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

AD SETUP

Ads.txt

An ads.txt file shows who can sell your ad space and is required in order to show Google ads.

Ezoic requirements

• Maintain an ads.txt file which includes Ezoic reseller information. 

Ezoic ads

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

Ezoic requirements:

• Apply to Google Ad Manager
• Connect to Ezoic by Wordpress plugin Your ad codes will be inserted automatically by the plugin.
• Input site categories to ensure relevant ads

Best practices

• Use defaults for ad configuration, restrictions, and sizes
• Set up Rewarded Ads

Non-Ezoic ads

Ezoic uses AI to optimize ad experiences for each individual visitor. We only include ads from our network partners in this process. Having ads in place from other providers can damage user experience and lead to lowered revenue.

Ezoic requirements:

• Remove non-Ezoic ad codes from your website

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
• Energize your About page - it should be professional and showcase expertise
• Stick to the same perspective, e.g either first person (“I love writing about…”) or third person (“Jennifer is a chef who…”)
• Include author bylines in articles
• Keep author details the same across bylines, recipe cards, about pages, and social media
• Only link to social media accounts you own

• Use the same language everywhere

• Ensure author photos are high quality, and consistent:

Best practices:

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

• Run a newsletter. Direct access to your audience helps grow your business, and increases revenue by uploading subscriber lists to Ezoic Identity. If you set up Google One Tap, you can further boost identified users and EPMV.
• Vary your web designs and layouts to promote trust and engagement.

NAVIGATION

Ezoic requirements:

• Make menus easy to understand and navigate. (E.g 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’.)

• Some web building tools don't allow menu customization. If that is the case, use a landing page like mydomain.com/categories. You will still need to ensure you follow our policies. Please also note that when creating future websites, it's better to use a tool that allows you to structure your main menu in line with our policies.

• Include a Sidebar widget with 'About' and 'Recommended Articles'
• To be eligible to show Google Ads you must have at least 10 articles per category and at least 15 articles site-wide. 

Best practices and recommended categorization:

Top level menu - Courses

Top level menu - Meal Times

Subcategories - Diet

Sub categories - Ingredients

Sub categories - Method

CONTENT

Originality

Sites duplicating copyrighted material can be hit with takedown notices, and face account-wide Google ad bans. See their scraped content policies.

 Ezoic requirements:

• Original content

• Vary the descriptive words in titles

• Each article should provide unique value: no duplicate or near duplicate content. (e.g don't create 10 bagel recipes where the only difference is the type of seed on top)

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:

• Pages must include text, not just images
• Include published dates
• Update templates with high quality content
• 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 recipe

• Contain realistic movements

• Must be high quality
• The same image cannot be repeated throughout an article or between articles

Best practices:

• Not blurred

• Multiple high quality images (e.g DIY steps 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:

• Update 'not found' pages

• Social media should link to existing pages

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.

Ezoic work  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?

When 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. You can reapply in your dashboard.

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

 After you reapply, your site should be re-reviewed within 10 days, where possible.

Why is the Google review process taking a while?

Google’s review process can take up to 18 days. Publishers who are approved for MCM get access to Google ad demand, which yields high CPMs, generating the best value for your inventory.

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