YouTube lets you write up to 100 characters, but that number is misleading. Almost everywhere your title appears, it gets cut short, and where it gets cut depends on the device and surface. The real skill is making sure the promise survives truncation.
The practical sweet spot
Aim for roughly 45 to 70 characters. That is long enough to make a specific promise and short enough to read in full on most surfaces, including mobile where the majority of viewing happens. Longer titles are not penalized, but the back half often goes unseen.
Front-load the important words
Because the end of a title can be cut, treat the first 40 characters as the part that must do the work. Lead with the outcome, the number, or the key phrase, and let the supporting words trail off.
| Weaker (key words at the end) | Stronger (front-loaded) |
|---|---|
| Everything I Learned After One Year of Editing My Own Videos | Video Editing: What I Learned After 1 Year |
| A Complete Walkthrough of My New YouTube Upload Workflow | My YouTube Upload Workflow: A Full Walkthrough |
Check before you publish
Do not eyeball it. Paste your title into the title character counter to see the length and a preview of where it truncates. For the writing side, see how to write titles that get clicks.
Check your title length instantly
See your character count and a mobile truncation preview before you hit publish.