After completing your AdSense sign up, you will get a verification code containing your publisher ID. There’s a need to add that verification code to your WordPress website in order to complete your application, be reviewed and know your fate – approved or rejected.
The steps and processes involved in AdSense sign up and approval has been simplified and is a bit more hastened than before.
The application and review process can be completed in as early as within 24 hours. As it was in my own case.
To continue with this guide, you must have applied for AdSense and maybe stuck at the verification point. If you are yet to apply for an AdSense account, you can follow my beginner’s AdSense application guide to do so.
For a faster review and approval, you have to play your part by adding the code to your WordPress website immediately it is generated. In order to avoid any delay whatsoever.
So if you are among those asking questions like ‘How to add AdSense verification code to WordPress website, how to add google AdSense code to my site and how to insert Ad code in your site, then this article is for you.
Note: You can only add AdSense verification codes to wordpress.org websites and wordpress.com sites upgraded to business plans.
FREE WordPress websites cannot monetize their site with AdSense – so if you use FREE WordPress, there’s no provision for you to add your AdSense verification code.
If you are logged in to your AdSense dashboard, your verification code will be visible directly within the homepage.
Click on the ‘Copy Code’ button. Do not click on ‘Done’ just yet. First, you need to add this code to your WordPress site before you click on continue.
The purpose of adding the verification code to your site is to prove that you really own or have access to the website you are trying to create an AdSense account for.
Adding AdSense verification code to WordPress
There are many ways to go about this. But I’ll be showing you just two ways. Depending on your preference you can add your AdSense verification code or any other AdSense codes to your theme files or using a plugin.
Method 1: Add verification code to theme file
Completing your AdSense verification using this method is very easy. However, it is advisable you don’t verify your AdSense account using this method if you are the type that changes your theme regularly.
But if you stick with the same theme for a long period of time, then you can go ahead and use this method.
Step 1: In your WordPress dashboard, Hover on appearance and click on editor.
Step 2: make sure the theme you want to add your code to is selected and click on headers.php
Step 3: Add your AdSense verification code directly below your the <head> tag.
Step 4: Save changes made to theme file.
Method 2: Add verification code using Headers and Footers plugin
Step 1: Download and install insert headers and footers plugin. You can install this plugin using any of the methods for installing WordPress plugins from my previous guide.
Step 2: Under settings, click on header and footer scripts.
step 3: Add AdSense verification code to site header using the plugin
step 4: Click on ‘save settings to implement the changes made to your site header.
After successfully adding your AdSense verification code to your WordPress website using any of the two methods above, the next thing you must do is select the options to ‘show ads as soon as my account is activated’ and ‘I’ve pasted the code to my site’ then click on ‘DONE’ to continue.
You will get a message saying your account is under review. You will not be able to access the full functionality of your AdSense dashboard till your account is fully reviewed and approved.
If your account gets approved, you can continue with the next step: Creating ad units and adding them to your WordPress website.
However, if your account was not approved, you cannot continue with the next step.
We have a guide to help you understand and correct AdSense rejection messages you can also check our tips for getting AdSense approval on a new blog. Feel free to read them, get your account approved so you can continue with the next steps.
In my own case, I got AdSense approval with one try and I have shared the trick I used in doing that in a previous publication.
If you had no luck adding your code to your WordPress site, feel free to ask or discuss this using the comment section of this post.
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