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You’re ready to monetize—but Google keeps hitting you with the “not approved” email? Don’t guess. Build your site like a pro publisher: 5 Core Trust Pages + 4 Content Pillars + ~30 Solid Posts.
You’ve poured hours into your blog, hit “Apply” for AdSense, and boom—the dreaded rejection. Usually with something vague like “Site doesn’t meet program policies.” Ouch.
Here’s the truth: approval isn’t a lottery; it’s a checklist. Google wants professionalism, transparency, and a clean content structure. When those signals are obvious, approvals happen fast.
Advertisers pay for safe placements. Google’s reviewers (and algorithms) scan for trust signals: ownership, accountability, legal transparency, and user control. If your site looks like a ghost town—no About, no Contact, no clear policies—your ads won’t run there. Simple as that.
Link these in your footer so they’re visible on every page.
Your digital handshake. Say who you are, why the blog exists, and who it serves. Bonus points for a real headshot and links to active socials. See our About page for structure inspiration.
A site with no contact route is a red flag. Provide a form and a business email like
hello@yourdomain.com. Add social links for DMs. Sample layout: Contact.
If you use AdSense or Analytics, you collect data (cookies, IPs). Disclose it clearly: collection, usage, retention, opt-out. Generate a base policy, but customize every placeholder with your domain and date. Example: Privacy Policy.
This sets your house rules: intellectual property, acceptable use, comment guidelines, limitation of liability, governing law, DMCA process. Keep it distinct from your Disclaimer. Example: Terms.
Protect yourself when offering advice (YMYL niches like finance/health/legal especially). State that content is informational, not professional advice; include affiliate disclosures. Example: Disclaimer.
The original draft called these “4 extra pages.” More precise: you need 4 Content Pillars, each with its own Category page and a cluster of posts. This shows topical depth and organization (Google loves both).
Recommended structure (example niches):
Want examples of internal linking done right? Check these pillar-friendly guides on our site: Why AdSense Rejects New Sites (13 Real Reasons) · The Simple Blog Niche Selection Playbook · E-E-A-T for Bloggers: Build Real Credibility
Put those links in the footer so they’re visible everywhere. Reviewers do fast scans; make legitimacy obvious in 3 seconds.
Make it easy for a human skimming your site to say “approved.” Clear identity, reachable owner, clean design, no spammy widgets, and content that answers real questions. That’s the game.
alt text, compress images, set width/height.For a step-by-step rehab, start here: How to Fix an AdSense Rejection (Checklist + Timeline).
There’s no official number, but ~30 posts across 4 pillars is a proven sweet spot for a first approval. Quality > Quantity. Ship fewer, better posts.
Use AI as a tool, not a crutch. Draft + outline with AI, then layer your expertise, data, examples, and screenshots. Unedited AI sludge is a fast track to “low-value content.”
A few hours to a few weeks. Most see responses in 3–5 business days. If rejected, fix the specific issue, publish meaningful updates, then re-apply after a couple of weeks.
Shallow, generic, recycled, or unhelpful posts. Aim for depth, originality, and problem-solving. When in doubt, add real examples, screenshots, or a worksheet.
In the footer for site-wide visibility. Reviewers (and crawlers) expect consistency.
It’s not luck—it’s preparation. Nail the 5 Trust Pages, structure 4 Pillars, publish ~30 legit posts, and keep your UI clean. That’s how you go from “not approved” to “let’s go.”
What blocked you last time—missing policies, thin clusters, or layout chaos? Drop your roadblock below and we’ll troubleshoot it together.
Electronics Engineer turned blogger & performance marketer. I run BestEarningSource.com, fix real-world machines, and build digital ones—content systems that monetize cleanly. Find me on YouTube and Instagram.
These are the most serious issues that could mislead readers and harm their chances of AdSense approval.
Major Error: "Your blog must be at least 6 months old."
Reality: This is a complete myth. Google has explicitly stated that blog/site age is not a factor for AdSense approval. What matters is the quality and quantity of content. A fantastic, comprehensive, 20-article site that is one month old can get approved, while a poor, sparse, 6-month-old site will be rejected.
Major Error: "Google AdSense doesn't allow ads on sites with copyright content... but you can use copyright content under 'Fair Use'."
Reality: This is dangerously misleading advice. While "Fair Use" is a legal doctrine, it is a defense used in court, not a permission slip for AdSense. Google's policies are very clear: you must own the content or have the necessary rights to use it. Using copyright content (even under a claim of "Fair Use") is a fast track to an AdSense rejection or a manual penalty if already approved. This advice should be removed entirely.
