How to get Account Approved in Adsense?

Let me make this clear. I'm not an Adsense expert, especially since I only got approved by Google Adsense 2 weeks ago (as of this writing). I won't be sharing professional tips, but I will share what I did before I got approved by Google Adsense.

Before I Got Approved in Adsense: Backstory

I have to tell you that it's not easy to get approved in Adsense, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Years ago, I thought that I only needed to write a few posts then I'd be good. But I realized, that isn't so.

I first heard about Adsense from a friend who told me that her brother earned a few hundred dollars in one year from his blog. That gave me an idea. So I sent my first Adsense application and got disapproved. I did that three more times, and each time, I got disapproved.

• Aug 2011, 1st application disapproved - Issue: Under construction
• Mar 2012, 2nd application disapproved - Issue: " it does not meet our program
  criteria"
• Oct 2012, 3rd application disapproved - Issue: Site does not comply with Google policies
• Oct 6, 2016, 4th application successfully reviewed and I need to create my first ad unit.
• Oct 8, 2016, Google reviewer changed their minds and told me my site does not meet their program criteria.
• Jan 31 2017, application got disapproved - Issue: Insufficient content
• Feb 9, 2017, application successfully reviewed
• Feb 10, 2017, my site is now connected to Adsense

So how did I get approved? I did the following thanks to the blogs that I will be linking to in each action that I did.

Tips to Get Approved?

 

There are so many blogs that tell you what to do. The problem is, I found that some of them really aren't necessary since I didn't do them. First let me list down tips that I find aren't really or are not an assurance to get approved in Adsense.

I got these tips from this blog and this blog but I never did them, yet I got approved.

1. Buy a custom domain. - Never did this.
2. Use Google apps to create a domain specific email address. - Never did this.
3. Remove Other Ad Networks. - I had Amazon affiliate ads running when I got approved by Adsense. 

What I did to Get Approved in Adsense

Here are things I did that made the difference.

1.  Added the following pages - Because apparently, though they were not explicitly listed by Adsense as requirements, they are necessary. Follow links to open helpful tips.

• Privacy Policy - Also add in this paragraph if you're an Amazon affiliate:

[Insert your name/brand] is/am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

• About Me - Just write something about yourself
• Contact Me
• Sitemap

2. Edited posts with less than 300 words - When I reapplied in January 2017,  I already had 20 blog posts but still got rejected for insufficient content. So I edited these posts and made them longer than 300 words.
3. Redesigned my blog - Since I'm not a web designer, I just used the blogger template settings, and focused on the following:

• template design
• font style and color
• template widths
• layout

4. Changed the following settings. - These settings may or may not be helpful in your application, but they could help your blog visibility in the future. Open links to know why they may be necessary or helpful for you.

• Turn on HTTPS redirect
• Enabled Custom robots.txt
• Enabled Custom robots header tags

I hope you find this blog helpful even though is not as technical as you would expect, but I've collected the helpful resources for you. ^_^

I wish you well in your Adsense application. Don't give up, just keep trying.

Top 5 Amazon Shopping Tips: How not to get scammed and waste your money

Amazon is a great shopping place, especially if you're into online shopping. And if you haven't tried shopping at Amazon, you might want to consider creating an account and start today. And if you're new at Amazon, you've come to the right place. I have a few tips for you so you avoid getting scammed by fraudulent sellers and avoid wasting money in the long run.

From my experience, there's always a risk involved with online shopping no matter where you shop, whether it's eBay, Amazon, or any online store. With online shopping, you risk:

• purchasing knock-offs instead of the genuine one,
• purchasing expired products (makeup, supplements, food, etc.)
• purchasing misrepresented products - e.g. dents and scractches are not described in a second hand phone or gadget
• having your item broken or lost in transit

All these risks apply to purchasing from Amazon as well. However, if you purchase from a legit store with a seller account in Amazon, it's very likely that they have a good customer service in place. In case the product arrives at your doorstep broken, just contact the seller and see what can be done with it.

I once bought GoPro accessories from Vanwalk, and I received it with the monopod mount missing. I contacted them hoping to only get the missing piece. However, they sent me another kit instead. That is what I call EXCELLENT customer service. This was very surprising to me because, sad to say, this is not how it normally works in the Philippines.

Anyway, here are my tips for shopping at Amazon so you avoid getting scammed and wasting your money.

Amazon Shopping Tips

1. Shop around and compare prices.

There are many registered sellers on Amazon. Even though different sellers sell the same product, you need to compare prices. Here's an example for you:

You may think that all three are sold directly by GoPro after seeing the "by GoPro" label under the description. In fact, these are sold by three different sellers. You'll notice the differences in prices. Before you decide, factor in the inclusions in the price. In the picture, the first two sellers offer the same additional items. But don't stop there. Click each seller and see what brand of batteries and memory card actually come with the product, because sometimes, they would tell you you might get a different depending on availability. And if you don't need the accessories, just go with the third seller because it only costs $293.49.

