Common AdSense Rejection Reasons and How to Fix Them

Why Google Rejected Your AdSense Application

Getting rejected by Google AdSense is discouraging, but it is also extremely common. Most successful AdSense publishers were rejected at least once before gaining approval. The key is understanding exactly what Google's rejection notices mean, because the generic language they use often obscures the specific issues you need to fix.

Google sends rejection emails with standardized reason codes that cover broad categories of issues. These categories are intentionally vague to prevent publishers from gaming the system, but years of publisher experience have decoded what each rejection reason typically indicates and what fixes resolve them. This guide covers every common rejection reason with actionable steps to address each one.

Rejection Reason: Low-Value Content

This is the most common rejection reason and also the most frustrating because it feels subjective. Google defines low-value content as pages that do not provide enough unique value to justify showing ads. In practice, this rejection targets several specific content patterns.

Thin content means your articles are too short or superficial. Articles under 500 words rarely provide enough depth to satisfy Google's quality standards. Even if you have dozens of published posts, if most are 300 to 400 word summaries, Google considers your site low-value. The fix is to expand your articles to at least 800 to 1,500 words each, adding genuine depth, examples, and actionable advice.

Scraped or copied content triggers an immediate rejection. Even if you rewrite content from other sources, Google's algorithms can detect paraphrased versions of existing articles. Run your content through Copyscape or a similar plagiarism checker to identify any passages that closely mirror existing web content. Every article must offer a unique perspective, original research, or personal experience that cannot be found elsewhere.

Auto-generated content is increasingly common with AI writing tools and is a frequent cause of rejection. Google can detect content that lacks genuine expertise or reads like machine-generated text. If you use AI tools to assist your writing, ensure you add substantial personal insights, original examples, and expert commentary that transforms the output into genuinely valuable content.

Aggregated content refers to sites that compile information from multiple sources without adding original analysis. News aggregator sites, quote collection pages, and curated link directories often receive this rejection. Google wants original content creation, not content curation.

How to fix low-value content: Audit every article on your site. Delete or consolidate any posts under 600 words. Rewrite articles to include personal experience, original examples, step-by-step instructions, or unique data. Aim for a minimum of 20 substantial articles of 1,000 or more words before reapplying. Each article should answer a specific question or solve a specific problem that your target audience has.

Rejection Reason: Site Does Not Comply With Google Policies

Policy violations cover a wide range of content and behavior issues. Google maintains strict policies about what types of content can host AdSense ads, and violations in any of these areas result in rejection.

Prohibited content includes adult material, violence, hate speech, illegal activities, drug-related content, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, and gambling. If any pages on your site contain content in these categories, remove them entirely before reapplying. Even a single page with prohibited content can result in a site-wide rejection.

Copyrighted material is another policy violation. Hosting copyrighted images, videos, music, or text without proper licensing triggers rejection. Review every image on your site to ensure you have the right to use it. Replace any images sourced from Google Image Search or social media with properly licensed stock photos, Creative Commons images with correct attribution, or original photography.

Deceptive practices include misleading headlines, fake download buttons, disguised ads, and content that misrepresents your identity or expertise. If your site has any elements designed to trick users into clicking or engaging, remove them. Google prioritizes user trust and penalizes any behavior that undermines it.

How to fix policy violations: Read the complete Google Publisher Policies document and audit your site against every requirement. Check all pages, including archives, tag pages, and category pages that you may have forgotten about. Remove any content that falls into prohibited categories. Replace all images with properly licensed alternatives. Ensure your site does not contain any deceptive elements.

Rejection Reason: Navigation Issues

Navigation issues indicate that Google's reviewers had difficulty using your site. This rejection targets structural and usability problems that make it hard for visitors to find content and navigate between pages.

Poor menu structure is the most common navigation issue. Your main navigation should clearly organize your content into logical categories that visitors can understand at a glance. Drop-down menus should be concise and functional. Every important page should be reachable within two to three clicks from the homepage.

Broken links create dead ends that frustrate both users and Google's reviewers. Run a full site crawl using a tool like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or the free Broken Link Checker to identify and fix every broken internal and external link on your site. Pay special attention to links in older articles that may point to pages you have since deleted or restructured.

Missing essential pages trigger navigation rejections. Your site must have an About page, a Contact page with a working contact form or email address, and a Privacy Policy. These pages signal legitimacy and provide visitors with the information they need to trust your site. A Terms of Service page is also recommended though not strictly required.

