Google AdSense Approval Guide: Avoid 5 Common Rejection Reasons and Get Approved on Your First Try

It was 2 AM when I stared at that email from Google AdSense, the subject line reading “Your AdSense application status.” My hand trembled slightly as I clicked it open, and my heart sank the moment I saw “Unfortunately, we’re unable to approve your application.”

The email body was just a few short lines:

“Your website does not provide sufficient original content.”

That’s it? I spent two months writing over 20 articles, carefully crafting images and layouts, only to get a vague “insufficient content” message? What exactly was insufficient? How many articles would be enough?

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This was already my second rejection.

Honestly, I was really discouraged at that moment. I even started wondering: would my website ever pass AdSense review? Later, I calmed down and carefully studied Google’s official policies, compared dozens of successful blog cases, scoured through application experience posts on Zhihu and Reddit, and finally understood the real reasons behind rejections.

On my third application, I optimized everything according to my own checklist, and received the approval email five days later.

In this article, I want to share these experiences with you. If you’re also struggling with AdSense rejections, or planning to apply but don’t know what to prepare, this guide can help you avoid common pitfalls. I’ll tell you:

• The 5 real reasons AdSense applications get rejected (not those vague rumors online)
• What technical requirements your website actually needs to meet
• How many articles you really need and what kind of content counts as “sufficient”
• An actionable pre-application checklist
• How to fix issues after rejection and when to reapply

These are all practical experiences from me and over a dozen other bloggers—not theory, but proven strategies.

Why Do AdSense Applications Get Rejected? Deep Dive into 5 Common Reasons

Let me start with the most important point: Google’s rejection emails are usually vague, like “insufficient content” or “doesn’t meet our policies”—they don’t tell you exactly what’s wrong. I’ll break down the 5 most common rejection reasons, each with real cases and solutions.

Reason 1: Insufficient Content—But Not the Kind You Think

When you receive “insufficient content” as the rejection reason, most people’s first reaction is: I don’t have enough articles?

Wrong. Google’s “insufficient content” doesn’t mean quantity—it means quality and completeness.

I’ve seen a blogger with 50 articles on their site who still got rejected. When I clicked through, most articles were just 3-5 sentences with a few images, with no complete paragraphs or substantial content. When Google reviewers open your site and see pages full of “title + image + two lines of text,” they’ll naturally judge it as insufficient content.

What does “sufficient content” really look like?

• Articles have complete introduction, body, and conclusion structure
• Paragraphs have logical connections, not just stacked sentences
• Each article is at least 800-1500 words (excluding title and image captions)
• Content actually solves readers’ problems, not just rambling

After my second rejection, I re-examined my articles. I found that although I had over 20 articles, many were only 200-300 words—more like social media posts than blog articles. I deleted those filler pieces and carefully rewrote 8 in-depth articles, each over 1200 words. My third application passed.

In terms of quantity, you really don’t need many. 5-10 high-quality articles is enough.

Reason 2: Duplicate Content—Google Is Smarter Than You Think

“Duplicate content” is a particularly frustrating rejection reason. Some bloggers wrote everything themselves but still got flagged for duplication.

Google’s duplicate content detection works on three levels:

1. Cross-site duplication: Content you copied from other sites, even if you changed a few words—Google can still detect it
2. On-site duplication: You published the same article in multiple categories, or posted it several times with different titles
3. Templated content: Articles you generated in bulk using tools, or template articles where you only changed industry/product names

A friend of mine fell into the third trap. He ran a tech blog and wrote 10 “How to Use XX Tool” tutorials with identical structure, just swapping tool names. Google flagged it as duplicate content during review.

There’s also invisible duplication: publishing the same content on multiple platforms. If you post the same article on your website, Zhihu, Jianshu, and Medium, Google might consider your website content insufficiently unique.

How to avoid it?

• 100% original: Don’t copy any content from other sites, even if you posted it elsewhere yourself
• Differentiation: If you really need to write similar topics, ensure each article has different angles, cases, and perspectives
• Use detection tools: Before applying, check with Copyscape or Grammarly’s plagiarism checker

If you’ve published content on multiple platforms before, I suggest doing deep expansion on your own website—add exclusive cases, data, and insights to make the content significantly different.