2. Don't rely on customer reviews.

In my previous blog, my #1 tip was to check seller feedback given by customers. In the case of Amazon, I would say feedback is not a foolproof way of gauging seller reliability nor of product quality or authenticity. This is because there are two types of customer feedback on Amazon: 1) those I would call "free reviews", and 2) "verified purchase" reviews.

"Free reviews" are given by people who have either tried the product but bought it from a seller outside of Amazon, or by people who were sent samples or complementary products in exchange for a review. "Verified Purchase" reviews are given by customers who have actually bought the product from that Amazon seller. I would say "Verified Purchase" reviews are more reliable than "free reviews".

These reviews are easy to identify. In the image below, you will see that the first review has "Verified Purchase" label on it, while the second one doesn't.

 

I'm not saying all unverified reviews are false, but fake reviews are definitely common in Amazon. I first learned about fake Amazon reviews when I started working as a freelancer at oDesk (now Upwork) in 2011. I saw projects looking for people to write Amazon reviews. So even before I signed up for an Amazon account a year ago, I knew that the reviews in Amazon (and perhaps in many other sites) are not reliable.

My advice, analyze the reviews. Do the star feedback score equate to the number of positive or negative feedback from verified customers? I still believe that your best indicator is the verified purchase reviews.

3. Check if the seller is legitimate and if they sell original products.

One of the ways you can do this is by balancing the information you get from customer feedback and Google. Yes, Google. Search online whether the seller has a physical store in the US. You can also check if there is a dispute that's ongoing regarding a certain product's patent, and if there is a complaint filed on Amazon regarding product infringement against sellers or a particular seller.

See the story behind Forearm Forklift on CNBC: "How Amazon counterfeits put this man's business on brink of collapse."

4. Buy directly from the original seller if they're on Amazon. 

To identify if it's the original seller, simply follow the link and look for the seller's name. Here is an example of Forearm Forklift's product page.

 

5. Not because it's on Amazon means you're getting a good deal.

Yes, there are good deals on Amazon, but before you make that purchase, go to the product's website first and see if the price is better if you buy it from their website than if you do from Amazon. For example, I once looked up Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and found that Nars sells it for only $45, while Amazon sellers sell it for more than that. The only advantage for me was that I could buy it from Amazon, whereas I can't from Nars because they don't accept Philippine-issued credit cards.


Those are my five tips for online shopping at Amazon. I hope you find this helpful. Be wise, be patient, and don't be an impulse buyer. Do your research and you will get great shopping experience at Amazon.

Don't forget to share this blog with your friends to help them make wise decisions, too. :-)

Top 5 Online Shopping Tips: How not to waste your money

I have been online shopping since 2008. I've bought a lot of stuff from makeup, to bags, to a GoPro Hero 4. I've learned a lot from my experiences as they were not all successes.

And if you're just starting out purchasing online, I have a few tips that you might want to consider before you click that Buy Now button.

There are two main sites that I use for my online purchases: Amazon and ebay.ph. I used to use OLX a lot, but since they removed the feedback system, I no longer use it as much. Back when OLX still had the feedback system, I found there were many scammer sellers in the site. And now, I just got more skeptical especially if the seller doesn't want to meet up.

And on that note, let me give you...

My Top 5 Online Buying Tips

1. Check a seller's feedback history - This tells you a lot about the seller such as:

• if they're legit sellers
• if they sell authentic products or if they're misrepresenting them (they should at least be honest if they're selling knock offs or dupes)
• how they handle returns or complaints

What if there's no feedback history? I would recommend to meet up with the seller, especially if it involves a big amount of money. Or search online and see if there are forums or blogs that discuss whether an online store is legit and see how they handle returns, complaints, etc.

2. Compare prices - The good thing about online shopping is that you can compare prices of the same product from different sellers. Most importantly, you should have a good idea how much that product costs at brick and mortar stores, so you know where you can save the most.

3. Have a PayPal account - Besides not needing to go to the bank or a payment center to send your payment, one of the advantages of paying via PayPal is their Buyer Protection program. If you had issues with your purchase, you can contest it with Paypal and you may get a refund if your payment qualifies for Purchase Protection. If you don't have a PayPal account, be more careful with your transactions if it's not a trusted seller.

4. If it's a gadget, meet up with the seller - To me, this is very important. For one, you can test out the gadget if it's in perfect or good running condition, if it's brand new and sealed or if it is as described (scratches, dents, etc.). Also, if it costs thousands, you don't risk sending your money and then receiving padlocks instead of an iPhone, or a clone instead of an original one.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to...

5. Do your research - And think before you make that purchase. If you are from the Philippines, you have to remember that unlike buying from physical stores, returning a defective or misrepresented item online is not going to be that easy. You have to contact the seller again, set a schedule to meet up or spend on shipping to return the item because most likely you have to spend on the shipping fee to return the product, or worse, they don't accept returns. So do your research. Are they selling gadgets from the brown market, is it the right color of lipstick that you want, is that product effective or does it have good reviews, is it the right item for you. 

Think it through before you click Buy Now. I hope you find these tips helpful.

Have you had a bad experience online shopping? Feel free to share your experience and tips in the comments below.