read
How to Get Verified on YouTube: 100K Subscribers, Steps
How many subscribers you need to get verified on YouTube (100,000), the 2-Step Verification and profile rules, the Studio steps and what removes a badge.
100Ksubscribers to apply for the badge
YouTube SEO8 min read
YouTube Video Size, Resolution and Length Limits
YouTube video size explained: resolutions, the 16:9 aspect ratio, recommended encoding settings, file formats, and the 15-minute, 256 GB and 12-hour limits.
16:9YouTube's standard aspect ratio
Monetization & Earnings7 min read
YouTube Shorts Monetization: How Shorts Get Paid
How YouTube Shorts monetization works: two ways in, what counts as a qualified view, how the Creator Pool splits revenue and what you can check from outside.
10MShorts views in 90 days for ad revenue
Growth & Algorithm11 min read
How Often to Upload to YouTube: A Data-Backed Answer
How often to upload to YouTube: what YouTube says, what 83 channels show, the Partner Program upload rules and how to pick a schedule you can keep.
Consistencyof quality over frequency, says YouTube Help
Growth & Algorithm8 min read
How to Compare Two YouTube Videos Fairly
How to compare YouTube videos fairly: which public numbers to use, the traps in views per day, and a worked example on three real videos.
Views/dayputs videos of different ages side by side
Growth & Algorithm8 min read
How to Compare YouTube Channels Without Fooling Yourself
How to compare YouTube channels with public data: what a side-by-side shows, a worked example with three real channels, and the traps of age and rounding.
3 channelsside by side, from the Data API
Growth & Algorithm8 min read
How to Find YouTube Video Ideas and a Niche
Where to find YouTube video ideas and a niche: Studio's Trends and Audience reports, our look at who charts in each category, and what none of it proves.
3 sourcesof video ideas inside YouTube Studio
Growth & Algorithm9 min read
How to Get Your First 1,000 YouTube Subscribers
What 1,000 subscribers means for the Partner Program, why there is no free shortcut, what YouTube advises, and what small channels' views look like in our data.
1,000subscribers to open ad revenue
Growth & Algorithm10 min read
How the YouTube Algorithm Works, According to YouTube
What YouTube says its recommendation system looks at, what it says it does not do, how Shorts differ and how to read your own numbers, with every claim sourced.
2 goalsof YouTube's recommendation system
Monetization & Earnings9 min read
Shorts or Long-Form: Which Format Should You Make?
How to choose between YouTube Shorts and long-form: how each is discovered, counted and measured, our own view data from 19 channels and a way to decide.
3 minthe longest a Short can be
YouTube SEO10 min read
YouTube Hashtags and Chapters: Rules, Limits and Data
The published rules for YouTube hashtags and chapters, what 3,242 real videos actually do with them, and how to check a live video. No hashtag generator.
60+hashtags and YouTube ignores them all
Growth & Algorithm8 min read
YouTube Playlist Analytics: Public Numbers vs Studio
What a YouTube playlist's public numbers show, a worked example on a real 16 video series, and which playlist metrics only the owner sees in YouTube Studio.
100 videosread from each public playlist
YouTube SEO5 min read
Do YouTube Tags Still Matter? How to See Them
YouTube Help says tags play a minimal role in discovery. What they are still useful for, and how to see the tags on any public video.
MinimalYouTube Help's word for the role of tags
Growth & Algorithm5 min read
How to Audit a YouTube Channel in 15 Minutes
Which numbers a quick channel audit should look at, how to read outlier videos, and where the limits of a recent-uploads check are.
15 minto audit a channel's recent uploads
Branding & Identity5 min read
How to Download a YouTube Thumbnail: What to Watch For
How to get a video's thumbnail or a channel's profile image at full size, why some videos have no 1280 x 720 version, and what you can do with the image.
1280 × 720largest thumbnail size, missing on some videos
YouTube SEO5 min read
How to Embed a YouTube Video: Start Time and Privacy
How to copy a YouTube embed code, start it at a set time, turn on privacy-enhanced mode, and what autoplay changes, with the limits YouTube documents.
?start=starts an embed at a chosen second
Growth & Algorithm5 min read
Why Did My YouTube Views Drop? A Diagnosis Order
The reasons YouTube Help gives for falling views, and a step-by-step order for working out which one applies to your channel before you change anything.
Views ↓the ordinary causes YouTube Help lists
YouTube SEO5 min read
YouTube SEO Checklist: Titles, Tags and Hashtags
A YouTube SEO checklist built from what YouTube Help actually says about titles, descriptions, tags, hashtags and chapters, and what it does not say.
