AdSense Rejected? Complete Guide to Fix Issues and Get Approved

AdSense Rejected Your Site? Here's Your Complete Recovery Plan

Getting rejected by Google AdSense feels terrible—but it's not the end. Most successful publishers faced rejection before approval. The key is understanding why you were rejected and systematically fixing the issues.

This guide provides a complete action plan to recover from AdSense rejection and get approved on your next application.

Step 1: Understand Your Rejection Reason

First, carefully read your rejection email. Google provides a general reason, though it's often vague. The most common rejection reasons are:

"Low Value Content"

Translation: Your content doesn't provide enough unique value.

What to check:

• Are your articles comprehensive (600+ words)?
• Is your content original or copied/paraphrased?
• Do you provide unique insights or just summarize others?
• Is there AI-generated content without human editing?

Action plan:

• Audit every article for quality
• Delete or massively improve thin content
• Add unique perspectives, data, or case studies
• Ensure human expertise is evident

"Site Does Not Meet Our Criteria"

Translation: Multiple issues need attention.

What to check:

• Do you have essential pages (Privacy, About, Contact)?
• Is your navigation clear and functional?
• Does your site look professional?
• Is all content complete (no placeholders)?

Action plan:

• Add all required legal pages
• Improve site navigation
• Complete any unfinished pages
• Consider a design refresh

"Navigational Issues"

Translation: Users and bots struggle to navigate your site.

What to check:

• Are there broken links?
• Is there a clear menu structure?
• Can users find content easily?
• Is there internal linking between articles?

Action plan:

• Fix all broken links
• Create clear navigation menus
• Add internal links between related content
• Add search functionality

"Insufficient Content"

Translation: You need more quality content.

What to check:

• Do you have at least 15-20 articles?
• Is each article substantial (600+ words)?
• Is there a publishing history (not all posted one day)?

Action plan:

• Create more high-quality content
• Aim for 20+ comprehensive articles
• Space out publishing dates
• Cover your niche thoroughly

Step 2: Comprehensive Site Audit

Before making changes, audit your entire site:

Content Audit

1. List all published articles
2. Check word count for each (minimum 600)
3. Verify originality (run through Copyscape)
4. Assess quality objectively
5. Identify articles to delete, improve, or keep

Technical Audit

1. Check all pages load correctly
2. Verify SSL is working
3. Test site speed (under 3 seconds)
4. Confirm mobile responsiveness
5. Check robots.txt and sitemap.xml

Page Audit

1. Privacy Policy exists and mentions AdSense
2. About page has real information
3. Contact page works
4. All pages are complete (no placeholders)

Step 3: Fix Priority Issues

Based on your audit, fix issues in this order:

Critical (Fix First)

1. Add missing Privacy Policy (mention Google AdSense)
2. Install SSL if missing
3. Remove any policy-violating content
4. Fix any noindex tags on important pages
5. Remove placeholder or incomplete content

Important (Fix Second)

1. Improve thin content (under 600 words)
2. Add About and Contact pages
3. Create clear navigation
4. Fix broken internal links
5. Add sitemap.xml

Recommended (Fix Third)

1. Improve content quality overall
2. Add more articles if under 20
3. Improve site speed
4. Add search functionality
5. Enhance mobile experience

Step 4: Content Quality Improvement

Since "Low Value Content" is the #1 rejection reason, focus here:

How to Improve Existing Articles

1. Add depth: Expand from 500 to 1500+ words
2. Add uniqueness: Include personal experience or original data
3. Add structure: Use proper headings, bullets, images
4. Add value: Answer questions competitors miss
5. Add authority: Cite sources, show expertise

What Makes "High Value" Content?

• Answers real user questions thoroughly
• Provides information not easily found elsewhere
• Demonstrates expertise and experience
• Is well-researched and accurate
• Is easy to read and well-structured

Step 5: Add Missing Pages

Create these pages if missing:

Privacy Policy (Required)

Must include:

• What data you collect
• How you use data
• Cookie usage
• Mention of Google AdSense
• User rights

Use our Policy Generator to create a compliant policy.

About Page (Required)

Include:

• Who runs the site
• Why the site exists
• Your expertise/credentials
• Optional: team photos/bios

Contact Page (Required)

Include:

• Working email address or contact form
• Response time expectation
• Social media links (optional)
• Physical address (for businesses)

Step 6: Technical Fixes

Ensure all technical requirements are met:

SSL Certificate

• Enable HTTPS site-wide
• Force HTTPS redirect
• Fix mixed content errors

Speed Optimization

• Compress images
• Enable caching
• Minimize CSS/JS
• Target under 3-second load time

Mobile Optimization

• Test on multiple devices
• Ensure text is readable without zooming
• Check tap targets are sized correctly

Step 7: Wait Before Reapplying

Don't rush to reapply. Google needs time to recrawl your site.

Recommended waiting period:

• Minimum: 2 weeks
• Better: 3-4 weeks
• Best: Fix everything, then wait 2 more weeks

During this time:

• Continue adding quality content
• Monitor Google Search Console
• Watch for crawl errors
• Build some organic traffic

Step 8: Verify Fixes Before Reapplying

Before submitting another application:

1. Run our free checker tool - Score should be 70%+
2. Check Search Console - No crawl errors
3. Test all pages load - No 404s or errors
4. Verify on mobile - Fully responsive
5. Read policies again - Ensure compliance

Step 9: Reapply Strategically

When you're ready to reapply:

1. Log into your AdSense account
2. Find the "Fix Issues" or "Resubmit" option
3. Review your site URL is correct
4. Submit the request
5. Wait patiently (can take 2-7 days or longer)

Step 10: If Rejected Again

Don't give up. Many publishers are rejected 2-3 times before approval.

After second rejection:

1. Re-read the new rejection reason carefully
2. It may be different from the first
3. Conduct another thorough audit
4. Focus on the specific issue mentioned
5. Consider getting an outside opinion

When to consider alternatives:

• After 5+ rejections with no improvement
• If your niche may be borderline prohibited
• If you're unable to create sufficient content

Timeline: From Rejection to Approval

Total realistic timeline: 4-8 weeks

Conclusion: Persistence Wins

AdSense rejection is a setback, not a dead end. The vast majority of rejected sites can be fixed and approved. Focus on quality, follow this guide systematically, and don't give up.

Your next steps:

1. Run our free AdSense checker to diagnose issues
2. Follow the priority fix order above
3. Wait 2-4 weeks after making changes
4. Reapply when your score is 70%+

Remember: A quality website that provides real value will eventually be approved. Focus on becoming a site that deserves to be monetized, and AdSense approval will follow.