Surprise: Google Adsense Approved!

Anyone running a website wishes to be approved on Google AdSense. Publishers hoping to monetize their content aims for this holy grail.

This rejection email is a common one. A quick search on my Gmail yielded about four of these. The last time I had tried applying was in December 2015, when I realized that there’s nothing more I can do to achieve this pipe dream.

But with the optimism that arrived with 2017, I had a one last-ditch attempt to apply to Google AdSense. If this does not work, then nothing else will. Reading a lot of information online, especially those written about Google AdSense Philippines 2017, it was a lot of work. However, my persistence and self-awareness paid off and I was surprised to receive this on my inbox yesterday:

Being an academic (LOL), I am used to do a lot of research. I’ve read all the websites I could read, just to learn how people managed to get past the initial review (i.e. not receiving the email above).

From what I have gathered, website design plays an extremely important factor for me to get approved.

On my last attempt to apply in 2015, I already have the usual pages in place (e.g. about, contact, disclaimer, privacy policy, and terms and condition of use). I thought these things were enough. But apparently, they were not.

• Content Clean-Up

I had a long look at the website design towards the end of 2017. Surely there is something I could do to clean the design and make it look less-cluttered. I also noticed that while I have significant content, there is something amiss with the organization of the posts and pages. This is where I began the most laborious part prior to re-applying: look at all the posts I have written and declutter.

For people who are about to apply with their newly-formed websites, this is not much of a problem. But this page has been running since June 2012. It has amassed hundreds of write-ups already. I had a dilemma before of removing (or at least making private) some of the posts. However, I just felt like a sham even thinking of this.

When I had decided to gird my loins, I started with the first ever post, down to the last one. I cleaned up the keywords, edited the spacing and removed anything that might potentially violate Google AdSense policies.

I also cleaned the categories that I have. When you don’t have a specific objective in mind right from the start, things pile up.  This was the problem that I have with my blog. It was just a mishmash of intersecting content and categories.

I know we are not robots. We can’t just box a post in a particular category because of the dynamism in out thought processes. This was a problem of mine. However, being decisive and cognitive of where you would want to categorize your post is essential.

Sure, we can ask a third-party to have a look at our website for a fee. But in a world of Google and DIY-ing, it just takes commitment to do the cleaning ourselves. I know I did not finish the whole cleaning up, but I at least made it to 80%-85% of it. It spelled all the difference if you ask me.

 

• Website/Blog Design

Remember the gospel according to Coco Chanel?

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.”

Aside from the content, the visuals play a vital role with Google AdSense. When we are so used to the way our page looks, we sometimes dismiss how others use it.

I’m not claiming that I have the best layout or what. However, when I looked at my page anew, I realized that it could do without some of the bells and whistles. While I loved some of the responsive themes that I used from WordPress, they looked a bit cluttered to me.

I chose a simple one with lots of white spaces. I had a withdrawal syndrome in the first few days, but I eventually got the hang of it.

• Remove Existing Ads

The internet is replete of conflicting information regarding existing ads. While one camp advocates the idea that they do no harm with your Google AdSense application, another camp says otherwise. I went with the latter.

While it is easy to deactivate the plug-ins before applying, we might miss out those codes/scripts plugged in the html codes of individual posts.

This is why combing through individual posts are important. It is always better to err on the side of caution. You can always activate it later once approved.

• Submit and First Step

Once I was sure that I had a better shot at things, I gave it a go. I got to a point where cleaning up the content got exhausting. There was nothing else I could do but hope for the best.

Surprisingly, I received a code an hour after sending my application with my personal details (this is important).

Now where to put this? I’ve read somewhere not to implement the code on the ‘header’ of the website. Honestly, I just put it there AND used the Google AdSense plug-in as well.

• Second Step

It took 48 hours before I start seeing live ads on my blog. From the Google AdSense dashboard, I also saw money coming in even if it says to wait for three days for them to review it.

After implementing it according to their policies, I subsequently got this:

Now all I did was wait. The three-day review period was just a minimum. From the forums I have read, it even took Google weeks and even months to review. In my experience, however, it took seven days before I receive the approval email shown before the cut.

Again, I am extremely happy that 2017 welcomed be with a Google AdSense approval. It was a very long process, even tedious at times. I know I can caught up with the craze of getting approved, but I have to remind myself to always adhere by Google AdSense policies. I don’t want all the work to go to waste!