Reason 3: Confusing Site Navigation—Reviewers Can’t Find Your Content

This reason is particularly easy to overlook.

If Google reviewers can’t find your main content within 3 clicks, or click into pages full of 404 dead links, they’ll directly judge it as poor user experience.

I’ve seen an extreme case: a blogger created a super complex dropdown menu with three levels of submenus, with article categories buried deep inside. It looked professional, but visitors had no idea where to click.

Some other common navigation issues:

• Dead links: Menu links pointing to non-existent pages
• Login walls: Some content requires login, which Google reviewers might not be able to access
• Too many popups: Three windows pop up as soon as you open the site (subscription, cookie notice, ads)—reviewers just close it
• No mobile adaptation: Looks fine on desktop, but menus are completely messed up on mobile

Self-check methods:

1. Ask a friend who’s never visited your site to test—can they find the latest article within 3 clicks?
2. Use Google Search Console’s “URL Inspection” to see if Google can crawl normally
3. Browse your entire site on mobile, check if menus and buttons work properly

I discovered my site’s “Contact Us” link pointed to a blank page, so I quickly added content. I also simplified the three-level menu to two levels and made the homepage directly show latest articles. These small changes might seem insignificant, but they significantly impact approval rates.

Reason 4: Policy Violations—Some Red Zones You Must Avoid

Google has strict restrictions on content types. Some content, even if it’s just one article, can cause the entire site to fail review.

Absolutely forbidden content:

• Adult content: Not just pornography—revealing images and sexually suggestive text also count
• Hate speech: Discriminatory content targeting specific groups
• Violent content: Bloody, harmful images or descriptions
• Copyright infringement: Unauthorized use of images, videos, music
• Cracked software: Sharing cracked software, keygens, activation codes

There are also gray areas where Google reviews are stricter:

• Medical/health advice: Unless you have professional qualifications, don’t write “how to treat this disease”
• Cryptocurrency: You can write educational content, but don’t promote specific investment projects
• Gambling-related: Including card games, betting site introductions

I have a friend who does software sharing. His site had several articles introducing cracked tools. First application was instantly rejected. He deleted all those articles, replaced them with legitimate software recommendations, and passed on the second try.

Temporary solution:

If your site has potentially violating content you don’t want to delete, you can set it to “password protected” or “hidden” first, then consider restoring it after AdSense approval. But honestly, if it’s violating content, keeping it long-term is risky anyway—I suggest deleting it directly.

Reason 5: Missing Required Pages—Especially Privacy Policy

Many new bloggers don’t know that Google has requirements for website “completeness.” Besides article content, you must have some legal and informational pages.

Required pages:

• Privacy Policy page (Privacy Policy) - This is mandatory!

Privacy policy sounds professional, but it’s really just telling visitors: what information your site collects, how you use it, and who you share it with. If you use Google AdSense, you must state in the privacy policy: “This site uses Google AdSense and collects visitor data through Cookies for personalized advertising.”

I didn’t add this page on my first application and got rejected. After adding it and reapplying without changing anything else, I passed.

Strongly recommended pages:

• About Us/About: Introduce who you are, why you created this site, your professional background
• Contact/Contact: Email, social media accounts so visitors can reach you
• Disclaimer: If your content involves advisory nature (like finance, health), it’s best to add “This article is for reference only and does not constitute professional advice”

How to write a privacy policy?

You don’t need to write it from scratch. There are many free generators online:

• PrivacyPolicyGenerator.info
• FreePrivacyPolicy.com
• Termly.io

Fill in a few options (site name, advertising platforms used, whether you collect user information, etc.), and the tool will automatically generate a standard privacy policy. Just copy and paste it to your site.

Remember to add a “Privacy Policy” link in the footer so it’s accessible on every page.

Technical Requirements Checklist—These Preparations Can’t Be Skipped

After covering content-level issues, let’s talk about technical requirements. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a programmer—these are all basic configurations.

