AdSense programme policies

All publishers are required to adhere to the following policies, so please read them carefully. If you fail to comply with these policies without permission from Google, we reserve the right to disable ad serving to your website and/or disable your AdSense account at any time. If your account is disabled, then you will not be eligible for further participation in the AdSense programme.

Since we may change our policies at any time, please check here regularly for updates. In accordance with our online Terms and Conditions, it's your responsibility to keep up to date with, and adhere to, the policies posted here. Exceptions to these policies are permitted only with authorisation from Google.

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Invalid clicks and impressions

Publishers may not click their own ads or use any means to inflate impressions and/or clicks artificially, including manual methods.

Encouraging clicks or views (non-rewarded inventory)

Except for rewarded inventory, publishers may not ask others to click or view their ads or use deceptive implementation methods to obtain clicks or views. This includes, but is not limited to, offering compensation to users for viewing ads or performing searches, promising to raise money for third parties for such behaviour or placing images next to individual ads.

Content policies

Publishers should not place AdSense code on pages with content that violates the Google Publisher Policies. Doing so may result in your account(s) being suspended or terminated.

Publishers may place AdSense code on pages with content in scope of the Google Publisher Restrictions, though this content will likely receive less advertising than other, nonrestricted content.

Abusive experiences

Publishers may not place Google ads on sites that contain abusive experiences. See the abusive experiences page for more information.

Authorised inventory (ads.txt)

If AdSense publishers choose to use ads.txt on their domains, those publishers must ensure that they're included as authorised sellers of that inventory. For more information, see declare who is authorised to sell your inventory with ads.txt.

Traffic sources

Google ads must not be placed on pages receiving traffic from certain sources. For example, publishers may not participate in paid-to-click programmes, send unwanted emails or display ads as the result of the action of any software application. Also, publishers using online advertising must ensure that their pages comply with Google's Landing Page Quality Guidelines.

Ad behaviour

Publishers are permitted to make modifications to the AdSense ad code, as long as those modifications do not artificially inflate ad performance or harm advertisers. Please see modification of the AdSense ad code for more information.

Ad placement

Publishers are encouraged to experiment with a variety of placements and ad formats. However, AdSense code may not be placed in inappropriate places such as pop-ups, emails or software. Publishers must also adhere to the policies for each product used. Please see our ad placement policies article for more information.

Site behaviour

Sites showing Google ads should be easy for users to navigate. Sites may not change user preferences, redirect users to unwanted websites, initiate downloads, include malware or contain pop-ups or pop-unders that interfere with site navigation.

Technical requirements

To help you to provide a quality user experience, Google has developed technical specifications for sites displaying Google ads. We only allow sites that comply with these technical specifications. Please refer to the information below for detailed technical requirements:

• Use supported languages
  • Google publisher products do not support all languages. Applications for participation in these programmes can be for sites with content primarily in the following languages.
• Format requirements
  • WebView
    • AdSense for Content (AFC) and Ad Exchange (AdX) display ads are not supported by all WebView technologies. App developers wishing to monetise by publishing AFC and AdX display ads through a WebView must use one of the following supported viewing frames:
      • Android: Chrome Custom Tab
      • iOS: SFSafariViewController (iOS9 and iOS10 only)
    • Google AdMob and AdX in-app ads may be shown in an app next to a WebView as long as the Google Mobile Ads SDK is in use and the publisher is compliant with all other AdSense programme policies.

Google advertising cookies

AdSense publishers must have and abide by a privacy policy that discloses that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users' browsers, or using web beacons to collect information as a result of ad serving on your website. Learn more about preparing your privacy policy.

Identifying users and user consent

You must not pass any information to Google:

• that Google could use or recognise as personally identifiable information; or
• that permanently identifies a particular device (such as a mobile phone's unique device identifier if such an identifier cannot be reset).

You must not use Google AdSense to facilitate the merging of personally identifiable information with information previously collected as non-personally identifiable information without robust notice of, and the user's prior affirmative (i.e. opt-in) consent to, that merger.

For more information, please refer to Guidance for complying with the Identifying Users Policy.

You must also comply with the EU user consent policy.

Privacy

You must disclose clearly any data collection, sharing and usage that takes place on any site, app or other property as a consequence of your use of any Google advertising service. To comply with this disclosure obligation with respect to Google’s use of data, you have the option to display a prominent link to How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

If you implement any Google advertising service on a site or section of a site that is covered by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), (a) you must notify Google of those sites or sections of sites covered by COPPA using the tools found here:  https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/coppa , or the method for apps described here:  https://firebase.google.com/docs/admob/android/targeting , and (b) you must not use interest-based advertising (including remarketing) to target: (i) past or current activity by users known by you to be under the age of 13 years or (ii) past or current activity on sites directed at users under the age of 13 years.