Taking the first steps to monetizing your new blog?
Then Google AdSense might be on your radar!
But are you ready to apply for ads right now? Or does your blog need a little bit of tweeking first?
No need to fear! Although, Google’s program is strict, meeting its qualifications is very doable.
So, let’s get started and learn how to get Google AdSense approved the first time you apply!
This guide will teach you:
- four common reasons to get rejected for Google AdSense
- eight things you should do to get AdSense approved today
Let’s get started with some basic questions most new bloggers have about AdSense and answer them one by one.
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links meaning that should you choose to purchase something using one of these links, I could earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Common questions about AdSense
How do I apply for Google AdSense?
Does my blog qualify for Google AdSense?
What are the requirements for applying to Google AdSense?
What do I do if my application for Google AdSense was rejected?
Why was my application for Google AdSense rejected?
We’ll go over all of these questions and more in this post! So, let’s get your blog ready to go and get Google AdSense approved now.
Common Reasons To Get Rejected For Google AdSense
1. Insufficient/No Content
This is probably the most common reason for rejection by Google AdSense!
Many new bloggers are often stunned to find that they’ve been rejected by an affiliate program or an ad network after launch.
But when you’ve only got a handful of articles, it can be tough for the specialists at Google or elsewhere to review your content.
Articles should be well written using proper grammar. Your posts should also be unique and provide value to your readers. Whether your are educating them or showing them something, keep your content fresh and use your own voice!
2. No About, Contact, or Privacy Policy Page
These three pages are a necessity before applying to Google AdSense!
Your About, Contact, and Privacy Pages are a professional reflection of you and the brand you are building with your blog.
Describe who you are along with what your brand stands for in your about page. If possible, use a contact form on your contact page to allow visitors of your site to easily write you with any rave reviews or concerns.
As for your privacy policy, place it in an obvious place on your blog, and keep in mind that this is a necessary legal agreement between you and your readers. It should disclose:
If you collect any and what type of personal information you obtain from them
How you obtain, use, and store your visitors’ personal information
The reason you are requesting this personal information
If you allow any other third parties to collect such information as well
How you will update visitors if and when your privacy policy changes
If you would like to use a Privacy Policy generator to create this page for you, try iubenda. You can generate a basic privacy policy for FREE but including disclaimers for specific affiliate and ad networks will come at an additional fee.
3. Blog Design Or Layout
Some website layouts and pages are just not AdSense friendly!
Be sure to go through your site and add enough text to or simply remove any gallery style pages – you need text on pages that will display Google AdSense ads.
Your pages must have enough written content to be eligible for advertising on them!
When you are choosing a theme for your blog, make sure your opt for a professional theme that is AdSense friendly; think about where you’d like to see ads when you are a browsing themes.
Google is strict and like any professional company, wants the user experience to be positive when their product is involved. Messy sites that lack cohesion are a no-no.
Organize your blog posts using categories. Make sure to have a landing page and easy navigation for your users. Brand your site and brand using specific colours and fonts. And, always, be professional!
4. Your Site Does Not Comply With Google AdSense Policies
All sites that apply for Google AdSense must be compliant with the AdSense Program policies. This includes:
Being over 18 years old
Providing original content
Driving organic traffic
Not displaying prohibited content
Displaying ads in a supported language
How to Get Google AdSense Approved the First Time You Apply
1. Write Enough Quality Content
Upon discussing this with other bloggers and in my own experience, the perfect number of articles to apply for Google AdSense in 20.
Be sure to edit your blog posts for proper grammar usage as well and make sure that your articles:
- are original
- provide a unique and informative visitor experience
- are formatted properly (use headings, bullet points, etc.)
- are long enough (generally, around 600+ words is a good guideline)
2. Create Your About Page
This is something I always thought of as more of a “fun” page until I realized how crucial it is for building your brand!
When I’ve visited new blogs myself, it’s actually always one of the first pages I check out too! As human beings, we’re social and are naturally looking to learn more about other people we respect and admire – it’s also an essential step in how to get Google AdSense approved!
Make your about me page great by trying the following suggestions:
- Write in first person
- Write two or three sentences about yourself
- Include a high-quality photo that is cohesive with your brand
- Use your blogging “voice”
- Open with your readers’ interests
- Write about your blog
- Include a “call to action” and invite readers to subscribe
3. Create Your Contact Page
Your contact page should be in an evident spot on your landing page and available through navigation from any page of your blog, including blog posts.
I personally love contact forms for their high visibility and ease of use!
The best contact forms:
- are easily reached and navigable
- are straightforward
- include options to leave an email and phone number
- include a short form
- link to social media accounts (including Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter)
- redirect to a thank you page or message!
4. Create And Place Your Privacy Policy In An Obvious Location
As already mentioned, iubenda is a great free privacy policy generator! If you are interested in viewing more options though, check out this detailed article by Digital.com for a roundup of the Best Privacy Policy Generators!
