Google AdSense Eligibility Criteria and Tips for Quick Approval

Fact: Google earns close to one-fourth of its revenue (28%) through AdSense! Fact: Google made a massive 2.5 billion USD revenue from AdSense in Q1, 2011, which totaled up to almost 10 billion USD in the 2011 fiscal year! Fact: Google currently shares 68% of revenue generated by AdSense with content network partners, and 51% of revenue generated by AdSense with AdSense for Search partners. Fact: Bloggers are earning massive amounts of money (some in the thousand, monthly) from AdSense alone!

Google’s AdSense has to be one of the most popular online revenue-generation mechanisms out there, if not the most popular one. Thousands of bloggers out there are using AdSense to monetize their blogs and make money online, turning their online ventures into virtual cash machines within a short span of time.

AdSense is brilliant really. Do it right, and you could potentially earn a load of cash easily, while doing absolutely nothing! All you have to do is put up some ads, and the cash rolls in on autopilot.

Darren Rowse of Problogger fame, for instance, claims to have earned a monumental $400,000, ever since he started using AdSense!

And while it would be extremely unreasonable to expect someone to become a millionaire overnight by using AdSense, it is important to understand that it takes time – usually years – before one would be able to earn a significant amount of dough off AdSense.

AdSense Eligibility Criteria

The best thing about AdSense is that it can be used with both small and big websites and blogs. However there is certain criterion which needs to be met before you set off with your AdSense program and be able to display AdSense ads on your website:

1. You must have a working website/blog, and you must either be the owner, administrator or webmaster of that website or blog. The website should be fully functional, as under-construction websites are ineligible.

2. Depending on your geographical location, you can use any newly-created or old website/blog with AdSense – although your blog has to be at least six months old before you can apply for the AdSense program in India or China.

3. AdSense has strict content policies, all of which are aimed to protect the interests of its advertisers. In short, content (including text and pictures) needs to be original, and duplicate, copied, or spun content gives Google ground for disabling the account.

4. The same applies to website having illegal (file sharing) content or Adult material. Or any blasphemous or hate-content.

5. Another consideration as far as content is concerned, is that the website/blog should have a good amount of content. Sites with very less content are ineligible.

6. An important consideration is the quality of the traffic. Artificial traffic, generated through grey or blackhat channels is prohibited since these would unfairly raise advertiser costs.

7. Fraudulent accounts, such as those in which applicants click on their own ads are disabled.

8. Applicant websites are required to publish a privacy policy that meets AdSense terms and conditions.

9. Applicant’s minimum age should be 18 or older at the time of applying. However under-18 applicants can still ask their parents to apply on their behalf.

10. Another personal requirement includes applicants having their own bank accounts so that that are able to receive payments.

Tips to Get Quick AdSense Approval

Here are a few tips, ensure that your blog adheres to as many of these as possible, before you apply for AdSense, as it will save you a lot of hassle later on:

1. Ensure that you have a reasonable amount of content on your blog, my recommendation would be a minimum of 10-15 posts, before you apply.

2. You should have a reasonable amount of traffic on your blog. Blogs with less than 20 unique visitors per day would probably not be entertained.

3. Older domains are preferred by AdSense. It looks at the age of the domain, but bear in mind that age refers to the time a domain has been live, and has been in use. Domains which are more than an year old are recommended.

4. If you plan on using AdSense, avoid any alternatives, such as other click-based ad services.

5. Do not give Google the impression that your blog exists solely for the purpose of making money, rather than the provision of information and value.

6. Make sure your website or blog has quality content on it, which is unique and not taken off article resources or spun. The quality of the content is a big consideration for Google, before it approves or disapproves your application.

7. Authority blogs and websites, with a strong network of high-PR backlinks will most certainly impress Google enough to ensure that your application is approved as quickly as possible. Google likes the fact that your blog is getting traffic from highly-ranked sources.

8. If you’re a business owner, try adding related material to your blog before you apply for AdSense. Add relevant and high-quality content to your blog, and promote it enough to get a decent amount of traffic on it. Show Google that you are an authority in your niche.

9. Alternatively, you could stick with niches which Google particularly likes, such as Open Source, charity, technology, OS and app development, and Google just might like your work enough to grant you an AdSense account.

10. If your website is a traditional website and not a blog, make sure it has at least 10 pages, and above all, is well linked internally. Your home page should be linked to these 10 pages in a clear and concise way. Other must-have pages include the ‘About’ page, a ‘Privacy Policy’ page. Make sure to add information about yourself and your website on respective pages.

11. Your website/blog should be easy to navigate, legible, should have proper breadcrumb navigation setup, and should adhere to some of the best practices out there. It should not have broken links.

12. It is generally recommended to apply for an AdSense account with a Blogger.com account, as Blogger accounts have a higher chance of being approved by AdSense.

13. Register for AdSense through Google’s partner websites such as Youtube, it has generally been known that doing so gives you a better chance of approval.

Concluding Words

These are just a few of my own used, tried and tested tips that will ensure that your AdSense application does end up getting approved, and as quickly as possible.

If you have something to add to this, do leave us your comments in the comments section below.