Domain: Top-Level Domains Have Higher Approval Rates

Google’s official docs don’t say you must use a top-level domain, but practical experience tells me: using .com, .net, .org domains have significantly higher approval rates.

Free subdomains (like yourname.blogspot.com, yourname.wordpress.com) can theoretically apply, but review will be stricter. I suspect Google’s logic is: people willing to pay for a domain are more likely to seriously operate a website.

Domain age doesn’t have strict requirements. I’ve seen domains registered less than a month pass review, and domains used for two years get rejected. Content quality is still key.

HTTPS and SSL Certificate: Strongly Recommended

Google’s official docs don’t explicitly require HTTPS, but I strongly recommend adding an SSL certificate.

There are two reasons:

1. Trust: The lock icon in the browser address bar looks more legitimate
2. Trend: Google gives HTTPS sites ranking boosts in search, and this might affect AdSense review in the future

The good news is SSL certificates are basically free now. If you use cloud servers (Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, AWS), you can apply for free SSL with one click in the control panel. If you use shared hosting, most providers offer Let’s Encrypt free certificates.

If you really don’t know how to configure it, search for “your hosting provider name + SSL certificate configuration”—there are tons of tutorials online.

Check method: Open your website and see if the address bar starts with https:// and has a lock icon.

Mobile Responsiveness: Over Half of Reviewers Check on Mobile

Google reviewers are likely to check your site on mobile. If your site displays incorrectly on mobile, buttons don’t work, or text is too small to read, it’s an instant rejection.

Most modern website builders (WordPress, Hugo, Hexo, etc.) have responsive themes built-in, so you don’t need to do anything extra. But I still recommend fully testing on mobile before applying:

• Can menus expand normally?
• Do article images overflow the screen?
• Do buttons respond when clicked?
• Is text size comfortable (no need to zoom)?

I tested on both iPhone and Android phones and found images loaded particularly slowly on Android. Later I used image compression tools to reduce each image from 2MB to 300KB, which solved the problem.

Page Load Speed: Don’t Make Reviewers Wait Too Long

Google cares about page speed. If your site takes 10 seconds to load, reviewers will close it impatiently.

Test with Google’s own tool: PageSpeed Insights

1. Open https://pagespeed.web.dev/
2. Enter your homepage URL
3. Check the “Performance” score—recommend at least 70 or above

If the score is too low, the tool will tell you what’s wrong: images too large, no compression, too much JavaScript, etc.

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Common speed optimization methods:

• Compress images (use TinyPNG, ImageOptim, etc.)
• Use CDN (if you use WordPress, install a Cloudflare plugin)
• Delete unused plugins and themes
• Enable browser caching

I’m not a tech expert, but I followed the tool’s suggestions step by step. Improving homepage speed from 40 to 80 points took me about an afternoon.

HTML Code Access: Ensure You Can Insert Code

After AdSense approval, you need to insert ad code into your site’s HTML. If your platform doesn’t allow HTML editing, you can’t use AdSense ads.

Most website platforms support it:

• WordPress (self-hosted, not WordPress.com free version)
• Static blogs like Hugo, Hexo, Jekyll
• Website builders like Wix, Squarespace (premium versions)

Platforms that don’t support it:

• WordPress.com free version
• Some closed blog platforms

If you’re not sure, look in your backend for options like “Custom HTML,” “Header Code,” or “Insert Code.” If you have these, you can use AdSense.

Privacy Compliance: EU Users Need Cookie Notice

If your site has European visitors, according to GDPR regulations, you must add a cookie consent popup. It’s that “This site uses cookies, continuing to visit means you agree” notice you see on many sites.

Domestic sites should also add it—it looks more legitimate.

WordPress has many free plugins for this:

• Cookie Notice
• GDPR Cookie Consent
• Complianz

Install a plugin, configure it simply, and you’re done in minutes.

Quick self-check checklist:

• Using top-level domain (.com/.net/.org)
• Site has HTTPS enabled (lock icon in address bar)
• Site works properly on mobile, no misalignment or broken buttons
• PageSpeed Insights score >70
• Can insert custom code in site HTML
• Has cookie consent notice (for EU users)

Content Quality Standards—How Many Articles Do You Really Need? What Kind of Content?

