AdSense Approval 2026: Requirements, Checklist, Fixes

To get AdSense approval, you need a site with original, useful content that you own and can edit, a Google account belonging to someone 18 or older, and a site that follows the AdSense Program policies. That's the official list. There is no required number of posts, no traffic minimum and no minimum site age on Google's eligibility page.

Most rejections happen because a site isn't finished: thin posts, missing pages, broken navigation or copied content. This guide covers what Google actually asks for, a checklist to run before you apply, how to add the code and ads.txt, how long the review takes, how payments work in India, and what to fix if you're turned down.

According to Google's AdSense eligibility page, there are four requirements:

Age: You must be 18 or older. If you're under 18, a parent or guardian can sign up with their own Google account, and payments go to them.
Content: Your content must be high-quality and original, and it must attract an audience.
Site access: You need access to your site's HTML source code, because you'll have to paste in the AdSense code.
Policies: Your site must follow the AdSense Program policies, and you're expected to keep up with them as they change.

If you blog on Blogger, or want to monetise a YouTube channel, you apply through those platforms instead, and they have their own extra conditions.

Myths you can ignore

"You need 30 (or 50) posts." Google sets no number. A site with 15 strong, complete posts has a better chance than one with 60 thin ones.
"Your domain must be 6 months old." No minimum age appears on Google's current eligibility page.
"You need 1,000 visitors a day." There's no traffic threshold. "Attract an audience" means the content should be worth visiting, not that you need a number in Analytics.
"Buy an approval service." Paid "approval services" and pre-approved websites can't promise anything, and buying an account can get it banned. Avoid them.

What makes a site look "ready" to a reviewer

Google doesn't publish a scoring sheet, so this part is practical experience rather than official rules. Reviewers want to see a real site that a visitor can use and trust.

Useful posts that answer a real question. Each post should fully solve one problem. Think 1,000 to 2,000 words for a guide, shorter for quick answers, with no filler.
Your own words. No copied articles, spun text or long quotes from other sites.
A clear niche or set of categories. Visitors and reviewers should understand what the site is about in a few seconds.
Easy navigation. A working menu, category pages, a search box and internal links between related posts.
Trust pages. About, Contact, Privacy Policy and Terms or Disclaimer, all linked in the footer.
A clean, fast design. No broken links, no "coming soon" pages, no placeholder text and no pop-ups covering the content.
A custom domain. A domain you own, like yourname.com, is easier to approve and manage than a free subdomain.

If you're still setting the site up, our guides on how to start a blog in India and the top blogging platforms compared cover the groundwork.

Yes, if the content is genuinely useful. Google's position, set out in its guidance on AI-generated content, is that it rewards helpful content however it's produced. Using automation mainly to churn out pages and manipulate rankings breaks its spam policies.

In practice, AI-written posts get rejected when they're generic, repetitive or wrong. If you use AI tools, add what only a human can: checked facts, current prices and dates, local detail, your own examples, and a clear opinion. Then edit the text so it reads like a person wrote it.

Pre-apply checklist

Run through this before you click Apply. Every item is something you can check yourself in an hour or two.

At least 15 to 20 complete, original posts spread across your main categories.
Each post has a clear title, headings, and a featured image you own or are licensed to use.
About, Contact, Privacy Policy and Terms or Disclaimer pages are live and linked in the footer.
Your privacy policy mentions cookies and that third parties, including Google, may serve ads.
No broken links, empty categories or test posts.
The site works well on a phone and loads quickly.
No copyrighted images, no adult, violent or hateful content, no hacking, piracy or other prohibited topics.
No other ad network's pop-ups or redirects running alongside.
Your Google account details (name and address) match your real identity, because they're used for payments.

Sign up at adsense.google.com with the Google account you want to be paid through, and add your site URL.
Fill in your payment details, including your country and address. Unfinished account tasks can stop the review from starting.
Connect your site. AdSense gives you a code snippet. Paste it into the <head> section of every page. On WordPress, the Site Kit plugin or a header-code plugin does this for you.
Add an ads.txt file (see below). It isn't strictly needed for review, but without it your ad earnings can suffer once you're approved.
Click Request review. Then leave the site alone. Don't remove and resubmit it, because Google says that can delay the process.

