Why AdSense Not Approved? 10 Common Reasons & How to Fix Them

Why Is My AdSense Not Approved? Understanding Google's Rejection

You've built your website, published content, and submitted your AdSense application with high hopes. Then comes the dreaded email: "Your site isn't ready to show ads." Now what?

First, don't panic. AdSense rejections are common, and most can be fixed. This guide explains exactly why Google rejected your site and provides actionable fixes for each issue.

The AdSense Rejection Email: Decoding Google's Language

Google's rejection emails are notoriously vague. They typically mention one of these reasons:

• "Low value content"
• "Site behavior: Navigation"
• "Insufficient content"
• "Policy violation"
• "Site under construction"

Let's decode each one and fix it.

Reason #1: Low Value Content

What Google means: Your content doesn't provide unique value to users.

Common causes:

• Articles are too short (under 500 words)
• Content is generic and exists on many other sites
• Heavy use of AI-generated content without editing
• Keyword stuffing that makes content unreadable
• Thin affiliate content with no original analysis

How to fix it:

1. Audit your content: Delete or significantly expand any article under 600 words
2. Add unique perspectives: Include personal experience, original data, or unique analysis
3. If using AI: Heavily edit, add personal insights, and ensure factual accuracy
4. Remove keyword stuffing: Write for humans first, SEO second
5. Add value: Answer questions your competitors don't answer

Reason #2: Site Navigation Issues

What Google means: Users (and bots) can't easily navigate your site.

Common causes:

• Broken internal links (404 errors)
• No clear menu structure
• Pages with no way to navigate back
• Confusing website layout
• Missing breadcrumbs on deep pages

How to fix it:

1. Install a broken link checker plugin
2. Create a clear, logical menu hierarchy
3. Add internal links between related articles
4. Include a search function
5. Add breadcrumb navigation
6. Ensure your sitemap.xml is up to date

Reason #3: Missing Essential Pages

What Google means: You're missing required legal and trust pages.

Required pages for AdSense:

• Privacy Policy (MANDATORY - must mention Google AdSense)
• Contact Page (with real contact method)
• About Page (who runs this site?)
• Terms of Service (recommended)
• Cookie Policy (required in EU/UK)

How to fix it:

1. Use our Policy Generator Tool to create compliant legal pages
2. Link these pages in your footer (visible on every page)
3. Ensure your Privacy Policy specifically mentions using Google AdSense for advertising
4. Add a real email address or contact form

Reason #4: Insufficient Content Volume

What Google means: You don't have enough content yet.

The minimum requirements:

• At least 15-20 quality articles
• Each article should be 600-2000+ words
• Content should cover your niche comprehensively
• Publishing history of at least 2-4 weeks

How to fix it:

1. Don't apply until you have 20+ quality posts
2. Space out your publishing (don't publish all at once)
3. Cover different aspects of your niche
4. Update older content to keep it fresh

Reason #5: Domain Age Issues

What Google means: Your domain is too new.

Domain age requirements:

• Most countries: 1-3 months minimum
• India: 6 months minimum
• USA/UK: No official requirement, but older is better

How to fix it:

1. Simply wait until your domain matures
2. Continue publishing and building authority
3. Get some organic traffic flowing
4. Reapply after the required waiting period

Reason #6: No SSL Certificate

What Google means: Your site isn't secure.

The requirement:

• Your site MUST use HTTPS (not HTTP)
• SSL certificate must be valid and properly installed

How to fix it:

1. Most hosts offer free SSL (Let's Encrypt)
2. Enable HTTPS in your hosting control panel
3. Force HTTPS redirect for all pages
4. Update internal links to use https://

Reason #7: Site Under Construction

What Google means: Your site looks incomplete.

Signs of an incomplete site:

• "Coming soon" placeholders
• Lorem ipsum text
• Empty categories
• Placeholder images
• Unfinished pages

How to fix it:

1. Remove all placeholder content
2. Delete or unpublish incomplete pages
3. Ensure every visible page is complete
4. Remove "under construction" notices

Reason #8: Copied or Scraped Content

What Google means: Your content isn't original.

What triggers this:

• Copy-pasted content from other sites
• Aggregated content without original commentary
• Translated content without significant additions
• Spun or rewritten content that's obviously derivative

How to fix it:

1. Run your content through Copyscape
2. Remove or completely rewrite copied content
3. Add substantial original value to any curated content
4. Write from scratch—it's the only safe approach

Reason #9: Prohibited Content

What Google means: You're violating AdSense content policies.

Prohibited content includes:

• Adult or sexually explicit material
• Violence or graphic content
• Hate speech or discrimination
• Illegal activities
• Dangerous products (weapons, drugs)
• Misleading or deceptive content

How to fix it:

1. Review all content against AdSense policies
2. Remove or heavily modify any borderline content
3. When in doubt, remove it
4. Consider the "would Google show ads next to this?" test

Reason #10: Technical SEO Issues

What Google means: Bots can't properly crawl your site.

Common technical issues:

• robots.txt blocking Googlebot
• noindex tags on important pages
• No sitemap.xml file
• Extremely slow load times
• Not mobile-friendly

How to fix it:

1. Check robots.txt isn't blocking important pages
2. Remove noindex from pages you want indexed
3. Create and submit an XML sitemap
4. Improve page speed (aim for under 3 seconds)
5. Ensure mobile responsiveness

After Fixing: How Long to Wait Before Reapplying?

• Minimum wait: 2 weeks
• Recommended wait: 3-4 weeks
• Use this time: Continue improving content and building traffic

Conclusion: Persistence Pays Off

Most websites don't get approved on the first try—and that's okay. Each rejection is feedback. Fix the issues, improve your site, and reapply. Many successful publishers were rejected 2-3 times before approval.

Pro tip: Use our free AdSense Checker tool to verify your fixes before reapplying. Don't submit again until you score at least 70% on our eligibility assessment.