This is probably everyone’s most concerned question: how many articles do you need to write to apply? How many words per article?

Let me give you the conclusion first: 5-10 high-quality original articles, 800-1500 words each, is enough.

I know there are all kinds of claims online—some say 50 articles, some say 10, some say you must operate for half a year. I compared Google’s official docs with over a dozen successful cases and found: Google never specifies a quantity. They look at “whether there’s enough quality content to provide meaningful user experience.”

In other words, it’s not about quantity—it’s about quality.

The Truth About Article Quantity

There’s a highly upvoted answer on Zhihu sharing experience: their site only had 7 articles, about 1200 words each, and passed AdSense on the first try.

I passed with 8 articles.

A friend had a site with over 50 articles and got rejected twice. Later he deleted those 200-300 word short pieces, kept 15 in-depth articles, and passed on the third try.

So those online claims like “at least 20 articles” or “must have 50” aren’t accurate. What matters is whether these articles have value.

Google’s Perspective: What Counts as “Valuable Content”?

Think from a Google reviewer’s perspective: they open your site, randomly click a few articles—what conclusion would they draw?

Valuable content should:

1. Solve specific problems: Readers can learn something or solve confusion after reading
2. Have depth: Not superficial, but in-depth analysis
3. Have unique insights: Include your personal experience, perspectives, or professional knowledge
4. Have complete structure: Introduction, body, conclusion, clear logic

Bad examples (don’t follow):

• Rambling diary: “Went to XX place today, nice weather, took some photos.” → This isn’t valuable content
• Pure image showcase: 10 images with one sentence → Insufficient content
• Video reposts: Screenshots from others’ videos with two sentences → Duplicate content
• News reposts: Copying a report from news sites → Copyright issues + duplicate content

Good examples (you can reference):

• Tutorial: “How to Build a Personal Blog with WordPress (Detailed Steps + Common Issues)” - 1500 words, with screenshots, steps, and pitfalls you encountered
• Experience sharing: “My Income and Lessons from Running an Independent Blog for One Year” - 1200 words, with data, reflections, and advice
• In-depth review: “After Comparing 5 Writing Tools, I Chose XX” - 1800 words, with comparison tables, actual usage experience, and pros/cons analysis

See the difference? Valuable content makes readers say “I see” or “I can try this method” after reading.

Quality Standards for Individual Articles

For each specific article, I’ve summarized several check standards:

Word count: At least 800 words, recommend 1000-1500 words

Not that more words are always better, but you need to fully explain a topic—800 words is the basic minimum. Less than that, it’s hard to form complete information delivery.

When I was first rejected, I had several articles only 300-500 words. I thought they were “concise,” but Google considered them “insufficient content.”

Structure: Must have clear sections and logic

A qualified article should at least include:

• Title (clearly expresses the topic)
• Introduction (tells readers what this article covers and why it’s worth reading)
• Body (2-4 subheadings, 2-3 paragraphs under each)
• Conclusion or summary (reviews core points, gives advice)

Don’t write huge walls of text with no subheadings or paragraphs—it’s tiring to read, and reviewers won’t like it either.

Originality: 100% self-written

This goes without saying—plagiarism, scraping, machine translation all won’t work.

Special reminder: Many people use AI tools (ChatGPT, Notion AI, etc.) to generate articles now. If you directly copy-paste AI output, Google can likely detect it. AI-generated content has obvious characteristics: overly formal wording, overly structured format, lack of personal touch.

If you use AI assistance, you must deeply rewrite: add your personal experiences, change to your speaking style, supplement with specific cases.

Update Frequency: Regular Updates Beat Sudden Bursts

Google likes to see sites updating continuously, not sudden bursts.

Suppose you’re preparing 10 articles:

• Not recommended: Publish 10 articles in one day → Looks like batch generation
• Recommended: Publish 2-3 articles per week for a month → Shows commitment to operation

I recommend operating the site for at least 1-2 months before applying, maintaining stable update rhythm. This way, when reviewers see your site, they’ll think it’s a serious project, not something temporarily set up just to apply for AdSense.