Poor mobile experience falls under navigation issues because Google uses mobile-first evaluation. If your site is difficult to navigate on a phone, with tiny tap targets, overlapping elements, or horizontal scrolling, expect a rejection. Test your site on multiple mobile devices and screen sizes. Ensure buttons and links are large enough to tap accurately, text is readable without zooming, and the layout adapts properly to narrow screens.

How to fix navigation issues: Simplify your main menu to include clear category pages. Add breadcrumbs for easy navigation within content hierarchies. Fix all broken links. Create any missing essential pages. Test your entire site on mobile devices and fix any usability issues. Ensure your site has a logical URL structure that matches your navigation hierarchy.

Rejection Reason: Insufficient Content

Insufficient content differs from low-value content. While low-value means your content lacks quality, insufficient content means there simply is not enough of it. Google wants to see a substantial body of work that demonstrates commitment to ongoing content creation.

Too few articles is the primary cause. Sites with fewer than 10 published articles are almost always rejected for insufficient content. The commonly recommended minimum is 15 to 25 articles, but more is better. Each article should be a complete, standalone piece that provides value to readers.

Empty or placeholder pages count against you. If you have category pages, tag pages, or sections of your site that display no content or show placeholder text, these create a negative impression. Either populate these pages with real content or remove them from your site and navigation entirely.

New domains with limited publishing history sometimes receive this rejection even with adequate content. Google may want to see several months of consistent publishing activity before approving a site. If you launched your site recently, wait at least two to three months while continuing to publish regularly before applying.

How to fix insufficient content: Publish consistently until you have at least 20 to 25 substantial articles. Cover your niche comprehensively, showing breadth across multiple subtopics. Remove any empty pages, unused categories, or placeholder content. Maintain a regular publishing schedule that demonstrates ongoing commitment to your site.

Rejection Reason: Traffic Issues

While AdSense does not have a stated minimum traffic requirement, extremely low traffic can contribute to rejection. Google may flag sites that show no evidence of an actual audience, particularly if the site appears to exist solely for the purpose of hosting ads.

Zero or negligible traffic suggests your site has not established itself as a genuine resource. Focus on building organic traffic through SEO optimization, social media promotion, and content marketing. Even a few hundred monthly visitors from organic search demonstrates that people are finding and engaging with your content.

Suspicious traffic sources raise red flags. Traffic from bots, click farms, traffic exchanges, or paid traffic services can result in rejection even if the numbers look healthy. Google analyzes traffic patterns and can identify artificial traffic inflation. Stick to organic growth strategies and legitimate promotion.

How to fix traffic issues: Focus on SEO fundamentals for three to six months before reapplying. Target long-tail keywords with manageable competition. Promote your content through social media and relevant online communities. Build backlinks through guest posting and genuine outreach. Aim for at least 500 to 1,000 monthly organic visitors before reapplying.

The Reapplication Process

After addressing the issues that caused your rejection, you can reapply to AdSense. There is no official waiting period between applications, but rushing to reapply without making meaningful changes is counterproductive. Google's reviewers can see your previous application history, and repeated applications with the same issues suggest you are not taking the feedback seriously.

Wait at least two to four weeks between applications. Use that time to implement the fixes described above, publish additional content, and verify that every issue has been thoroughly addressed. Document the changes you have made so you can reference them if needed.

Before reapplying, run a complete audit of your site. Check every page for content quality, policy compliance, broken links, and mobile usability. Test your site speed and fix any performance issues. Verify that your essential pages are present and complete. Review your traffic sources and ensure they are legitimate.

Preventing Future Rejections

Once you understand what Google looks for, preventing future rejections becomes straightforward. Maintain a publishing schedule that adds at least two to four new quality articles per month. Monitor your site for broken links and fix them promptly. Keep your privacy policy and other essential pages updated. Review Google's publisher policies periodically for changes.

Use tools like AdGateScore to audit your site against ad network requirements before applying. Identifying and fixing issues proactively is far more efficient than the apply-reject-fix-reapply cycle that many publishers endure. A thorough self-audit before your first application dramatically increases your chances of approval on the first attempt.

If you have been rejected multiple times despite addressing every identifiable issue, consider starting with an alternative network like Ezoic or Infolinks that has less stringent requirements. Building a track record with another network demonstrates monetization readiness and can strengthen a future AdSense application. Many publishers find that they ultimately earn more with networks other than AdSense anyway, making the rejection a blessing in disguise.