Managing AdSense - Site Kit by Google

Site Kit allows you to analyze the monetization performance of your site directly within the dashboard. Site Kit gathers and displays data from your AdSense account within the dashboard along with a link to the AdSense platform, where you can view more detailed information.

If Site Kit determines that your site has earning potential via ad placement with AdSense, you will see the AdSense earning potential notice on the Site Kit dashboard. To start earning with AdSense on your site, click on the Get Started button and follow the setup steps below.

Choosing the Maybe later option will close the banner. You can choose to create an AdSense account after closing the banner by going to Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services > Set up AdSense.

The notice displayed when your site has been identified as high potential for earnings — AdSense earning potential notice

Setup

To set up AdSense via Site Kit, go to Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services > AdSense > Set up AdSense.

The Connect More Services tab on the Site Kit settings page

You can also set up AdSense on the Site Kit dashboard at Site Kit > Dashboard if your dashboard has a Monetization section. Note that this section will be hidden if you previously selected “Maybe later” on the dashboard prompt to set up AdSense.

The connect AdSense block in the monetization section of the dashboard

AdSense accounts vs. sites

An AdSense account is required to use the AdSense platform and is where you can manage your overall account settings. An AdSense account must be associated with your Google account. AdSense policies only allow one account per publisher.
An AdSense site refers to a website where you wish to serve AdSense ads. Multiple sites can be added to an account.

Choosing your account

At the beginning of the AdSense setup process, you will be prompted to grant Site Kit permission to your AdSense data. As part of that process, you will need to use the same Google account that you previously used when setting up Site Kit. You can only use one Google account per WordPress account on a site. If you use a different Google account for managing your AdSense account, you need to first disconnect your current Google account from Site Kit and then reconnect using that account. After selecting your Google account, the plugin will connect with your associated AdSense account. If you do not yet have an AdSense account set up with the Google account you are connected to Site Kit with, you will see the “Create your AdSense account” message. To create an account, click on the Create AdSense Account button to go to the AdSense platform and create a new account.

Let Site Kit place AdSense code on your site

When setting up the AdSense module, you may be asked if you would like Site Kit to insert AdSense code on your site. This will only display if you already have an existing AdSense code snippet on your site that wasn’t placed using Site Kit – for example, it was placed manually or through another WordPress plugin.

If you do allow Site Kit to insert the AdSense code snippet, the plugin will place an auto ads code snippet on your site. This allows the AdSense network to scan and automatically place ads where they’re likely to perform well, potentially generating more ad revenue. Please note that if you do allow Site Kit to place the AdSense code snippet, it is recommended to remove any other existing AdSense snippets code on your site. If you don’t remove any existing AdSense code you may run into errors due to duplicate codes.

If you don’t allow Site Kit to insert ad code on your site, you can still use the Site Kit dashboard to view data on your site’s ad performance. This means that you will need to rely on an existing AdSense code on your site. To ensure ads are served and you can view AdSense data on your Site Kit dashboard, you will need to have placed this code correctly. Site Kit will still place AdSense <meta> tags on your site if you do not allow it to insert ad code on your site. This is explained further here.

Setup messages

As of version 1.77.0, AdSense setup improvements in Site Kit will provide details and next steps as part of the AdSense setup process. Each possible message is outlined below.

Looks like you need to upgrade your AdSense account

This message displays when your AdSense account is not signed up for the “AdSense for content” program. To use AdSense, you will need to upgrade your AdSense account by clicking on the Apply Now button. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to sign up.

Add this site to your AdSense account

This message displays if your site has not been added to your AdSense account. You can add the site to your AdSense account by clicking the Add site to AdSense button. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to add the site.

Your account/site isn’t ready to show ads yet

This message displays if you still have some setup tasks to complete on your AdSense account or site. You can review and complete these tasks by clicking the Review AdSense Account or Review Site In AdSense buttons, as appropriate. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to review the site.

Your site requires a review

This message displays when your site has not yet been approved to display ads by the AdSense team. Clicking on the Request Review in AdSense will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to request a review.

Your site is getting ready

This message displays when your AdSense account is waiting to be reviewed. There is no further action required at this point and you will need to wait until the AdSense team provides an update. This usually takes a few days but can take up to a few weeks. Clicking the Review Site in AdSense button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you can check the status at any time.

Enable auto ads for your site

This message displays when your AdSense account and site are ready but you haven’t enabled auto ads, which is required in order for Site Kit to use AdSense to insert ads on your site. Click on the Enable Auto Ads button to enable this setting. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to enable auto ads.

Enable auto ads for your site message with existing AdSense code

The “Site Kit recommends enabling auto ads” variant of this message displays when Site Kit has detected existing AdSense code placed on your site and you have not enabled auto ads. Click the Enable Auto Ads button to enable this setting. As the message notes, if your AdSense setup relies on individual ad units as opposed to auto ads, you can choose to proceed without enabling auto ads. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to enable auto ads.

You should only proceed without auto ads if you have already manually added ad units to your site, as ads units cannot be manually added using Site Kit.

Your AdSense account is ready to connect to Site Kit

Your AdSense account is ready to connect message

This message displays when you have an existing AdSense account that is fully configured and ready to go. Click the Configure AdSense button to complete the setup. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to configure AdSense.

Your site is ready to use AdSense

This message displays when you have completed setting up a new AdSense account. Click the Configure AdSense button to complete the setup. Clicking the button will direct you to the AdSense platform, where you will need to follow the provided instructions in order to configure AdSense.

Dashboard alerts

Dashboard alerts will display on the Site Kit dashboard if there are any severe alerts for the connected AdSense account. These will also be displayed at the AdSense platform level when logged into the account.