"You need at least 30-50 blog posts." This is a rule of thumb, not an official policy. The real metric is content sufficiency. A site with 10 incredibly detailed, long-form, authoritative articles is far more likely to be approved than a site with 50 short, low-quality posts.
The article mentions "Design" but only talks about having a "professional-looking theme." It completely misses critical technical aspects like site speed, mobile responsiveness (Core Web Vitals), and clear navigation—all of which are crucial for user experience and indirectly considered by Google.
The "Blog Niche" Section: It states that "all niches are accepted" but then contradicts itself by saying "some niches are highly appreciated." This is confusing. The relevant point is: all legal niches are allowed, but prohibited content niches (like adult content, hacking, etc.) are not. Also, YMYL (Your Money Your Life) niches such as finance and health require a much higher level of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
The "Traffic" Section: It claims "there is no minimum traffic requirement," which is technically true, but then says "you need a good amount of traffic," which is vague. The key insight is that while traffic isn't a direct requirement, Google must be able to crawl your site to assess it. A site with zero traffic might not be crawled effectively. More importantly, the focus should be on organic traffic from quality content, not bought or artificial traffic.
Phrases like "write high-quality content," "create original content," and "get a professional-looking theme" are too vague. The article doesn't define what "high-quality" means in Google's eyes. Quality means content with depth, originality, E-E-A-T signals, problem-solving value, and error-free presentation.
The original article also failed to provide concrete examples or resources for themes, optimizing site speed, or structuring content properly.
Missing: Comprehensive Privacy & Legal Pages. The article doesn’t emphasize the necessity of a Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Terms & Conditions page. A detailed Privacy Policy that discloses how you use data (especially with AdSense) is mandatory.
Missing: User Experience & Core Web Vitals. Google prioritizes page experience. The article should cover mobile-friendliness, page speed (optimize images, caching, hosting), and Core Web Vitals like LCP, FID, and CLS.
Missing: Transparency. An About page, Contact page, and author bios are crucial. Google values E-E-A-T. Strong bios and an About Us page establish credibility, especially for YMYL sites.
Missing: Clear Site Structure & Navigation. The site should have logical menus, categories, internal linking, and clean URLs to help both users and bots.
Missing: The Application Process Itself. The article ends abruptly. It should guide readers on what to expect after applying: approval timelines, “Getting Ready” status, and what to do after a rejection (how to read rejection reasons and fix them).
Correct Major Errors:
Remove the "6-month age" requirement entirely. Replace it with advice on building a sufficient content library.
Delete the section suggesting use of copyrighted material under "Fair Use." Replace with a strong warning against any unauthorized use.
Update and Deepen the Content:
Rewrite the "Content" section with E-E-A-T in mind. Define "quality" as original research, insightful analysis, depth, proper formatting (headings, bullet points), and error-free writing.
Rewrite the "Design" section as "User Experience & Technical Setup." Discuss mobile responsiveness, speed optimization, and navigation. Recommend Google PageSpeed Insights and Mobile-Friendly Test tools.
Rewrite the "Traffic" section: clarify that no minimum traffic is required, but organic, crawlable content is necessary for review.
Add Missing Critical Sections:
Add "Essential Legal Pages" with explanations and links to generators like Termly.io.
Add "Establishing E-E-A-T" with About Us, Contact, author bios, and citations.
Add "Before You Apply: Final Checklist" as a bullet list for quick pre-apply review.
Improve Readability & Trust:
Break large text into subheadings, bullets, and bold highlights. Add screenshots (AdSense dashboard, examples of good vs. bad design). Link to authoritative sources like official Google AdSense Help, Google Search Central Blog, and Page Experience guidelines.
Optimize for Monetization:
Add ad placement demos in non-intrusive spots (within article body, sidebar, or header). Show readers what a well-integrated AdSense site looks like in practice.
Run through this quick checklist before hitting the AdSense application button. If you can tick everything below, you’re in a strong position for approval:
If you’ve checked all these boxes, you’re ready to apply with confidence. 🎯
About Arvind Singh Shekhawat: Arvind Singh Shekhawat is a blogger, author, speaker, trainer, consultant, and entrepreneur. He has created digital marketing training programs to trained more and more students, helping them become digital marketers. He also runs a performance marketing agency where he consults premium brands on domains like real estate, lifestyle, e-commerce, etc. He also runs a one-of-a-kind Digital Marketing internship program. His mission is to train and create a million digital marketers.
