This guide takes you through the requirements to be approved for Ezoic monetization, as well as tips on best practices.

AD SETUP

Ezoic ads

To maximize your revenue you need to set up Ezoic ads correctly.

Ezoic requirements:

• Connect to Ezoic by Javascript - you can use the Wordpress plugin and your ad codes will be inserted automatically.
• Apply to Google Ad Manager.
• Ensure your ads.txt file contains Ezoic's reseller information. An ads.txt file shows who can sell your ad space and is required to show Google ads.
• Input site information to ensure relevant ads.
• Remove non-Ezoic ad codes from your website. Ezoic uses AI to optimize ad experiences for each visitor. Having ads in place from other providers can damage this process and lead to lowered revenue.

Best practices

• Use defaults for ad configuration, restrictions, and sizes.
• Set up Rewarded Ads.
• Set up Ezoic Identity for more advanced ad targeting.

POLICIES & LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

Ezoic requirements:

• Include a privacy policy, accessible on every page of your website. Best practice is to place this in the menu or the footer. The policy needs to meet industry standards and accurately and clearly state how user data is collected, used, and shared.

• Link your Privacy Policy in the privacy section of your Ezoic dashboard.

• Include Ezoic’s Privacy Policy on your website. (You can find this by going to Settings > Privacy in your Ezoic dashboard. It will look something like this:  http://g.ezoic.net/privacy/yourdomain).

• Accurately input your Geo into the Consent Management platform (CMP). Your Geo is defined as ‘The country your site is based in, as it relates to privacy regulations’. 

• Enable California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), in the Consent Management app settings.

• Only use one tool to manage user consent.
• Include a contact page, with genuine contact information.

BRANDING & TRUST

Branding is your site identity; it's how you create a consistent user experience that communicates your values and personality, and builds trust. 

Ezoic requirements:

• Include a dedicated About page in your menu.
• Ensure your About page is thorough and descriptive and showcases expertise. 
• Use the same perspective, e.g either first person (“I love writing about…”) or third person (“Jennifer is a fitness expert who…”).
• Include author bylines in articles.
• Keep author details the same across bylines, about pages, and social media.
• Do not link to social media accounts which you don't own.

• Keep your website in a single language.

• Ensure author photos are high quality, and consistent across the site.

Best practices:

• Make sure your domain name is the same as your website title, and is spelled correctly.

• Vary your web designs and layouts to promote trust and engagement.

NAVIGATION

Ezoic requirements:

• Make menus easy to understand and navigate. (E.g If we take the example of a recipe site, imagine your menu included 'Recipes', and 'Fun Food'. 'Recipes' is too broad and will make it difficult for users to locate what they are looking for. 'Fun Food' is too subjective).

• Ensure categories are classified consistently and logically. (E.g if you have ‘breakfast’, ‘lunch’, and ‘Mexican recipes’, Mexican recipes doesn’t make sense to the visitor here - they are expecting to see ‘main dishes’.)

• Ensure users find what they expect. (e.g use 'lunch' for light meals and 'dinner' for main dishes, rather than showing both in both these categories).
• Include a Sidebar widget with 'About' and 'Recommended Articles'.
• Article sites must have at least 10 articles per category. 

Example: Best practices and recommended categorization for a recipe site:

Top level menu - Courses

Top level menu - Meal Times

Subcategories - Diet

Sub categories - Ingredients

CONTENT

Originality

 Ezoic requirements:

• Original content.

• Vary the descriptive words in titles.

• Each article should provide unique value: limit duplicate or near duplicate content to no more than 5 pages per category. (e.g avoid creating separate pages on a travel blog for “Weekend in Paris,” “Best Paris Trip,” and “Short Paris Getaway” if they cover the same itinerary).

Prohibited Content

Prohibited content is inappropriate, harmful, or illegal content, and this violates Google’s ad policies. 

Ezoic requirements:

• Ensure your site does not contain prohibited content

Text Content:

Ezoic requirements:

• Homepages must clearly represent a site's purpose and provide a meaningful entry point for visitors. (e.g On informational sites, this could look like editor's picks, most popular posts, seasonal trends, and latest posts.)
• Placeholder text must be updated.
• Articles must include text, not just images.
• Articles must include published dates.
• Proofread for coherence, grammar and content depth. (For example, to add value to their audience, recipe sites include: servings, equipment, method, prep + cooking time, ingredients + measurements).
• Avoid Keyword Stuffing  

 Best practices:

• Be specific and concrete: Describe what makes your product, service, or idea valuable with clear details (e.g. faster load times, real-time collaboration, unique features), instead of relying on vague praise, overblown adjectives, or generic lifestyle tie-ins (e.g "this delectable feast is like a cosy hug").
• Fact check information (E.g for a website about home improvement, DIY instructions should be in the right order).
• Be consistent (E.g information included in a recipe introduction should match the recipe card.)
• Create additional value (E.g for recipe sites this could be nutritional information, pairings, and variations)

Images:

Ezoic requirements:

• Must correspond to the product or subject being discussed.

• Contain realistic movements.

• Must be high quality.
• The same image cannot be repeated throughout an article or between articles. (e.g on a recipe site, zooms/ shots of the finished dish from other angles count as repeated).
• Must be aligned with the article context where they are placed.

Best practices:

• Not blurred.

• Multiple high quality images (e.g DIY step by step visual guides to fix a leaky tap, or recipe ingredients, equipment, and prep stages).

Here’s an example of a low quality image:

Video:

Ezoic requirements:

• Corresponds to the title.

• High quality filmography.

Here’s an example of a low quality video:

Best practices:

• Presenter rather than slide shows.

• Natural sounding voice and movements.

TECHNICAL & LINKS

Ezoic requirements:

• Ensure there are no invalid links on the website or social media.

HONEST & SAFE SITE PRACTICES

Ezoic requirements:

• Websites must have a real audience: invalid traffic includes fraudulent clicks, bot-generated traffic, and activities that artificially increase ad metrics. See this guide for how to identify and remove invalid traffic. 

• Use clear, safe links that take users directly to the content they expect. Always give users control—let them choose if they want to visit another site, download a file, or install software. See Google's policy on ‘sneaky redirects’ for more information.

What’s the difference between Ezoic review and Google MCM review, and why do I need both?

As a Premier Google Certified Publishing Partner, Ezoic is responsible for ensuring that all publishers we work with are fully compliant with Google’s policies, as well as those of our other partners.

The Ezoic review process allows us to maintain the integrity of our platform and ensure that the websites we onboard are a good fit to benefit from our technologies and services.

My website was rejected - how do I re-apply?

If you get a notification email, log in to your Ezoic dashboard to see details. Review the Ezoic Quality criteria and update your site as needed. Wait 7 days to re-apply so you have time to make changes. Once the necessary changes have been made, you can reapply in your Ezoic dashboard.

How long does it take to get re-reviewed for Ezoic?

 After you reapply, your site should be re-reviewed within 10 days, dependent on the queue.

Why is the Google review process taking a while?

Google’s review process can take up to 18 days. 

If you have questions, head to support.ezoic.com.