Let’s walk through the full process, step by step—so you can go from setup to steady earnings with no guesswork.
We’ll cover everything from getting your site approved for AdSense to receiving your first payout once you cross the $100 payment threshold.
That’s when the first real deposit shows up in your bank account.
5 Steps to Add AdSense to Your Website or Blog
We’ll use a WordPress site as the example workflow.
If you’re on another website builder, the process is very similar.
Step 1: Verify Website Ownership
Start by connecting your site to AdSense and proving you own the domain.
If you haven’t yet, create your Google AdSense account.
You can register before your site is live, but we’ll assume you already have a site ready to monetize.
Fill out the form, accept the terms, and double-check your domain entry for accuracy.
Click Submit.
Google will then prompt you to verify your site ownership.
You’ll get a few verification options. Each one involves adding a small code snippet or text value to your site’s source code.
Copy the AdSense code snippet, ads.txt entry, or meta tag and add it to your site exactly as instructed.
We used the AdSense code snippet for WordPress. Google recommends placing it:
- Between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags
- On every page of your site
Where do you find the head section?
It varies by theme, but it’s usually straightforward. In your WordPress dashboard, check:
- Theme Settings > Header Settings
- Appearance > Theme File Editor > header.php
- Appearance > Widgets > Header section
If you still can’t locate it, search: “header settings + [your WordPress theme]” for exact instructions.
We used the Widgets method (common and reliable). Here’s how:
With the AdSense code copied, open your WordPress admin dashboard.
Go to Appearance > Widgets and find the Custom HTML widget.
Add a Custom HTML block to the Header widget area.
Paste your AdSense code snippet into that block:
Click Update to save.
This inserts the snippet between the <HEAD> tags across your entire site—exactly what AdSense requires.
Return to your AdSense dashboard and click Verify after the code is live.
You’re done with verification.
Google can now crawl your site to confirm eligibility.
What if my site has password-protected pages?
Google’s crawlers can’t access those pages, which can delay approval.
Use this guide to allow crawler access: Grant AdSense crawler access to login-protected content.
Can I use a plugin to add AdSense?
Yes—many beginners prefer that route.
Google and partners provide plugins in the AdSense Starter Kit for WordPress.
I avoid extra plugins unless they’re truly necessary.
If you just need to paste a few lines of code into your header, do it manually—it’s quick and avoids plugin clutter.
Plugins can also create confusion with duplicate header injection areas in some themes.
Fewer plugins = faster, cleaner sites.
Step 2: Pass Eligibility Review
The review can take a couple of days to several weeks, depending on your site and traffic.
During review, Google checks whether your site meets AdSense policies and quality standards.
If you’ve built your site for real users, you’ll likely pass.
Here’s what Google looks for:
Your site should be easy to use
Keep text readable, layouts consistent, and navigation intuitive. Avoid misleading menus and broken links.
Your traffic must be legitimate
Advertisers pay for real impressions and engagement. Fake, incentivized, or bot traffic will get flagged and rejected.
Your site should have substantial original content
Google wants unique, helpful content. Thin, repetitive, or scraped pages won’t pass.
There’s no official quota, but from experience:
- Sites with 50+ solid posts tend to get approved.
- Sites with ~20 thin posts usually don’t.
Don’t chase arbitrary word counts. Publish genuinely helpful content consistently.
Answer real user questions thoroughly—length will follow.
That’s the essence.
Here are the full AdSense eligibility guidelines.
While you’re under review, check the AdSense dashboard for status updates.
“Getting ready” means Google is still checking your site.
“Ready” means you’re approved and ads can appear.
If you see “Needs attention,” read the reason, fix the issues, and resubmit.
Step 3: Update Your Website Privacy Policy
Before placing ads, update your privacy policy—or create one if you don’t have it yet.
AdSense requires a clear policy explaining data use, cookies, and personalized ads. Many regions also require consent notices.
Review Google’s privacy policy guidance, and make sure you address local laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
Do some sites get approved without a policy?
Sometimes—but enforcement keeps tightening, especially for traffic from the EU and U.S.
If you plan to serve ads in Europe, a clear policy and a consent banner are non-negotiable.
It’s easier to do it now than get rejected and reapply later.