To learn more and fix the issue, select the Go to AdSense button.

Settings

AdSense settings in Site Kit can be accessed at Site Kit > Settings > Connected Services > AdSense > Edit. Note that only a small number of AdSense-related settings can be managed here within Site Kit; other AdSense settings can be managed on the AdSense platform at adsense.google.com.

Let Site Kit place AdSense code on your site

See the Let Site Kit place AdSense code on your site section in the Setup section above for more details.

Exclude from Ads

The Exclude from Ads options allow you to choose to hide ads from certain subsets of users who visit your site. There are two options available:

All logged-in users – This option is toggled on by default and ensures that only non-logged-in visitors to your site will be served ads.
Users who can write posts – This option becomes available if you disable the All logged-in users toggle. Toggling this option on excludes ads specifically for users who can write posts. With this setting, particular roles, such as subscribers, can be served ads, while other roles such as editors can be excluded.

Additional configuration

Additional AdSense configuration can be managed in the AdSense platform, where the following settings can be adjusted if you’ve allowed Site Kit to insert your AdSense code snippet:

AdSense and AMP

If you’re using AMP, Site Kit will insert auto ads for AMP code automatically on your AMP URLs as long as you’ve allowed the plugin to insert the AdSense code snippet on your site. There is no need to manually insert any AMP-specific ad code manually. We recommended using the official AMP plugin if you are using AMP on your WordPress site.

Verifying that Site Kit has added the AdSense code snippet to your site

As part of the setup for AdSense, Site Kit will place the necessary AdSense code snippet on your site. If you have already manually placed the AdSense code snippet on your site, you will be given the option to allow Site Kit to place the code snippet. This is explained in more detail in the Let Site Kit place AdSense code on your site section of the Managing AdSense guide. To check that Site Kit has successfully placed the AdSense code snippet on your site:

Log into your site with your admin account
From the admin menu, go to Tools > Site Health
Select the Info tab at the top of the page

Open the Site Kit by Google section
Find the heading AdSense snippet placed, which will show yes or no

AdSense snippet placed section in Site Health

“Yes” means that Site Kit has successfully placed the AdSense code snippet. However, ads may not yet display on your site because additional action is required. For more information on next steps, see the Setup messages section of the Managing AdSense guide.

“No” means that Site Kit did not place the AdSense code snippet on your site. Check out our AdSense Troubleshooting guide for troubleshooting steps. If you need further assistance, please open a support topic on our WordPress.org support forum.

You can also verify that Site Kit has placed your AdSense code by following this guide.

Checking your AdSense account and site statuses

The AdSense module connection in Site Kit won’t appear as completed until both your AdSense account and site statuses are set as ‘ready’. To check your AdSense account and site status:

Log into your site with your WordPress administrator account
From the admin menu, go to Tools > Site Health
Select the Info tab at the top of the page
Open the Site Kit by Google drop down
Scroll to the AdSense account status and AdSense site status fields

To check your account and site status in more detail, you can go to your AdSense account. Instructions on checking your account and site status from your AdSense account can be found here.

Ad Blocking Recovery

Ad Blocking Recovery is a mechanism provided by AdSense that allows publishers to display a message to their site visitors who are using an ad blocker, encouraging them to disable it for their site. For more information on this and how to set it up, visit our Ad Blocking Recovery guide.

AdSense FAQs

How long does it take for my AdSense account to be reviewed?

It can take a day up to a few weeks for your account to be reviewed. Your site status will appear as “Getting ready” until that time, and the AdSense module within Site Kit will not be fully connected.

You will receive an email notification from the AdSense team to let you know if your account has been approved. If it was not approved, you can make changes to your site before applying once more. You’ll find more information on this here.

Why is Site Kit suggesting I complete the AdSense module set up?

If your AdSense account and site is not yet approved for ads, the module won’t be fully connected. If you visit your Site Kit settings, the suggestion to complete module setup appears. You can configure AdSense here once your account and site has been approved. You won’t be able to fully complete AdSense setup until your site is approved by the AdSense team.

How do I know that Site Kit has placed AdSense code on my site?

See this guide for assistance with verifying that Site Kit has placed AdSense code on your site.

My site wasn’t approved. What can I do?

If your site was not approved, you can make modifications to your site before applying once more. You’ll find more information on this here.

I’m seeing a permissions error on the Site Kit dashboard. What does this mean?

If you’re encountering permissions errors on the Site Kit dashboard, see this guide for further information.

My site is approved, but I’m not seeing any ads.

There are a number of reasons why ads may not appear, even if your site is approved for ads. This can include modifications of the AdSense code snippet by third party plugins, a change in your site status, cookie or consent type features on your site blocking ads, Site Kit configurations that show ads only to non-logged in users or ad blockers.

We’re happy to assist you in reviewing possible issues with a Site Kit placed AdSense code snippet. If you do need assistance, open a support topic on our WordPress.org support forum. Note that we are limited to Site Kit-related queries regarding AdSense.

Some ads are blocking my content. What can I do?

If ads are overlapping your content, this may be related to your theme or your site formatting. Should this occur, you have a few options:

Check if the same occurs with a different theme. If not, reach out to your theme provider or change themes.
Preview Auto ads settings on your site, and remove ads from areas you don’t want ads to display.
Change the ad formats that appear on your site, to remove anchor ads or particular formats that may be overlapping your content.
Change the Ad Load for your site. This may reduce the likelihood of overlapping ads, but it won’t necessarily remove them.
Exclude specific pages on your site from showing Auto ads if this is occurring for particular pages.