Audio & Video Monetization
IP Protection & Reporting
What is Self-Certification?
Self-Certification is a system where creators rate their own videos based on YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
This helps YouTube:
How It Works
When you upload or monetize a video:
YouTube offers different ways for eligible creators to earn money. Depending on your country, channel size, and eligibility, you can unlock different monetization features through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
YouTube Partner Program (YPP)
The YouTube Partner Program is available to eligible creators in selected countries and regions. You may also gain early …
General Rules
To monetize on YouTube, you must:
Advertisers prefer content that is safe, original, and brand-friendly.
Content You Create Yourself
You can …
YouTube Search, Discovery, Monetization & Performance Overview 1. How YouTube Search Works
YouTube Search ranks videos based on:
Relevance
Engagement
Quality
YouTube’s search and discovery system helps viewers find videos they are most likely to watch and enjoy. It focuses on long-term viewer satisfaction rather than promoting specific creators or channels.
How YouTube Chooses Videos to Recommend
YouTube recommends videos based on what viewers:
…
If your video receives a “limited monetization” (yellow icon), you can request a human review. A trained policy specialist will then manually check your video and make a final monetization decision.
What Reviewers Look At
Reviewers don’t just watch the video—they assess all related content, including:
…
YouTube uses automated systems—sometimes called the “ads algorithm”—to help manage monetization across a huge amount of content.
With over 400 hours of video uploaded every minute and billions of viewers each month, these systems help review content at scale to keep YouTube safe for viewers, creators, and advertisers.
Why YouTube Uses These Systems …
Limited or No Ads Icons
You will only see the “limited or no ads” icons if you are part of the YouTube Partner Program.
These icons show that monetization is turned on for a video, but YouTube’s systems or reviewers think the video may not fully follow the Advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
When …
This section explains what it means if your YouTube Partner Program (YPP) application is rejected and what you can do next.
Why Was My Application Rejected?
If your application was rejected, it means YouTube reviewers found that a significant part of your channel does not meet monetization policies or guidelines.
You can …
This section explains how YouTube channel monetization works and why some features may not be available.
Ways to Earn Money
Monetized channels can earn money through different features.What you can use depends on:
Why a Feature May Not …
Did you know you can calculate your YouTube revenue for free?
YouTube Estimate Total Earnings for YouTube Channel · YouTube Monetization Checker
