Why did you start a blog? The answer to the rather weird question determines if you succeed as a blogger or not. I know you are here to know why your AdSense application has failed times without number. I'm also aware that you want quick insights and solutions; and that I will give or at least die trying.
The problem is, there are cases where not even dark magic will get you an Adsense account. It doesn't matter if you in a 'suspicious' country in the Antarctica that has to wait for a decade to be approved or Google's neighbors at Mountain View Califonia.
Googleplex Sign (Free Image Via Wikimedia)
My false start
I will use myself and blog as a case study. I started blogging or what I thought was blogging, around July 2013 when I got bored with sharing my views on Facebook and Twitter. Don't get me wrong, those social sites remain the most powerful tools to provoke thought online. However, your views are only relevant for a few hours or days depending on the number of followers you have.
My reasons to look for a better platform, while petty, were sincere. I mean, all I wanted at that time was a brand name. I had seen what it meant to be an online writer around here and I wasn't going to be left out. So, I blindly become a blogger. Yes, I started a free blog on Blogger platform with some weirdly long subdomain. I Ironically called it the 'Fountain of Information' for reasons I'm yet to discover.
Well, it didn't take a month before reality started biting back. What I thought was a quick ladder to stardom turned out to be rocket science or should I say quantum physics (whatever that means)? I just didn't lack purpose or what to write; I had no audience.
The obsession to get blog traffic then took the better part of me and I would take a whole day trying some haphazardly posted blog traffic generation techniques with unavoidable titles like 'How my 3-day old blog gets 50,000 pageviews per day without me doing a thing'. You guess is a good as mine, those tricks so-called didn't work then and won't work in the future. I'm sure of it.
Resources:
Blog Traffic Generation Techniques
How to get blog readers today
It also dawned on me, around the same period, that I could 'make money' with my blog. I could monetize my website and make 'passive income' in my sleep. Not my words thought, a read it on one of the 'make money online blogs'. So, I started scouring the net for tips on how to earn through my blog and that's when I bumped on Google's Adsense.
I tend to think that it is Adsense that bumped on me because, as I later realized, my blog had broken every Google Webmaster Rules in advance. But who cared then, I was blogging with a terrorist's mentally i.e. only results matters, what you do to achieve the results is irrelevant.
A stream of rejected Adsense applications
Talk of being 'young and inexperienced'! I didn't even go through Adsense Rules let alone consulting other stable bloggers on Google Forums. The excitement of finally getting rewarded for my efforts clouded my judgement, vision, thinking and anything it found on its way. I applied for Adsense account and received a rejection email within a few hours. The main reason was 'Insufficient Content'.
So, I started writing on everything and anything. Did I hear you asking what my niche was? I only learnt about that word recently. I'd research (which meant going to sites like about.com, wikihow, wikipedia etc and rewriting their articles in broken English).
Soon enough, I had over 50 articles on my blog. I hurriedly re-submitted my Adsense application which was rejected much faster. The reason for rejection was 'Insufficient Content'. What? how many articles was I supposed to write?
A unique combination of frustration and despair set in and I lost it. I would now write articles almost daily, since some blogger had mentioned that I needed at least 100 posts to qualify for Adsense. Another blogger offered to explain what 'rejected because of insufficient content' really meant i.e. the blog originated from spamming countries.
They had to wait for 6 months to even think about thinking to apply for an Adsense account. Yet another said, that traffic is all that mattered and Google Adsense being an ads platform valued traffic above all. I didn't know who to trust but decided to give my blog some 6 months before applying again.
Meanwhile, I would try every traffic generation technique posted online. I also read about affiliate marketing and decided to put some Amazon banners on my blog. This I deed in spite of the fact that my daily pageview was about 100 of which 90% were my own.
Like I said, when desperation meets frustration thinking straight is a luxury you cannot afford. As expected I re-applied for Adsense account and without mincing words, the team at Google rejected my application although my blog was now 8 months old. Reason: 'Site does not comply with Google Policies'.
Resources:
Google Webmaster Guidelines
Adsense Policies
Why my blog cannot be approved
Frustration was slowly metamorphosing into something else. That is when I read that I read that I had to buy a custom domain. That was the missing key at least according to the blog post for my blog to be approved by the Adsense team.
Well, I bought a domain name from namecheap, I registered 'topratedtips.com'. Little did I know that Google was no longer interested in the topsomething.com domains. So, I technically sealed my fate and bid Google Adsense bye.
