While the category of topics on your website can indirectly influence your AdSense approval time, it’s not the primary factor. Here’s why:
Focus on Google’s Core Requirements: Google primarily evaluates your website based on these core criteria:
- Website Quality: High-quality content, user-friendly design, and a professional appearance are crucial.
- Originality: Ensure your content is original and free from plagiarism.
- Ad Placement: Ads should be placed appropriately and not disrupt the user experience.
- Website Policies: You must have clearly defined privacy and copyright policies.
Indirect Influence of Topic:
- Competition: Some highly competitive niches might have stricter approval standards due to the volume of applications.
- Sensitive Topics: Topics like gambling, adult content, or those that promote illegal activities are generally not eligible for AdSense.
Key Takeaway:
While the topic of your website plays a minor role, focusing on meeting Google’s core requirements for website quality and user experience is far more critical for a successful AdSense application.
Highly competitive niches that might have stricter approval standards due to the volume of applications
- Finance & Investing:
- High Competition: This niche attracts many advertisers due to high-value leads (e.g., investment accounts, insurance).
- Stricter Scrutiny: Google needs to ensure financial advice is accurate and responsible.
- Example: A website offering stock market predictions might face increased scrutiny due to the potential for misleading information.
- Health & Wellness:
- High Competition: Health is a major concern, leading to high demand for advertising related to fitness, nutrition, and medical products.
- Stricter Scrutiny: Google needs to prevent the spread of misinformation and ensure health advice is not harmful.
- Example: A website promoting unproven weight loss supplements might face challenges in getting AdSense approval.
- Technology:
- High Competition: The tech industry is booming, with many advertisers targeting tech-savvy audiences.
- Stricter Scrutiny: Google needs to ensure ads are relevant and not misleading, especially in areas like software reviews or hardware comparisons.
- Example: A website publishing biased reviews of competing tech products might have a harder time getting approved.
Important Note: These are just examples, and Google’s specific criteria can change.
Key takeaway: Highly competitive niches often attract more scrutiny from Google to ensure a positive user experience and maintain the quality of their advertising platform.
The examples provided are based on general industry knowledge and observations.
- They are not explicitly stated by Google in official documentation.
- However, they reflect common sense principles.
For example:
- High competition naturally leads to increased scrutiny: When many websites compete for ad space in a niche, Google needs to ensure quality and prevent issues like ad clutter or misleading information.
- Sensitive niches require careful evaluation: Areas like finance and health require a high degree of accuracy and responsibility.
Keep in mind: Google’s specific evaluation criteria are constantly evolving.
To find the most up-to-date information:
- Refer to the official Google AdSense policies and guidelines. These documents provide the most accurate and authoritative information on their approval process.
Do you have to show Google where you plan to put the ads even before you are approved?
i.e. do you have to embed the AdSense code before approval, or can you just go with the ads.txt integration that Google offers as an option – does it make a difference?
No, you don’t have to explicitly show Google where you plan to put ads before you are approved for AdSense.
Here’s how it generally works:
- Application: You apply for AdSense by submitting your website URL.
- Review: Google reviews your website based on their policies (quality, originality, user experience, etc.).
- Approval (or Rejection): If approved, you’ll receive instructions on how to add the AdSense code to your website.
- Ad Placement: After adding the code, you can start experimenting with different ad placements to find what works best for your website and audience.
Key Points:
- Google’s Review: During the initial review, Google will assess your website’s overall design and user experience. This includes factors like:
- Overall layout and navigation: Is the website easy to use and navigate?
- Content presentation: Is the content well-organized and easy to read?
- Use of pop-ups or intrusive ads: Does your website use any methods that might negatively impact the user experience?
- Post-Approval: Once approved, you have flexibility in how you place ads on your website. However, it’s crucial to adhere to Google’s guidelines on ad placement to avoid issues like:
- Excessive ads: Overloading your website with ads can significantly degrade the user experience.
- Misleading ad placements: Ads should not be placed in a way that tricks users into clicking them.
- Disruptive ads: Pop-ups, auto-playing videos with sound, and other intrusive ad formats are generally discouraged.
In summary: While you don’t need to submit a detailed ad placement plan before approval, it’s essential to prioritize a user-friendly experience and ensure your website complies with Google’s AdSense policies.
Are you ready to design & build your own website? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.