Title firstthen thumbnail and description, tags last
YouTube SEO5 min read
YouTube Timestamps and Chapters: How to Link to a Moment
How to make a link that starts a YouTube video at a set time, and the rules YouTube publishes for chapters in a description.
?t=90starts a link at a chosen second
YouTube SEO6 min read
YouTube Title and Description Length Limits
The hard limits for a YouTube title and description, what YouTube advises putting first, and why the cut-off points in search and on mobile only approximate.
100 / 5,000characters for a title and a description
YouTube SEO5 min read
YouTube Video Metadata: What Is Public and What Is Not
Upload date, length, view and like counts and tags: what a YouTube video's public metadata contains, shown on a real example, and what stays private.
Public datawhat any viewer can read about a video
Growth & Algorithm6 min read
Best Time to Post on YouTube: What the Evidence Says
YouTube says publish time is not known to affect long-term performance. Here is when it does matter and how to read your own channel's posting history.
No magic hourpublish time is not known to matter long-term
Monetization & Earnings6 min read
How Much Does YouTube Pay for 1 Million Views?
A million views can pay a few thousand dollars or far more. YouTube's own RPM and CPM definitions, plus a worked range from our calculator's assumptions.
RPMdecides what 1 million views pay
Monetization & Earnings5 min read
How Much Money Does YouTube Pay Per 1,000 Views?
There is no fixed rate. What RPM is, the revenue shares YouTube publishes, and the things that move the number from one channel to another.
RPMearned per 1,000 views, different for every channel
Branding & Identity5 min read
How to Choose a YouTube Channel Name and Handle
A practical way to pick a channel name: what YouTube limits, how a name differs from a handle, and how to test ideas for availability before you commit.
Name + @two separate choices, each changeable
YouTube SEO5 min read
How to Find a YouTube Channel ID (and What It Is)
Where to find your own YouTube channel ID in Settings, how to get someone else's from a handle or link, and how an ID differs from a handle.
UC…how a 24-character channel ID begins
Growth & Algorithm5 min read
How to Start a YouTube Channel in 2026: Step by Step
Create the channel, choose a name and handle, learn the Partner Program bar and set up the basics. Each step is checked against YouTube Help.
6 stepsto create a channel in Settings
Monetization & Earnings6 min read
YouTube Monetization Check: Is a Channel Monetized?
How to run a YouTube monetization check on any channel: what only the owner can see, the public signals that point to it and how far to trust them.
Owner-onlymonetization status in YouTube Studio
Growth & Algorithm5 min read
What Is a YouTube Shadowban?
A shadowban is a community term for a sudden drop in distribution. What YouTube documents, what usually explains a drop, and how to test before you assume.
Unofficiala community word YouTube Help does not use
Branding & Identity5 min read
YouTube Banner Size and Safe Area for Channel Art
The official YouTube banner size, the safe area for text and logos, the file limit, and how to check the banner a channel is already using.
2560 × 1440recommended banner size
Branding & Identity5 min read
YouTube Handles: Rules, Changes and Availability
What a YouTube handle is, the official rules for choosing one, how often you can change it and how to check that a handle is free before you commit.
@handleone per channel
Branding & Identity7 min read
YouTube Thumbnail Size and Safe Zones in 2026
The official YouTube thumbnail size, formats and file limits, plus where the video length badge covers your image and how to check it before you upload.
3840 × 2160recommended thumbnail size
Browse by topic
YouTube SEO
14 guides
- YouTube Private vs Unlisted vs Public: What Each Does
- YouTube Captions, Subtitles and Translations Explained
- YouTube Analytics Explained: What Each Metric Means
Monetization & Earnings
13 guides
- YouTube Partner Program Countries: Which List Applies
- YouTube Yellow Dollar Icon: What Limited Ads Means
- How Much Do YouTubers Make? What the Sources Show
Branding & Identity
8 guides
- How to Change Your YouTube Channel Name (Step by Step)
- YouTube Channel Name vs Handle vs ID vs URL
- How to Get Verified on YouTube: 100K Subscribers, Steps
Growth & Algorithm
20 guides
- How to See Dislikes on YouTube: What Is Still Visible
- YouTube Play Buttons: Silver, Gold, Diamond Requirements
- YouTube Community Posts: Requirements and How They Work
Free tools behind these guides
Every guide points to a tool you can run on your own channel or video. No account needed.
- YouTube Monetization CheckerCheck whether a channel or video is showing monetization signals, with a disclosed confidence score.
- YouTube Shadowban CheckerEstimate whether a channel is being suppressed in search and recommendations.
- YouTube Channel ID FinderResolve any handle or custom URL to its underlying channel ID.
- Best Time to Post on YouTubeSee which days and hours a channel's uploads got the most views.