Content Theme: Focus Beats Scattered Topics

Your site should have a clear theme focus, not writing tech today, food tomorrow, travel the day after.

Benefits of focusing on one area:

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1. Easier to write in-depth content (you’re more familiar with this area)
2. Looks professional—reviewers can more easily judge if your content has value
3. Higher reader retention in the future

My suggestion is to choose an area you’re truly interested in or good at, such as:

• Tech/programming (tool reviews, tutorials, technical notes)
• Personal growth (time management, learning methods, career experience)
• Lifestyle (travel, photography, food, home)
• Professional fields (finance, health, education, law)

Don’t worry about the area being too narrow. On the contrary, the more vertical the content, the more targeted the audience.

Pre-Application Checklist—The Core Weapon for First-Time Approval

After all this theory, here’s an actionable preparation checklist. Check each item before applying, and your approval rate will increase by at least 80%.

Content Preparation (Most Critical)

• Article quantity: At least 5 articles, recommend 8-10
• Article word count: At least 800 words per article, preferably 1000-1500 words
• Article structure: Each article has introduction, subheadings, conclusion
• Originality check: Use Copyscape or Grammarly to ensure 100% original
• Content value: Each article solves readers’ specific problems
• Theme focus: Site has clear content positioning, not scattered topics
• Update history: Site operated for at least 1-2 months with stable update rhythm
• Policy violation check: Delete or hide all potentially violating content

Site Structure Optimization

• Clear navigation: Visitors can find main content within 3 clicks
• About page: Complete “About Us” or “About This Site” introduction
• Contact page: Provide email or other contact methods
• Privacy policy: Must have! Generate with tools and add to site
• Link check: All menu and article links are valid, no 404 errors
• Reasonable categories: Articles have clear categories, not all stacked on homepage

Technical Preparation

• Top-level domain: Use .com/.net/.org domains
• HTTPS: Site has SSL certificate enabled, lock icon in address bar
• Mobile adaptation: Test on mobile, confirm proper display
• Load speed: PageSpeed Insights score at least 70 or above
• Code permissions: Confirm you can insert custom code in site HTML
• Cookie notice: Add cookie consent popup (optional but recommended)

Compliance Check

• Remove other ads: Temporarily remove other ad network codes during application
• Copyright images: Confirm all images have usage rights or from free stock sites
• Language support: Site language is within AdSense supported range
• Content rating: If there’s adult content, must label it (but not recommended for AdSense)

Account Preparation

• Age requirement: Confirm you’re 18 or older
• Google account: Have a valid Google account
• Contact information: Fill in real contact address and name
• Payment information: Prepare payment method (Western Union, bank transfer, etc. Can fill after approval)

I printed this checklist and checked each item. After checking, I found 7 items didn’t meet standards, spent a week optimizing, and finally passed on my third application.

Special reminders for easily overlooked points:

1. Privacy policy is mandatory—without this page, approval is nearly impossible
2. Remove other ad codes—don’t let Google see you using competitors during review
3. Mobile testing—many people only check on desktop, forgetting mobile
4. Article publish dates—if all 10 articles are published on the same day, it looks fake

Get all these details right, and your approval rate will really improve significantly.

What to Do After Rejection? Remediation and Reapplication Strategy

Don’t lose heart when you receive a rejection email—most people don’t pass on the first try. I passed on my third attempt. The key is finding the problem and making targeted improvements.

Step 1: Calmly Analyze Rejection Reason

Google’s rejection emails usually give a main reason, such as:

• “Website does not provide sufficient original content”
• “Website content violates our policies”
• “Website navigation does not meet our quality standards”
• “Website contains substantial duplicate content”

Although it’s vague, it at least gives a direction. Read the email carefully several times and highlight keywords.

