[WordPress Blog Setup Series ⑧] Waiting for Review and Starting Monetization After Approval
Through Part 7, we’ve covered buying a domain, connecting hosting, installing WordPress, writing content, applying for AdSense, and verifying ownership. This final part covers what to do while waiting for review, and how to actually start monetizing once approved.
How Long Does Review Take?
AdSense review time varies depending on content quality and site completeness.
- It can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
- Since the exact review criteria aren’t publicly disclosed, the time it takes can vary a lot from site to site.
What to Do While Waiting for Review
Rather than just waiting idly after applying, it’s better to keep managing your site actively:
- Keep publishing new posts: A site that keeps adding content even during review can leave a better impression.
- Check overall site completeness: Make sure there are no broken links, empty pages, or unfinished menus.
- Prepare basic pages like a Privacy Policy: It’s generally recommended for ad-displaying sites to have pages like this in place.
Checking Review Results
- Review results are usually communicated via email or a notification in the AdSense dashboard.
- If rejected, the reason (insufficient content, policy violation, etc.) is usually included, so you can use that to make improvements before reapplying.
After Approval: Starting to Actually Display Ads
Once you’ve received approval notice, it’s time for actual monetization.
- Create an Ad Unit in the AdSense dashboard
- Insert the generated ad code into your WordPress site (via a plugin or widget/block insertion)
- Set the ad placement and format (display ads, auto ads, etc.)
- Confirm the ads are actually showing up on your site
Things to Keep in Mind Even After Approval
- Keep following policy: Encouraging clicks, clicking your own ads, and similar behavior can result in account suspension, so be careful.
- Keep publishing content: Since revenue grows with traffic, continuing to write consistently even after approval matters a lot.
- Integrate analytics: Checking visitor stats to see which posts drive traffic helps shape your future content strategy.
- Manage domain/hosting renewals: If you’ve turned off auto-renewal, make sure to mark the expiration date on your calendar in advance. If your domain expires, all the AdSense approval and traffic you’ve built up could become meaningless in an instant.
The Whole Journey at a Glance
Here’s the full flow from Part 1 through Part 8, summarized:
- Domain Purchase and Email Verification — choosing a registrar, purchasing, ICANN email verification
- Connecting Hosting and Domain — signing up for hosting, checking nameservers, setting Custom DNS, waiting for propagation
- Initial Security Setup and Skipping Wizards — setting a PIN, skipping the AI Site Creator, confirming WordPress installation
- Entering the WordPress Admin Dashboard — accessing
/wp-admin/directly, checking initial settings - Writing Content — at least 10–20 posts, 500+ characters each, organized categories
- Applying for Google AdSense — registering your site, understanding the initial screen
- Verifying Site Ownership — HTML code insertion or DNS TXT record method
- Waiting for Review and Monetizing After Approval — managing the review process, creating ad units, ongoing operation
Wrapping Up the Series
Thank you for following along on this whole journey, starting from Part 1’s domain purchase all the way through Part 8’s AdSense approval and start of monetization. It may seem complicated at first, but by following this order step by step, anyone — even without any coding knowledge — can own an independent WordPress blog and take on AdSense monetization.
Best of luck to everyone who’s taken this first step toward running a successful blog and building solid revenue!
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