Use our privacy policy template guide to get it done fast. Pair it with a reputable consent banner that integrates with Google’s tags.
Step 4: Create Sidebar Ads on Blog Posts
You can place AdSense almost anywhere, but sidebars are an easy, effective starting point.
AdSense can be “set it and forget it.” The goal is to show ads across as many pages as makes sense—without micromanaging placements.
That’s why we like display ads in blog post sidebars. It’s simple, scalable, and doesn’t interrupt reading.
Most WordPress themes include a sidebar area. If yours doesn’t, you can usually enable one in your theme or site builder.
Because most themes already have a sidebar widget area, you rarely need to change your design.
Add a single snippet to the sidebar widget, and every blog post will show ads automatically.
Here’s how to create a sidebar ad unit and embed it in WordPress.
In your AdSense account, go to Ads > By ad units.
Choose Display ads to create a new unit. (In-feed and in-article are great later; display is the easiest starting point.)
Next, set the size:
Use Responsive unless you know the exact sidebar width.
If you prefer fixed dimensions, choose a standard size that fits your layout.
In our example, we used a “Skyscraper” format—120px wide by 600px tall.
Stick to well-supported sizes. Google publishes data on top-performing ad formats.
Click Create.
Google generates the HTML snippet for your unit. Copy it.
Now add it to your sidebar (separate from the header code you used in Step 1):
- Open WordPress admin
- Go to Appearance > Widgets
- Add a Custom HTML block to the Sidebar widget area
- Paste the ad code into the block
- Click Save
Be sure you’re using the sidebar widget area—not the header injection from Step 1.
Ads typically begin showing within 20–30 minutes.
What if ads don’t appear?
Themes differ. You may need to use your theme’s settings instead of the Appearance menu, or clear your site/host cache.
Search for “Add sidebar ad code [your WordPress theme]” to find theme-specific steps.
Pro tip: If you want a faster start, try Auto ads in AdSense. Turn them on, and Google will automatically place ads in eligible spots (you can exclude positions you don’t want). You can still keep your manual sidebar unit.
Step 5: Set Up AdSense Payment
Once ads are live, watch the Reports tab in AdSense for your estimated earnings.
At $10 in earnings, Google asks you to verify your identity and mailing address.
When you reach the payment threshold, choose your payout method and link your bank account.
In the U.S., the payout threshold is $100. You can view the thresholds by country here.
After you hit $10, Google mails a PIN to your address—delivery usually takes a couple of weeks.
Enter the PIN in your AdSense account and finish payment setup.
Congrats—your account is fully ready to receive AdSense payments.
Can People Make A Lot Of Money With AdSense?
Yes—absolutely.
If you publish valuable content and drive substantial traffic, AdSense can be a meaningful revenue stream.
High-earning publishers typically run portfolios of content-rich sites—each built on strong keyword research and clear monetization.
Smaller or newer sites should expect modest earnings at first. Revenue grows with content volume and audience size.
Here’s a practical way to think about the math.
- AdSense performance is commonly tracked using RPM—revenue per thousand impressions (“mille” = 1,000).
- RPM varies widely. Some sites earn under $1 RPM, while focused niches with engaged traffic can reach $20, $40, or more.
- To keep it simple, let’s use a middle-of-the-road RPM of $5.
At that RPM, the numbers look like this:
- $100/month = 20,000 ad impressions @ $5 RPM
- $1,000/month = 200,000 impressions @ $5 RPM
- $10,000/month = 2,000,000 impressions @ $5 RPM
Traffic volume is the biggest lever: more traffic ? more impressions ? more revenue.
You can also lift RPM by improving ad placement, testing formats, and publishing higher-quality content that keeps readers on the page longer.
When your content is genuinely helpful, people scroll farther, visit more pages, and see more ads—boosting monetization.
At Quick Sprout, we don’t rely on AdSense for revenue—but it’s still a perfectly viable monetization channel.
If it takes a few months to earn your first $100, that’s fine. You’ll get smarter as you go, and the upside scales with your traffic.
There are countless ad impressions out there—pair steady traffic with trustworthy, useful content and you’ll earn your share.
Sites that help readers and build trust win over time.