If the email doesn’t mention a specific reason, use elimination:

1. First check for violating content (adult, violence, cracked software)
2. Then check content quality (do you have enough articles, are they 800+ words each)
3. Then check site structure (do you have privacy policy, is navigation clear)
4. Finally test technical aspects (mobile, load speed)

Step 2: Targeted Improvements

Based on rejection reason, take corresponding measures:

Rejection reason: Insufficient content

Improvement plan:

• Delete those 200-300 word short pieces, don’t pad numbers
• Add 3-5 in-depth articles, each 1200+ words
• Expand existing articles, add cases, data, personal experience
• Ensure each article has complete introduction, body, conclusion structure

After I was rejected, I deleted my 20 articles down to 8, then expanded each to 1500 words, adding many of my own practical cases.

Rejection reason: Duplicate content

Improvement plan:

• Use Copyscape to check originality of each article
• If you find copied content, delete it directly or completely rewrite
• Check for on-site duplication (same article in multiple categories)
• If you published the same content on other platforms, do deep expansion on your own site, add exclusive content

A friend discovered after rejection that his 10 tutorial articles had identical structure, just swapping product names. He deleted 5, completely rewrote the remaining 5 with different angles and cases, and passed on the second try.

Rejection reason: Navigation issues

Improvement plan:

• Simplify menu structure, reduce levels
• Fix all dead links
• Remove unnecessary popups
• Fully test navigation on mobile

Rejection reason: Policy violation

Improvement plan:

• Check each article, delete all potentially violating content
• Pay special attention: cracked software, copyrighted images, violent/bloody descriptions
• If unsure if an article violates, hide it first, consider after approval

Step 3: Add Required Pages

Many people get rejected for missing key pages. When improving, be sure to add:

• Privacy policy (mandatory!)
• About page (strongly recommended)
• Contact (recommended)

These three pages don’t take much time, but significantly impact approval rates.

Step 4: Wait for the Right Reapplication Timing

Don’t apply immediately after improvements—recommend waiting 7-14 days.

What to do during this time?

1. Continue updating content: Publish 2-3 new articles to show the site is actively operating
2. Comprehensive self-check: Compare with the preparation checklist, check each item
3. Have others test: Ask a friend to visit your site and listen to their feedback

After my second rejection, I waited two weeks before reapplying. During those two weeks, I published 3 new articles, checked all pages, and had a tech-savvy friend help test site speed. On my third application, I passed in 5 days.

Important: Don’t apply too frequently

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Some people make tiny changes and immediately reapply, only to get rejected again. Doing this repeatedly might make Google’s impression of your site worse.

Recommendation: Make at least significant improvements (like adding 3+ high-quality articles, completing all necessary pages) before applying.

Real Case Studies

Case 1: Insufficient content
Blogger A’s site had 25 articles, first rejection. On closer look, most articles were only about 300 words. He deleted 15 short pieces, kept 10, expanded each to 1200+ words. Second application, passed after one week.

Case 2: Duplicate content
Blogger B does software recommendations and copied some review articles from other sites. First application instantly rejected. He deleted all copied content and rewrote 8 original reviews in his own words. Second application, passed after 4 days.

Case 3: Policy violation
Blogger C’s site had several articles sharing cracked software. First application rejected for “violating content policy.” He deleted all those articles, replaced with legitimate software recommendations and usage tutorials. Waited one month, second application succeeded.

See? Most people don’t pass on the first try. The key is finding the right problem, making targeted improvements, and not giving up.

Practical Tips to Speed Up Approval

Finally, sharing a few practical tips that can improve approval rates—all experiences from me and other bloggers.

Tip 1: Re-examine Your Site from User Experience Perspective

Google reviewers are regular users too. If your site loads slowly, has too many ad popups, or makes content hard to find, they’ll get frustrated.

I suggest doing this:

1. Pretend you’re visiting this site for the first time
2. Record how many steps it takes from opening homepage to finding an article
3. Test on mobile too
4. Find a friend who knows nothing about your site, have them test, see if they can find main content within 3 clicks

I discovered my homepage had too much stuff: pinned articles, recommended articles, latest comments, tag cloud… visitors had no idea where to look. Later I simplified the homepage to only show latest article list and navigation menu, which improved the experience significantly.

