Is It Compulsory to Buy Domain For AdSense Approval?

TLD for Adsense

A student of mine just called to know if he must register a domain before he could apply for Adsense or get approval.

He was skeptical that this might be a very important factor in determining if he would be able to get Adsense approval. 

Of course, if you've read a series of complaints by people being rejected by the Adsense team, you should be afraid too, going out the first time.

But the question here is, "is top-level domain (e.g. .com. .net, .info, .biz etc) a-must in order to convince Google for its approval for Adsense?

This post will be answering this question and related ones.

You will be surprised at the end, as this piece will approach things from a modern perception.

Google Never Listed Top-Level Domain as an Eligibility Requirement for Adsense

Before you can apply for Google Adsense, the big G has its rules we can summarize as eligibility requirements.

Broadly, it categorizes what a blog must meet up into three headings.

1. Writing Unique and Interesting Content
2. Compliance with Adsense Policies
3. Meeting the age Requirement of 18

This piece is not an avenue to discuss these broad headings. If you just take a moment to glance through, you should get the idea.

But in brief, Google will definitely approve your Adsense application if you're an 18-year-old publisher who had dedicated time to write unique and quality content while taking Adsense policies into consideration.

With this, there is probably nothing to add, to justify the fact that you don't need to buy or register a domain before you can apply for the program and be approved. After all, the company never says it needs your dot com before stamping your application. 

But there is more to this. Kindly read to the end.

Several Blogs With .blogspot.com Extensions have Adsense Approved

According to Matt Stephens (a blogging specialist), there was no need to register a domain if you intended to apply for Adsense. However, the author advised you should use one if you can afford it before applying but never a criterium.

To still buttress the position that Google is not that interested in a top-level domain (TLD) to give you the approval, I'd come across several blogs with .blogspot.com (which is, of course, a free domain), yet, approved for Adsense.

For example, below is a list of free-domain blogs approved for Adsense. Check for your own perusal.

1. www.10wontips.blogspot.com
2. www.jacqsbloggertips.blogspot.com
3. www.jumiaafrica.blogspot.com

It's actually wise to question when were these approvals given. Since policies could change with time, these blogs might have, of course, been approved by Google long before they allegedly suspended the acceptance of free domains.

With my findings, these blogs were old indeed. However, if Google had not updated its policies for not accepting free domains, why should we condemn this approval because the blogs were old?

However, I've noticed that Google might be choosy about the free domain they would accept into Adsense. 

After several tries and an in-depth search, I could not find a single .wordpress.com blog that was approved for Adsense. Please share in the comment section if you have one.

With this, we can conclude that Google might still be giving approvals to free-domain blogs that were created and hosted on blogger.com. Don't forget that they own the blogger.com platform for blogging and the .blospot.com free-domain service.

Hence, if you're on WordPress, you may be out of luck going for Adsense while still being hosted for free.

Industry Experts Recommend Registered Domains Notwithstanding

Although all findings might have supported your choice of going for a free domain before applying for Google Adsense, especially if you're on .blogspot.com, this position doesn't imply that we have to jettison several other suggestions by the industry leaders who had written in conflict with that.

Let me start with this.

I've been a blogger for more than a decade now. My experience has shown that even though Google might not directly condemn or reject certain actions, that didn't mean if done, Big G will take it without questions.

Google may prefer to give you Adsense approval with a free domain if you'd truly written hundreds of unique, quality, and attractive posts before your submission while a rejection notice is sent to another blogger with a registered domain (TLD) with poor content.

The question remains, is your content truly the best or one of the best?

Let me burst your brain further.

I'd observed that Google may in most cases reject your Adsense application with a free domain if they suspect your approach to writing or blogging won't sustain your endurance in the network.

A few bloggers may want to remain with free domains because they're not convinced they can keep writing into the future.

And here is the question. Why would Google approve your Adsense if you won't keep publishing? They want more content to make more money and serve their clients continually.

So far, I'd been talking based on my personal experience. Yet, if you check the positions of a few other experts, you will see us taking a similar path.

According to Piyush Raj,

You have to purchase a top-level domain like .com, .in, .org, if you 're still on free-domains like .xyz, .mobile, .mz etc. Otherwise, you're not eligible for AdSense. However, with extensions such as http://xxyz.blogspot.com, you're more eligible even though it may take a few months before the approval.

Obviously, the author's position aligned with my findings that I could not find any .wordpress.com blog with Adsense. Yet, there are a few out there with .blogspot.com running Adsense.

The above position was equally supported by another known expert, Asad Ullah.

Asad was blunt to list buying a domain as the number 1 recommendation for Google Adsense approval. Although, this is not a general concession. 

He might have equally committed to mind that a majority of applicants might be using other free domains than .blogspot.com

Conclusion

With available resources, you may still be confused about your question. However, the most important thing to Google, and which must be accepted as important to you, if you truly want the Adsense program, is writing top-notch content and never giving priority to the registration of the top-level domain (especially if you're on .blospot.com) in pursuit of its approval.

And if I may kick you in the ass, I will say if you have nothing to hide, are ready to work, and truly want to make money, why won't you spend just $10 to register your domain before submitting your Adsense application?

Where there are a million reasons you might not be approved for something, it's easier to mistake what is not, as your own reason for the disapproval.

Save yourself the headache, and spend a few dollars to make more dollars.

Best wishes.