Google AdSense Approval in 2026: A Simple 15-Point Checklist That Works

Every week someone messages us on WhatsApp with the same screenshot: "Your site isn't ready to show ads." Most of the time the website is not bad. It is just not finished in the way Google expects.

This guide is the exact checklist we use before applying for AdSense on a new website. It is written in simple English, it works for Blogger and WordPress, and it does not depend on any trick. Google's own rules are short. The hard part is meeting them properly.

What Google actually asks for

Google's official eligibility page is surprisingly short. To use AdSense you need to:

• Be 18 years or older (or use a parent's or guardian's account).
• Have your own content that is "high-quality, original, and attracts an audience".
• Be able to access the HTML source code of the site, so you can add the AdSense code.
• Follow the AdSense Program policies at all times.

Notice what is not on the list: there is no official minimum number of posts, no minimum traffic and no minimum domain age. Those numbers you see on YouTube ("30 posts", "1,000 visitors") are rules of thumb, not Google rules. They exist because a site with very little content rarely looks "high-quality and original" to a reviewer.

The 15-point AdSense approval checklist

Go through these one by one. If you can tick all fifteen, you are in a strong position.

Content (the most important part)

1. Every post is written by you, in your own words. No copy-paste from other sites, no spun articles, no "AI text pasted as it is". Use AI for research or an outline if you like, but the final post should have your own examples and opinions.
2. Each post answers one clear question fully. A good test: after reading, does the visitor still need to open another site? If yes, add the missing steps.
3. Aim for 15–25 solid posts before applying. Not because Google counts them, but because that is usually how many it takes for a niche site to look complete.
4. No empty categories, no "coming soon" pages and no "lorem ipsum" left from a theme.
5. Images are yours or free to use. Downloading images from Google Images is one of the quickest ways to get a copyright complaint.

Trust pages

6. About page that says who runs the site and why. A real name and a short story help a lot.
7. Contact page with a working email or form.
8. Privacy Policy that mentions cookies and Google ads.
9. Disclaimer and Terms, especially for money, health or government-related topics.

Site quality

10. Your own domain with HTTPS. A free subdomain can work on Blogger, but a .in or .com domain looks more serious.
11. Clean menu and working links. No broken pages, no 404 errors from the main menu.
12. Fast and mobile-friendly. Most Indian visitors are on phones. Test your site on your own phone with mobile data.
13. Sitemap submitted in Google Search Console, and your main pages indexed.

Policy safety

14. No restricted content: adult content, hacking, copyrighted downloads (movies, paid apps), fake news, or "click here to earn ₹500" style offers.
15. No traffic tricks. Do not buy bot traffic, do not use auto-refresh or pop-unders, and never click your own ads, not even "once to test".

How to write content that passes review

The word "quality" scares beginners, but in practice it means three simple things:

1. Show real experience

Google's quality guidelines talk about E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust. You don't need a degree to show experience. You need specific details only a person who has done the thing would know. Compare these two lines:

"The SSC photo should be the correct size."

"The SSC form rejected my photo twice because it was 52 KB. The limit was 20–50 KB, so I compressed it to 45 KB and it went through."

The second line is clearly written by someone who did it. Write like that.

2. Make it easy to scan

• Use short paragraphs (2–4 lines on a phone).
• Use H2 and H3 headings that read like questions people search.
• Add a short summary at the top and a FAQ at the end.
• Use tables for comparisons and numbered lists for steps.

3. Link your posts together

Each new post should link to 2–3 older posts that help the reader go deeper. This internal linking helps visitors stay longer, and it helps Google understand which pages are most important on your site.

Which niche is easiest for approval?

There is no "guaranteed niche", but some niches make it much easier to write useful, original content:

How to apply (step by step)

1. Go to adsense.google.com and sign in with the Google account you want to be paid on.
2. Add your site URL and choose your country (India) and payment details.
3. Copy the AdSense code and paste it into the <head> of your site (Blogger: Theme → Edit HTML; WordPress: a header plugin or your theme settings).
4. Also add the ads.txt line AdSense gives you.
5. Click "Request review" and keep posting new content while you wait. Don't change themes or delete posts during the review.

Review time varies. Some sites hear back in a few days; others take a few weeks. If it is taking long, that is normal and not a sign of rejection.

If you get rejected

Don't re-apply the same day. Read the reason in your AdSense account, fix it properly, wait at least a week while you add new content, then apply again. We have written a full guide on why AdSense applications get rejected and how to fix each reason.

Final word

AdSense approval is not a lottery. It is a checklist. Build a site that a real visitor would bookmark, fill in the trust pages, and stay away from shortcuts. Do that, and approval becomes the easy part. The real work, getting traffic and earning, starts after.

If you want to learn the full process on video, from choosing a niche to your first payment, it is covered step by step in GeniusGuru Pro.