Photo Courtesy: FreeDigitialPhotos.Net
I waited for another boring 6 months only to apply and be rejected for 'not complying with Google webmasters guidelines'. I fumbled with few techniques and re-applied almost bimonthly with no success.
So, I went to forums and complained bitterly and that when I learnt that no tricks or complaints were going to get my blog an Adsense Account. One bully, told me that my blog was crap and added no value to the net. I couldn't take that lying down but that is a story for another day. Bottom line, the 'suspicious' domain name had sealed my blog's fate.
What can you learn from me?
Have you learnt something? The pickup line here is; get all your facts right before you start a blog. It will save you a lot of pain and stress like the one I went through. You may be wondering why I should write a guide on Adsense on a blog that is not running their ads? The answer is simple; I'm a being my brother's keeper. I want you to avoid my mistakes and succeed where I failed.
Introduction to Google Adsense
Briefly, Adsense is a program for Publishers (or website owners as they are commonly called). The webmasters place ads on their websites and are paid for the Impression, Clicks and Conversion. Simply put, you earn some amount per every 1000 views. You even earn better if the viewers clicked the ad and even more if they performed an action.
Example: You place a hotel banner on your blogs sidebar. You get paid for the views. Let's say some click the banner and visits the hotel's website, you get paid too. What if this viewer decides to book a room in the hotel? Well, you earn more.
So, Adsense gives you an opportunity to earn with your blog as long as you have quality traffic. The said payment is dependent on the Keyword (a word or phrase that that people type on the Search Engine Address). As you can guess, some keywords earn you more than others.
Resources:
Introduction to Keyword Analysis
How to get traffic through SEO
Why your blog may be rejected
You already have an idea why your application for an Adsense account may have failed. However, Is till give this checklist just in case.Just make sure your site complies or have the following:
About Us Page- This makes you look credible and gives Google an idea of what your site is all about
Contact Page - Provides your subscribers or any other site visitor a ways of reaching you whenever there is concern
Privacy Policy - A must-have if you are serious about Adsense. You can generate an Adsense compliant Privacy Policy for your site from serprank.com and bennadel.com among other sites
Organic Traffic - Just make sure that your traffic is natural not driven from automated traffic sites or paid to click site. Google wouldn't approve your account if you are already cheating your way into popularity. Secondly, ensure that you have about 2000 daily views before you apply. While you can apply with lower traffic, chances of approval are lower.
More than 6 months old - Google is against spammers and wants to do business with 'serious' publishers. So, unless you come from the US or UK wait for least 6 months before applying.
SEO and Ads friendly Template - Buy or design a responsive template with fewer frames. Adsense doesn't allow the placement of ads in frames. Just buy an SEO- friendly and Ads ready template from . There are many places you could get such templates.
No Ads - At times, your only disqualification may be placement of so many ads from other sites. The best practice (not just with Adsense) is to always no ads placed on your site before applying.
Be Original - Copied ideas or contents are not good for your online reputation as well as Google Adsense
Have Unique Information - make sure that your ideas are unique and not very easy to come by online. This will really help you build a good reputation and get Google Adsense approval easily
Be of Good Length - while there is no specific standard, Google always rank high content that are exhaustive and provide sufficient information bout the title. As a guide you should, write 800+-word article. The article should be High Quality and SEO-Optimized. I mean you should strategically placed keywords and link your post accordingly
Adsense Alternatives
I believe you are smart enough to know that Adsense isn't the only way to make money online. It may have the best rates int he industry but certainly not the only option we have. You can choose to promote other sites and get paid for every referral or place banners for online stores like eBay, Amazon etc.
Better still, you can place ads from Google Adsense look-alikes such as Yahoo Bing Network!, Chitika, Infolinks, Epom, Qadabra, AdClick Media, CPM Go, Kontera just to list a few. Whichever program you choose, there is bound to be prerequisites and policies to follow to get an approval, make sure you read them.
Resources:
Effective Blog monetization techniques
The Best Alternatives to Adsense
Last Line...
Blogging is not hard if you have all facts aforehand. Also, be patient enough to see things work out. Otherwise, you can guest blog for money or do join freelance writing to supplement your income. I have compiled up to 100 freelance sites for writers. I'm always open minded, just share your views via the comment box or our contact form at the footer section. Enjoy blogging