I probably don’t need to explain what Google AdSense is if you’ve landed on this page. Webmasters generally only have a few ad partners: Google AdSense, Baidu Union, and Alimama. When I first entered webmaster circles everyone praised AdSense’s high revenue, so I applied back then — and kept getting rejected. This year I kept the site updated and posted original, high-quality articles, and early this year I finally passed AdSense review, reaching the PIN mailing threshold within a few months.
Advice on Applying to Google AdSense
After many applications over many years, here’s my experience for reference. If you don’t pass, don’t give up — someday you will.
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Your site should have been live for at least six months; very new sites may not pass.
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Google’s indexed count should be above 300. When I passed, mine was around four or five hundred.
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The content must be original — not scraped, not thin. Don’t doubt Google’s technical ability to tell.
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The content must not involve piracy or violate US law; the most common case is pirated content that violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
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If you’re rejected, don’t immediately reapply. Wait until your indexed count grows, then submit again.
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Traffic reference: when I passed, natural traffic was about 150 IP per day.
The Google AdSense PIN
Once you pass review you can put ads on your site. When your balance reaches $10, Google AdSense sends a letter by regular mail to the address you provided, containing your PIN, which you verify in AdSense. Ads keep displaying normally during verification and earnings keep accruing. Some experience worth sharing:
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Fill in your name and address in Chinese, and make sure the address is correct and real.
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Delivery time: my address is in Beijing; AdSense mails from Singapore. From dispatch to arrival was exactly three weeks — 21 days.
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If it still hasn’t arrived after three weeks: you can request another letter in AdSense, which shows a “request new PIN” button. You can have it sent up to four times; the PIN doesn’t change, and any one letter is enough.
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If four mailings still don’t arrive: a link appears taking you to an online PIN verification page to fill in and submit the relevant materials, and a human reviews it within 24 hours. The materials are digital photos of a government-issued ID, bank statement, or utility bill showing the payee’s name and mailing address (matching the information on your account).
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If PIN verification still fails: Google’s ads stop displaying.
Getting Paid
AdSense pays once your balance reaches $100. If you don’t reach it, it rolls over to the next month and keeps rolling until you hit $100.
There are currently two payment methods: Western Union and bank wire transfer. Bank wire is recommended. Ask your own bank for the SWIFT BIC and other details, and the money lands directly in your account.
An Anti-Fraud Warning
Some final advice for webmasters who’ve passed AdSense review: don’t click your own ads! Don’t have people around you click them for you! Don’t ask people in group chats to click them for you! Do not doubt Google’s analytic capability. I work in software development myself, and Google can analyze ad performance through cookies, IP addresses, traffic sources, and much more to find invalid and fraudulent traffic. If it’s serious, they may permanently ban your AdSense account.
People near you may share the same WiFi or network exit, which means the same IP address — Google may decide you’re cheating.
When you post to a group and ask others to click, there’s a sudden burst of direct traffic with a very high click rate in that window, which can also be flagged as cheating or invalid traffic. Do not doubt the world’s number one search engine’s technical ability.
Finally: cherish your AdSense account, focus on running good content, and don’t take crooked shortcuts.