About and Contact Pages for AdSense: What They Need

Google's AdSense rules require one page by name: a privacy policy with specific disclosures. About and contact pages are not a literal requirement, but they are the simplest way to meet two rules that do exist: don't conceal who the publisher is, and give readers background on who made the content. A reviewer who can't tell who runs a site has one more reason to say no.

What is required, and what is just useful

It helps to separate the official rules from the folklore.

Page	Status	Why
Privacy policy	Required	Must disclose cookies, third-party vendors including Google, and opt-out (answer/1348695)
About	Strongly recommended	Supports transparency under the Misrepresentation policy and Google's people-first content questions
Contact	Strongly recommended	Shows a real, reachable publisher
Terms of use	Optional	Useful for tools, forums, shops; not an AdSense rule
Disclaimer	Optional; sensible for health, finance, legal	Not an AdSense rule
Cookie policy	Optional as a separate page	The cookie disclosures can live inside the privacy policy

The Misrepresentation policy prohibits content that "misrepresents, misstates, or conceals information about the publisher, the content creator, the purpose of the content, or the content itself." Google's helpful content guidance asks whether content offers "background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site's About page?" Neither sentence says "you must have a page called About", but both are easiest to satisfy with one.

The privacy policy has its own guide: AdSense privacy policy requirements.

What a useful About page contains

Most About pages that hurt rather than help are either empty ("Welcome to my blog! Here you will find great content.") or generated boilerplate that could sit on any site. A reviewer learns nothing from them.

A good About page answers five questions in plain language:

1. Who runs the site? A real name, or a real company name. Pen names are fine if used consistently, but say who is behind the project.
2. What is the site about, and for whom? "Practical guides to keeping freshwater shrimp, for hobbyists with one or two tanks."
3. Why should a reader trust you on this? Experience, training, years doing the thing, the tanks you've kept, the tools you've tested. Specifics beat adjectives.
4. How is content made? Do you test products yourself? Do you use AI tools for drafts and then edit? Who fact-checks? Google's guidance explicitly encourages explaining the "how".
5. How is the site funded? Ads, affiliate links, sponsorships. One honest paragraph is enough.

Example

About Shrimp Tank Notes I'm Elif Kaya. I've kept Neocaridina and Caridina shrimp since 2017 and currently run nine tanks in Izmir. This site documents what has worked and failed in those tanks: water parameters, plants, feeding, breeding logs. Every care guide is based on my own tanks or on cited research; when I haven't tried something myself, the article says so. I use a grammar tool for editing; the measurements and photos are mine. The site is funded by display ads and a few affiliate links to products I use. Questions or corrections: elif@shrimptanknotes.com.

That is about 90 words and it does more than a 600-word mission statement.

What a useful contact page contains

The goal is simple: show that a real publisher can be reached.

• A working contact route. An email address on your own domain (hello@example.com) is the clearest signal. A contact form is fine, but test that it actually delivers.
• Expected response time. "I usually reply within 3 working days."
• Optional: business address or registered company details if you operate as a company. Some countries require this (the German Impressum, for example), and that is a legal question separate from AdSense.
• No dead ends. A form that submits to a 404, or a Gmail address that bounces, is worse than no contact page.

Avoid putting your personal home address online if you are an individual. An email address is enough for transparency.

Where to link them

Pages that exist but can't be found don't help. Common patterns:

• Footer links on every page: About · Contact · Privacy Policy. This is where reviewers and crawlers look first.
• About also in the main menu if the site is personal or expertise-driven.
• Author bylines linking to an author page; see author pages and E-E-A-T.

Make sure these are ordinary <a href> links that resolve with HTTP 200, not JavaScript pop-ups. Our site navigation guide covers why crawlable links matter.

Terms and disclaimer: when they help

A terms-of-use page helps when your site has user accounts, comments, a forum or a tool people use. A disclaimer helps for health, finance or legal topics, where it reminds readers that general information isn't personal advice. Neither is an AdSense requirement, and a copy-pasted 3,000-word terms page from a generator adds nothing for a reviewer. If you include one, make it short and specific to your site.

Mistakes we see often

• Theme placeholder text left in. "This is an example page. It's different from a blog post..." on /sample-page/.
• About pages that contradict the site. "We are a team of 20 medical doctors" on a one-person blog. That moves you from "no signal" into misrepresentation territory.
• Fake addresses and stock-photo "team" members. Reviewers do notice, and invented people are exactly what the Misrepresentation policy targets.
• Contact pages with only social links. Fine as extras, weak as the only route.
• Pages blocked from crawling. noindex on About is harmless for AdSense, but a Disallow for Mediapartners-Google or a login wall is not.

Quick checklist

• Privacy policy with the Google cookie and opt-out disclosures
• About page naming who runs the site, what it covers and why you're credible
• Contact page or email that actually works
• All three linked from the footer of every page
• No placeholder text, no invented people

The broader pre-application list is on our checklist.

Check your trust pages

A free scan finds your About, contact and privacy pages, checks they load, and looks for the required privacy-policy wording.

FAQ

Is an About page required for AdSense?

Not by name. Only the privacy policy is explicitly required. About and contact pages support the Misrepresentation policy and Google's transparency guidance, so most approved sites have them.

Can I use a pen name?

Yes. Use it consistently and be honest about the site's purpose and your background. What causes problems is inventing credentials or people.

Is a contact form enough, or do I need an email address?

A working form is enough. An email on your own domain is a stronger signal and easier for reviewers to see.

Do I need a separate cookie policy page?

No. The required cookie disclosures can be part of your privacy policy. A separate page is fine if your CMP or legal setup calls for one.