More AdSense Questions With Answers

Every now and then we get a spate of questions in the AdSense forum that are basically the same question (or very similar) multiple times. Some of recent questions we've noticed appear to be increasing in numbers, and while many have already been answered before some of them are worth a second look, so without further discussion, onto the questions.


Do I have to create a new ad unit for each article or page?

No, you can use the same ad unit code on each article if you don't want to use different colours or sizes. AdSense ads are targeted to the content of your article, so even if you write about different subjects in each article, the same ad unit code will show different ads on different pages.

If you want to track the performance of the ad unit on each page, you can create a Custom channel or a URL channel for each page.

Can I get my PIN sent by courier, SMS, or email?

No, that it isn't possible. The PIN is sent by regular postal services. The reason for that is because AdSense needs to verify your physical address - in other words, they want to be sure you live at the address/country that you've given in your AdSense account.

If you aren't able to receive your PIN in three tries, Adsense will make alternate arrangements with you (through a notice in your Adsense account) to verify your address that don't invovle mailing another PIN.

Does AdSense partner with PTC (Pay-to-Click) Sites?

That's a big NO.

Any site related to pay-to-click advertising or "jobs" that require you to click on AdSense ads is absolutely outside of anything related to AdSense, and AdSense  will not partner with them in any way, and any AdSense publisher who uses such a site  (ie: PTC advertising) would soon find their own AdSense accounts disabled.

Not only is advertising your monetized sites on a PTC-type site against Adsense policy, AdSense considers PTC sites to be defrauding AdWords advertisers. AdSense policy is very clear, and it can be found here:

Prohibited Content

What's the policy?

The term "pay-to" refers to sites that promise payment or incentives to users who click on ads, surf the web, read emails, or perform other similar tasks. Placing Google ads on such pages may result in invalid impressions or clicks and is therefore prohibited. Similarly, sites which primarily drive traffic to or discuss pay-to services are not permitted to show ads.

AdWords advertisers pay Google to display their ads in order for them to get some value from their ads - they are looking to advertise and sell their products, or to find new leads for their companies. They are not looking for someone to just click their ad because they've been paid to do so.

From the Adsense Help Center - Prohibited Content

Adsense ad clicks from PTC sources would be considered invalid and the publisher will not get paid for them because the advertiser will not pay for them.

If you use AdSense on your sites, then stay away from sites of this nature, and do not be taken in by any who say they have a contract or partnership with AdSense. This is a big fat lie, and the only thing a site like this will do for you is get your AdSense account disabled.


How long does the second stage of AdSense approvals take? Why is my approval taking so long?

The second stage of the Adsense approvals process can take anywhere from four business days to a week or two - usually not longer than that. (Business days exclude weekends and US holidays)

The final approval stage begins when you place the required ad code on your website. Once you have placed the code correctly, the final approval (second stage) process begins.

Note that if you applied through a YouTube channel for approval, placing the code is not required.

If you haven't had an approval email after a couple of weeks at most, you should check the status of your application using this form: Check Application Status


Adserving was disabled to my site and I don't know why.

Adsense emails generally give a rather generic reason in these sort of notices. It is up to the publisher to read through any reference links AdSense has included in the email to see if any of the policies have been violated.

Because AdSense publishers come from around the globe, some things which might be considered okay from a "legal" standpoint in their country may not necessarily be considered "okay" by AdSense Policies, sometimes making it more difficult for publishers to understand what the violation is.

The answers generally lay in the AdSense help center, which is why AdSense includes those links in many of the emails. If you are unable to determine the reason, you can ask for help in the Group Support forum.


Why is my new tech site rejected?

Ahhh. This is one question that has become more and more frequent. And one of the harder to ones to answer.

Not wanting to offend anyone here, but the easiest answer is that tech sites are "a dime a dozen" - and that's partly beause in some countries, new technology is often a hot topic.

The problem itself doesn't lie in the fact that it's a site related to technology, the problem seems to be that for the most part, tech sites aren't all that original. While a publisher might write large parts of their own articles, they tend use images from the web or from the company's website, and they repost standard technical details taken from the manufacturer's website. These aren't considered original contents. Then there is the fact that almost every tech site will be covering the same product, and usually in the same way.

Because AdSense is looking for sites that add some sort of new value to the internet, more tech sites with similar contents aren't of that much interest to AdSense right now. Most of these new sites don't add anything new to the world of tech-blogs because their subject matter has been covered "ad nauseum" by hundreds or thousands of similar sites.

To get a tech blog approved, it would have to be spectactularly different and unique - in it's presentation, and in the way it covers new technology. The same tired articles and reviews aren't going to cut it for AdSense at this point in time.


Is there a human to contact at Adsense?

Well, there are in fact many humans that work at Google, including the AdSense product staff but for the most part, there is little direct contact between staff and publisher without going through some troubleshooting.

Many of the troubleshooter's have direct contact forms if the troubleshooter doesn't resolve your issues. Asking for help in the forum can also get you contact with a staff member when the situation warrants it, but even in cases where issues are escalated you may not always get direct contact with the staff if the issue can be corrected without any interraction.

This page in the Adsense help center contains troubleshooting links, and contact links for publishers:

Troubleshooters and Contacting AdSense

This isn't necessarily because they don't want to offer support, but because they receive thousands of requests daily, and the AdSense staff are limited in numbers. They also don't just handle escalated forum complaints - these are only a small part of the job they do so while it may seem to some they aren't doing enough, their responsibilities are much more than just dealing with publisher complaints.

And no, there is no telephone support for publishers. We often see questions that ask if there is an Adsense telephone number. I'm sure there is, but it isn't one that a publisher would ever get an answer at. All calls to Google are routed through very well trained receiptionists - polite, but tough as nails. You won't get past them, even if you do have a phone number to use.

There is an Advertisement on my site that interests me can i click it?

Absolutely NOT.

AdSense publishers may not click on any AdSense ads on their own websites. That is one of the first things you are told when signing up for AdSense. Please be sure you read and follow the instructions.

Program Policies - Beginner's

Don't click on your own Google ads.
If you'd like more information about one of the advertisers appearing on your site, please type the URL of the ad directly into your browser's address bar.

AdSense policies forbid publishers and family members or friends living in the same household from clicking ads on your site(s), so make sure that this does not happen.

If you truly are interested in the product or website listed on an ad on your own site, note the URL given on the face of the ad and visit the advertiser's site that way, not by clicking on your own ads.


Will I be approved?

Even if the forum volunteers review your website, none of us can say for sure if your site would be approved or not. That's something which is entirely up to AdSense.

Some of the reasons a site may not be approved are:

• duplicate contents (you've posted your articles on more than one site)
• copied/scraped contents (you've copied contents from other places)
• copyright infringements (using images with no authorization or license, linking to or hosting copyright infringing contents like free online movie sites or free music sites)
• hosting or linking to contents that contain hacked/cracked/pirated/warez downloads or similar offerings.
• not having enough content (one or two posts/pages isn't enough, you need about six months worth of your own original work to qualify)
• you've had a previously disabled AdSense account (which means you can't have another account at all)
• you are under 18 (publishers must be 18 or over to qualify)
• your site is written in a language AdSense doesn't support
• you have an aggregator site
• your site is only a search bar

There are many other reasons, but those above are the ones we see most frequently. If your site contains or is similar to any of those mentioned, we can tell you that you probably won't get approved, but none of us have an actual say in what gets approved and what doesn't.

Only AdSense has the final say.