After publishing a few blog posts, a tempting thought appears: could an advert beside my writing pay for the occasional coffee? Then the application mentions site connections, review requests, ads.txt and payment details. You wanted a cappuccino and suddenly seem to be opening a small business.
AdSense does not guarantee income when you press a button. You prepare a useful website, complete account and site checks, and submit it for advertising review. This guide follows Google's public instructions checked on 14 September 2026 for website AdSense. YouTube monetisation has a separate process.
From application to serving ads, at a glance
Connecting a site and passing Google’s review are separate steps.
- 01Prepare your contentOriginal articles · navigation · policy compliance
- 02Add account & siteEnter accurate account details and the site address.
- 03Verify & request reviewConfirm the connection, then request a review.
- 04Check the resultRead the status on the AdSense Sites page.
First, separate search visibility, ad approval and getting paid
Confusing these produces a familiar question: why does my site appear in search but show no ads? Search Console helps you understand how Google finds and displays your site. Adding a site there or confirming indexing does not replace an AdSense review. About Google Search Console
| Item | What it checks | Does it guarantee the next stage? |
|---|---|---|
| Search registration and indexing | Whether a search engine finds and displays a page | Separate from ad approval |
| Site connection | Whether you can implement the required site verification method | Connection alone is not approval |
| AdSense approval | Whether the site is ready to display ads | No guarantee of visitors or revenue |
| Payment | Whether payment thresholds and account requirements are met | Approval does not mean immediate payment |
Creating an ad unit in advance is different too. Ad units help organise placements and reporting, while site review determines whether ads can run. Ordering a shop sign does not finish everything needed to open the shop.
Step 1: prepare something useful, rather than count posts
Google's eligibility guidance covers original content, policy compliance, access to your site's HTML and an age requirement of at least 18. A parent or guardian can apply through their own Google Account for someone younger. A formula such as 20 posts, 2,000 characters each and 100 daily visitors is not a universal pass mark stated in that guidance. AdSense eligibility requirements
My suggested editorial test is whether a reader leaves with one question answered. For a travel article, explain routes and choices; for a product comparison, explain the conditions and sources. Do not present things you never experienced as personal testimony, or merely rephrase someone else's article. Date changing figures and identify their evidence. This is editorial advice, not Google's fixed scoring sheet.
Check for empty menu destinations and text or tables overflowing a phone screen. Explain the site's purpose and how readers can contact you, and prepare privacy information that reflects the advertising, cookies and data processing actually used. An About page does not automatically get a thin-content site approved.
Step 2: prepare the account and choose the site address
Sign in with the Google Account you intend to use, and accurately complete the country or region and payment details requested during registration. If you already use AdSense, check the path for adding a site to that account before creating another account for a new blog. Names and addresses may be needed for later verification, so avoid temporary placeholders.
If your domain is example.com and your blog is blog.example.com, the site is generally managed under example.com. In 2023 Google removed separate addition and management of ordinary subdomains. Exceptions include subdomains on platforms in the public suffix list and sites managed by AdSense partners. Do not therefore reduce every hosted blog address to its suffix: follow the actual platform integration instructions. Google's site and subdomain guidance
Buying a personal domain does not buy an approval ticket. With a hosted platform such as Tistory, check its integration features and current policies; with your own site, check access to HTML and server settings. Settling on the address before applying reduces confusion from changing it after connecting the site.
Step 3: add the connection information and verify it
After adding the site in AdSense, open the connection flow. Google's instructions list verification through an AdSense snippet, an ads.txt snippet or a meta tag. Choose a method offered for your account and platform, and take the information from your own account instead of copying someone else's example. After verification, submit the separate Request review action. Site connection and review instructions
For an HTML method, put the provided code in the page's head section. Pasting it as visible text into an article is different. Use your platform's connection feature when available, and check that the verification information survives a theme change. Password-only access or crawler blocking can cause review problems.
As a practical rehearsal, open the homepage and a representative article while logged out. Confirm the address, public content and absence of error pages. The settings screen saying “saved” and the reader seeing a working page deserve a quick cross-check.
Step 4: ads.txt is a seller list, not an approval certificate
The ads.txt file identifies sellers authorised to sell your site's advertising inventory. Google strongly recommends it but does not describe it as a universal mandatory approval requirement. For a self-managed site, check that the publisher information supplied by your account is correctly included in the root ads.txt file. Add the required entry without deleting other legitimate sellers already listed. Google's ads.txt guide
A platform may manage the file, and your domain arrangement may need checking. Confirm that the file opens in a browser, then inspect its status in AdSense; updates can take time. Above all, an ads.txt status of Authorized and a site status of Ready are different indicators. Being on a seller list does not complete a shop's opening inspection.
Step 5: request review and respond to the actual status
Complete the outstanding required tasks on your account homepage and request review. Google says reviews usually take a few days, sometimes 2–4 weeks. That is not a promise of approval on a particular date. Removing and resubmitting a site can delay the process, so impatience is not a reason to keep restarting it. Check site approval status
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Requires review | Review has not started or another review is needed | Finish required tasks and check the review request |
| Getting ready | Site checks are in progress | Watch for account requests and access problems |
| Needs attention | Problems need fixing before ads can run | Read the details and address the stated issue |
| Ready | The site can show ads | Check placement settings and actual rendering |
If rejected, first separate the possible causes. Connection problems call for checking URLs, code and access restrictions; content problems call for reviewing useful information, duplication and usage rights. Addressing the stated issue and following the available re-review process is more purposeful than adding posts without diagnosis. Keep a change list so that the improvement is clear.
Step 6: handle placement and payment separately after approval
Once approved, configure placements through Auto ads or manual ad units. If Auto ads was already enabled, inspect the real page together with any manual banners. Check whether ads displace paragraphs, cover navigation or introduce horizontal scrolling on mobile. A high ad count is not itself good site management.
Payment comes later. Google separates verification, payment-method selection and payout thresholds by currency. For example, an account with US dollars as its payment currency has a default payout threshold of $100. Complete required identity and address checks, payment methods and applicable tax information, and check for payment holds. This amount is neither an application fee nor an approval score. Payment thresholds by currency
A helpful first goal is whether readers want the next article, rather than when the blog will replace a salary. Applying for ads may be quick, but consistently useful writing is the main business. Starting with coffee money is fine. Just do not welcome someone in for a coffee and show them nothing but tills.