Google AdSense Approval: Official Requirements, the Low Value Content Fix and Getting Paid

Google AdSense approval depends on fewer rules than most guides suggest. Google's own eligibility page asks for four things: content you own that is high quality and original, access to your site's HTML, compliance with the AdSense policies, and an applicant aged 18 or older [1]. It does not set a minimum traffic level, post count or domain age. When a site is rejected, the usual reasons are thin or copied pages, which AdSense calls low value content, or a site the AdSense crawler cannot reach [2].

How this guide was built: every rule below was checked on Google's AdSense Help pages on 2 November 2026, and each claim links to the page it comes from. Anobee has applied for AdSense itself, and its public ads.txt file carries the line google.com, pub-8227407963421138, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0. On 2 November 2026 its own Sites page still showed the low value content result covered below. This guide is written from inside the same fix. Nobody can promise approval. Google decides each review.

Google AdSense approval requirements: what Google actually asks for

Two more rules sit in Google's publisher policies, and both affect approval. Your site needs a privacy policy that tells users third parties may place and read cookies in their browsers [4]. You also may not click your own ads or ask anyone else to click them, including with "support us" style messages [5].

What Google does not require

Most AdSense approval tips online repeat thresholds that are not on Google's pages. As of 2 November 2026, this is how the common claims compare with the eligibility page [1]:

So the post count is not the test. A site with ten complete, original guides is in a better position than one with forty short posts written to reach a number.

How the Google AdSense approval process works

1. Create the AdSense account and add your site. Use the site you control and can edit.
2. Connect the site. Add the AdSense code to the head section of your pages. Instead of the code, Google also accepts an ads.txt file or a Search Console ownership check as alternatives to the code [2].
3. Finish your account tasks. Pending tasks such as payment setup can delay the review [3].
4. Wait for the review. Google says it usually takes a few days, but in some cases 2 to 4 weeks [2].
5. Read the status on the Sites page. "Getting ready" means Google is checking. "Needs attention" means something must be fixed first. "Ready" means the site can show ads [3].

Do not remove the site and add it again while you wait. Google warns that this can delay the process [3].

AdSense low value content: what it means and how to fix it

Low value content is the rejection that stops most Google AdSense approval attempts, and it comes from one line of the Google Publisher Policies. The policy does not allow its ads on screens "without publisher-content or with low-value content", on screens "under construction", or on screens used for alerts or navigation [4]. The same policies also rule out pages that copy content from others "without additional commentary, curation, or otherwise adding value" [4].

Still, there is no official checklist that defines the label. The "site not ready" page describes the problem as a site that does not have enough unique content or a good user experience and navigation [2]. In practice, these patterns match the policy wording:

• Pages without publisher content. Empty category, tag or archive pages, placeholder pages, and posts that are mostly images or embeds.
• Pages under construction. "Coming soon" sections, half-written posts and broken menus.
• Copied or lightly rewritten content. Articles that restate other sites, news or product descriptions without adding anything new.
• Content written for volume. Many short posts on one topic that each answer less than one good page would.
• Weak navigation. Readers cannot find the main sections, or menus lead to dead ends.

Anobee is in this position too. On 2 November 2026, the AdSense Sites page for anobee.com showed "Needs attention" with the detail "Low value content". The status was last updated on 22 October 2026. The site has more than 80 long guides, so the label is clearly not about word count alone. Anobee's response is the process below. It starts with an audit of every indexable page, then rewrites pages that Google shows but does not rank, and redirects old URLs before one new review.

A low value content fix that matches the policy

1. List every indexable page. Include categories, tags and archives, not only posts.
2. Sort pages into three groups. Keep the complete, original pages. Improve the ones with a real topic but thin coverage. Remove, merge or noindex the rest.
3. Add what only you can add. Your own steps, screenshots, numbers, examples or local detail. This is what separates a page from the ones it repeats.
4. Fix navigation and trust pages. A clear menu, an About page, a contact route and a privacy policy with the cookie disclosure.
5. Finish every visible section. Remove "coming soon" pages and empty sections.
6. Request one new review. Fix everything first, then ask for a review from the Sites page [2].

A rejection is not a ban. It means the site, as reviewed, was not ready for Google AdSense approval. So fix the pattern across the whole site rather than one post, because the review looks at the site.

Other reasons a site is not ready

Is ads.txt required for AdSense approval?

No. The ads.txt guide calls the file optional and highly recommended [6]. The file sits at the root of your domain, for example example.com/ads.txt, and contains one line with your publisher ID in this format: google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 [6]. After approval, an "Unauthorized" ads.txt status means ad requests are being rejected because your publisher ID is missing from the file [3], so add it as soon as you have the ID.

Getting paid: threshold, PIN and payment in Nepal

Approval is only half the job. After that, AdSense pays when your balance reaches the payment threshold, which is 100 USD for accounts paid in US dollars [7]. The monthly cycle runs like this [8]:

• By the 3rd: last month's earnings are finalized on the Payments page.
• By the 20th: your balance must be at the threshold, and payment details and holds must be sorted.
• 21st to 26th: the payment is issued. Otherwise the balance rolls over to the next month.

Before the first payment, Google verifies your address with a PIN sent by mail. It usually takes about 3 weeks to arrive, you get three tries to enter it, and ads stop showing if you have not verified within four months of the PIN being generated [10].

AdSense in Nepal

Google's payment method table lists Nepal with check and wire transfer available, and EFT and Hyperwallet not available [9]. Wire transfer, into a bank account in your own country, is usually the practical choice. For comparison, India is listed with wire transfer only and no checks [9].

However, the approval rules do not change by country. A Nepali blog faces the same content, policy and age requirements as any other [1]. Anobee's guide on how to earn money online in Nepal covers how foreign income reaches a Nepali bank account, and the guide to the best blogging platforms for Nepal shows which platforms make AdSense easiest to set up.

Before you apply for Google AdSense approval: a short checklist

1. Every page in your menu is finished and useful.
2. Your posts are original and add something of your own.
3. Empty tag, category and archive pages are removed or noindexed.
4. You have a privacy policy that discloses third-party cookies.
5. The site loads over HTTPS without a password, and robots.txt does not block Google.
6. You can edit the site's HTML, or verify it through ads.txt or Search Console.
7. Your payment profile is complete, so it does not hold up the review.

If you are still choosing what to write about, Anobee's guide to choosing a profitable blog niche covers what ad networks look for beyond AdSense.