How to set up ads.txt

Ads.txt is a plain text file that tells ad buyers which companies are allowed to sell ads on your site. Create a file called ads.txt in your site's root folder, so it opens at yourdomain.com/ads.txt, with this line:

google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Replace pub-0000000000000000 with your own publisher ID from your AdSense account. If AdSense later shows your ads.txt status as "Unauthorized", it means this file is missing your publisher ID, so ads may be rejected.

Google says the review usually takes a few days, but can take 2 to 4 weeks in some cases. Here's what each status in your Sites list means:

Status	What it means	What to do
Requires review	Google hasn't checked the site yet	Finish account setup, then click Request review
Getting ready	Google is running its checks	Wait. Keep adding good posts, but don't change the URL
Needs attention	Something must be fixed before ads can run	Read the reason, fix it, request review again
Ready	Approved. Ads can show	Keep following the policies to stay approved

If your site has been stuck on "Getting ready" for weeks, first check that your payment details and other account tasks are complete. A review requested before those are done won't actually start.

Reason you may see	What it usually means	Fix
Low value content	Posts are thin, generic, copied or don't fully answer the question	Rewrite or merge weak posts, delete filler, add depth and original detail
Site down or unavailable	Google couldn't load the site or the code wasn't found	Check hosting uptime, the exact URL (www or not) and that the code is in the head
Policy violation	Prohibited content, copyrighted material or misleading pages	Remove the problem content and check the Policy center
Navigation issues	Broken menus, dead links or hard-to-find content	Fix the menu, add categories and internal links
Site not yet eligible	Often a subdomain or a very new or incomplete site	Use your main domain and finish the site before reapplying

Don't reapply the same day. Fix the actual issue, give it a week or two, then request review again. Repeatedly resubmitting an unchanged site rarely works.

The figures below come from Google's payment rules as summarised by Xflow's 2026 guide. Check your AdSense Payments page for the current details before relying on them.

Address verification: Once you earn $10, Google posts a PIN to your address. It can take about three weeks. Enter it in AdSense within four months.
Payment threshold: You're paid once your balance reaches $100.
Payment dates: Payments are usually sent between the 21st and 26th of the month, for the previous month's finalised earnings.
Payment method: In India, payments come by wire transfer to your bank account, in US dollars, converted by your bank.
Tax form: Submit Form W-8BEN (individuals) in your payments profile, using your PAN. Missing tax information can hold your payment.

AdSense income is taxable in India. Your bank may also charge fees or GST on the currency conversion. Speak to a chartered accountant about how to report it.

Rules that get approved accounts banned

Never click your own ads, and never ask friends or family to click them. Invalid clicks are the fastest way to lose an account.
Don't buy traffic from bots, traffic exchanges or "auto-surf" sites.
Don't place ads so they look like menus or download buttons, or so close to buttons that people click them by mistake.
Don't add prohibited content later. Approval isn't permanent; every page you publish has to follow the policies.
If you get visitors from Europe or the UK, Google requires a certified consent (cookie) banner for them, which you can set up from the Privacy & messaging section in AdSense.

AdSense works best as one income stream among several. Our guide to making money online in India covers others worth adding.

Frequently asked questions

How long does AdSense approval take?

Google says the review usually takes a few days, though it can take 2 to 4 weeks. It won't start until your account setup, including payment details, is complete. Don't remove and re-add your site while waiting, because that can delay it.

How many posts do I need for AdSense approval?

Google doesn't set a number. What matters is that the site looks complete and every post is original and genuinely useful. Around 15 to 20 strong posts across your main categories is a sensible target before applying.

Can I get AdSense approval with AI-written content?

You can, as long as the content is helpful, accurate and original. Google judges quality, not how the text was produced. Generic, unedited AI posts that repeat what's already online are a common reason for "low value content" rejections.

How do I get AdSense approval for Blogger?

On Blogger, you apply from the Earnings section of your Blogger dashboard, and Blogger adds the code for you. The same content rules apply. Using a custom domain instead of a blogspot address makes the site look more established.

What should I do after AdSense approval?

Add your ads.txt file if you haven't, set up Auto ads or a few manual ad units, and submit your tax form. Then keep publishing quality posts and never click your own ads.