Once you have generated, consulted a legal expert, and/or written your own privacy policy, be sure to then place it in an obvious location on your blog – a must have when it comes to how to get Google AdSense approved.
I personally decided to place mine in one of my navigation menus at the top of my site. Like affiliate disclosures, this information is extremely important and should be made available to your audience at the start of their visit.
Your users should not have to going looking for disclaimers!
I personally always find myself peeved when, after reading a review or recommendation for a product, I find a disclaimer at the bottom of the article. In the instance that users do not finish reading the post in its entirety, they could easily miss this information, which I feel is a dishonest practice by the writer or affiliate.
Your audience will trust you more if you are always upfront with them about who is sponsoring your content! This is an essential practice in both social media and blogging and is the reason I:
- always open my social media posts with #Ad or #Sponsored when I am being paid to promote or have been gifted a product
- disclose my affiliate status before linking to my first affiliate link in blog posts
5. Upgrade Your Blog Layout And Page
Image gallery style websites are fairly popular in the world of lifestyle influencers and bloggers!
If you are looking to create additional income using Google AdSense though, you need to choose a layout that is compatible with the block and banner style ads you’ve seen before on other websites.
There should also be a sufficient amount of text displayed on every page of your website! Pages must also be easily navigable and well-organized.
Check out Creative Market for beautiful WordPress, HTML, and other Themes! It’s where I found mine 😉
6. Display Less Or Remove Other Ads
Are you already displaying ads from another ad network? How many ads are displayed per page on your blog? Maybe we need to cut back a notch!
Removing ads from other networks may help your get accepted into the Google AdSense program.
While it’s completely understandable that bloggers want to get paid for their time and efforts (writing content, designing and uploading themes, downloading plugins, administrative tasks, etc… and the list goes on, right?!), as mentioned earlier, the user experience should always come first.
Your site needs focus on what it is you are creating content for not ad space!
While everyone wants to monetize their site eventually, and it is possible to make money from day one, (if I’m being completely honest, the reason I switched to self-hosting too – have you made the switch yet? If not, check out The Ultimate Guide To Starting A Money-Making Blog to get yours up and running), content production and originality always needs to come first!
Review your blog and do a review of how you’re using your ad space and make the necessary changes before applying to Google AdSense.
7. Use A “.com” Domain
Registering for a “.com” domain is always a good idea if you want to make it in the world of blogging!
Give your website a professional and credible start with just this simple addition.
As mentioned again and again, Google seeks professionalism in all of its AdSense Program applicants. And a “.com” domain shows that you take your blog and business seriously.
Like I mentioned in 5 Golden Rules of Blogging, there are certain investments in time and assets that you should make in your blog if you are looking to make it a full-time career! Your “.com” domain name should definitely be on this list!
8. Verify Your Name And Email Somewhere Within Your Blog
Try and include this information on your About and Contact pages if not at the end of each blog post!
Verifying that you are who you say you are when applying to Google AdSense is another essential step in your monetization journey!
As I’m sure you are also familiar with in the comments section of your blog posts (I know I certainly am), spammy bots are everywhere! Verify that you are who you say you are by including these two essential details in relevant sections of your site before you are asked to speed up the application process.
Getting Google AdSense Approved
To get approved for AdSense, you should have:
- Written and published enough high-quality content before applying
- Created an About page
- Setup a Contact page
- Created and display a Privacy Policy in an obvious location of your blog
- Use an AdSense friendly theme
- Remove other ads or limit the number of other advertisements on your site
- Use a “.com” domain name
- Verify your name and email by having listed it somewhere on your blog
Which of the above tips was most beneficial to you? Did you get you’re congratulations letter from Google recently? Were you accepted on your first application? Would love to hear about your experience with Google AdSense in the comments below!
To explode your blog traffic, check out 60 Awesome Ideas For Blog Posts Your Audience Will Actually Read
Looking for more blogging and social media inspiration? Check out these posts for more ideas and tutorials:
This post is really helpful. Really easy to miis reasons that you have highlighted, thank you, never thought much of privacy policies.❤️
This was very helpful as a new blogger. Thank you.
I found this post very helpful as I am thinking of applying for Adsense in the coming months. My blog is more than 2 months old and I have yet to write more contents.
Hi! Thank you for this great post. I followed all of your suggestions except the quantity of posts. I only have 5. I work full time so I can only post once every 2 weeks. Getting 20 posts would have taken me more than 6 months so I decided to give it a try anyway and reapply later if need be. Good news! I got accepted! I truly believe this would not have been possible without following your other recommendations, so THANK YOU
Hey Nikki,
I applied for Google Adsense and now I’m waiting for their email.
Thanks for sharing this post. Keep sharing such helpful tips.
Thanks.
I am glad I came across your post before applying for google adsense. Now I know what are the requirements for google adsense thanks to you Nikki. Such a detailed post.
Thank you! Very helpful