This AdSense approval checklist exists because most rejections are predictable. Google’s reviewers — and the automated systems that assist them — look for the same handful of signals on every application: original content of real value, a functioning site structure, required legal pages, and no policy landmines. Work through the list below before you apply and you remove almost every common rejection reason. None of this guarantees approval, but skipping items on it very reliably guarantees rejection.
What AdSense Reviewers Actually Evaluate
Google’s published policies boil down to four questions. Is the content original and useful? Is the site complete and navigable? Does it comply with content policies (no prohibited topics, no copied material)? And is there enough content to judge? “Low value content” — the most common rejection — usually means one of those four failed, not that your writing is bad.
The AdSense Approval Checklist
Content requirements
- 15–25 substantial posts published, most 800+ words. There is no official minimum, but very thin sites rarely pass.
- 100% original writing. No copied, spun, or barely-edited AI dumps. Reviewers compare your text against the index.
- A clear topic focus. A site about one subject looks purposeful; fifteen posts on fifteen unrelated topics looks like a made-for-ads site.
- Publishing history spread over weeks, not 20 posts dated the same day.
- No prohibited content: pirated downloads, adult material, gambling promotion, dangerous or deceptive content, and similar categories listed in Google’s policies.
Required pages
- About page — who runs the site and why it exists
- Contact page — a working form or email address
- Privacy Policy — must mention cookies and third-party advertising
- Disclaimer — especially important for finance and health topics
Technical requirements
- Site loads over HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate
- Working navigation menu — no empty categories or dead links
- Mobile-friendly layout (most Indian traffic is mobile)
- Reasonable loading speed on 4G connections
- No under-construction sections or “coming soon” placeholders
Account and eligibility basics
- You are 18 or older with a Google account
- One AdSense account per person — never apply twice
- Your payment address details match your identity documents
- The domain is yours and, ideally, at least a few weeks old with indexed pages
The Most Common Rejection Reasons, Decoded
| Rejection message | What it usually means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Low value content | Thin, generic, or duplicated posts | Rewrite weakest posts with specifics, examples, original angles |
| Site not ready / under construction | Empty categories, placeholder pages, broken menus | Remove or fill every empty section before reapplying |
| Policy violation | Prohibited topic or copied material somewhere on the site | Audit every post and delete offending content |
| Site not found / not accessible | DNS, indexing, or verification problems | Confirm the site loads without www variants breaking and is indexed |
How Long Approval Takes and When to Apply
Reviews typically take from a couple of days up to two to four weeks. Applying too early is the classic mistake — a two-week-old site with eight posts is asking for a “low value content” verdict. A sensible sequence for a new blog: finish your first two content clusters (see the first 10 articles strategy), let posts get indexed, then apply around month three or four. If you were rejected, fix the actual cause, wait at least two weeks, and reapply — repeated rapid applications with no changes hurt you.
What AdSense Approval Does Not Mean
Approval is a starting line, not an income event. With early traffic levels, expect very small earnings — often just tens or hundreds of rupees a month at first. The realistic progression is documented in our guide to what new bloggers in India actually earn. Approval matters because it forces your site to meet a quality bar that also helps SEO, and because the earlier you are approved, the earlier you start learning ad optimisation. For the bigger picture of which niches make ads worthwhile, revisit these blog examples that make money.
Hosted vs Non-Hosted Accounts and Payment Setup
If you monetise a YouTube channel first, you get a “hosted” AdSense account — approval for your own website is a separate review, so do not assume one carries the other. Once approved on your blog, you will verify your address (Google posts a PIN by mail to Indian addresses, which can take two to four weeks) and add bank details for wire transfers. Payments release monthly after you cross the $100 threshold; with early traffic, expect several months before your first payout. Fill in your tax information correctly in the AdSense dashboard — Indian bloggers typically need to submit foreign tax forms to avoid unnecessary US withholding on any US-sourced revenue.
Pre-Application Final Sweep
- Read your five weakest posts — improve or delete them.
- Click every menu item and footer link; fix anything broken.
- Confirm Privacy Policy mentions third-party ad cookies.
- Search site:yourdomain.com on Google to confirm indexing.
- Check the site on a phone over mobile data.
- Remove any other ad network’s code before applying.
FAQ
How many posts do I need for AdSense approval in India?
There is no official number. In practice, 15–25 genuinely useful posts across a focused topic, published over several weeks, pass far more often than 40 thin ones. Quality and completeness of the site matter more than the post count.
Does a .in domain or Hindi content affect approval?
No. AdSense supports Hindi and most major Indian languages, and .in domains are treated normally. What matters is that the content is original and the site meets policy — language and TLD are not rejection factors.
My site was rejected for low value content. Should I start over?
Usually not. Improve depth on existing posts, add missing pages, strengthen your topical focus, and wait two to three weeks before reapplying. Most sites that fix the real issue get approved on a later attempt.