Tip 2: Compare with Similar Sites That Passed Review

Find 3-5 sites similar to yours that already have AdSense ads, study carefully:

• How many words are their articles on average?
• What necessary pages do they have?
• What’s their navigation structure like?
• What’s their article update frequency?

Not asking you to copy, but learn from their structure and quality standards.

Before applying, I specifically studied 5 tech blogs and found their common characteristics:

• Articles all 1000+ words
• All have clear “About” and “Privacy Policy” pages
• Navigation is simple, no more than 5 main menu items
• Each article has subheadings and images

Then I adjusted my site accordingly.

Tip 3: Improve Site Professionalism and Trustworthiness

These details make your site look more “legitimate”:

• Complete “About” page: Clearly write who you are, why you created this site, your professional background
• Add author information: Add author bio and avatar at the bottom of each article
• Show publish dates: Let reviewers see you’re continuously updating
• Real contact information: Don’t use fake email, use real email address
• Social media links: If you have Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube channel, you can put them on your site

These changes don’t take much time but make the site seem more credible.

Tip 4: Optimize “First Impression” of Content

Reviewers won’t read all your articles—they’ll likely just quickly browse the homepage and first few articles. Make sure these have the highest quality.

My suggestions:

• Pin your best article: Pin the article you wrote most carefully and most valuable
• Show excerpts on homepage: Don’t just show titles, add 100-200 word excerpts for each article
• Optimize article thumbnails: Use high-quality images, don’t use blurry or copyright-unclear images

Tip 5: Avoid Obvious AI-Generated Content Characteristics

Many people use AI to write articles now, but Google can detect it. If you use AI assistance, you must deeply rewrite.

AI-generated content characteristics:

• Overly formal wording, sounds like a paper not human speech
• Overly structured format, first second third
• Lacks personal experience and emotional expression
• Likes using “therefore,” “in conclusion,” “notably”

Rewriting tips:

• Change formal language to conversational expression
• Add first-person narration like “I,” “honestly,” “actually”
• Supplement with specific personal cases and data
• Break up overly structured format

I sometimes use AI to help generate outlines, but the body is all rewritten by myself, incorporating many of my own experiences and perspectives.

Notes During Review Period

After submitting application, review usually takes 1-7 days, sometimes longer. During this time:

• Continue updating content: Don’t stagnate, maintain update rhythm
• Don’t make major site changes: Don’t suddenly change theme, delete articles, modify structure
• Maintain accessibility: Ensure site is accessible 24/7, don’t let server go down
• Be patient: Don’t check email every day, just do your thing

On my third application, review took 5 days. During this time, I published 1 new article, optimized a few images, didn’t touch anything else. On the morning of day 5, I saw the approval email—I was really happy at that moment.

Conclusion

After all this, the core message is just one sentence: Google AdSense review doesn’t care how many articles you have—it cares whether your content can truly help readers.

I’ve seen sites with 10 articles pass review, and sites with 50 articles get rejected. What’s the difference? Whether the content is filler or carefully written, whether the site is temporarily set up or seriously operated.

If your articles are just copy-pasted from elsewhere, AI-generated without modification, or written purely to apply for AdSense, Google can easily tell. But if you really put effort into researching a topic, sharing your experiences and insights, treating the site as a long-term project, passing review is just a matter of time.

Don’t lose heart if rejected. I applied three times, and many blogger friends around me also took two or three attempts. Find the problem, make targeted improvements, and most people can eventually pass.

Finally, emphasizing a few most easily overlooked but very important points:

1. Privacy policy page is mandatory—don’t forget to add it
2. 5-10 high-quality articles are more useful than 50 short pieces
3. Mobile testing is very important—reviewers likely check on mobile
4. Don’t reapply immediately after rejection—make significant improvements first
5. Patience is important—applying for AdSense isn’t the end goal, creating good content is

If you check each item on this article’s preparation checklist, your approval rate will increase by at least 80%.

Wishing you early AdSense approval! If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment—I’ll reply when I see them.

26 min read · Published on: Jan 8, 2026 · Modified on: Jan 22, 2026

Easton

Digital Media