Ad Manager Verification and MCM Readiness: A Complete Checklist

A verified Ad Manager account is the first requirement on the application for SAN1GO. This step often delays onboarding. This checklist walks through every verification layer that Google's help center describes for publishers.

1. Identity verification

Google requires publishers to confirm who they are. Normally this is triggered when earnings reach a threshold, but MCM child publishers onboarded after April 3, 2024 must complete it up front.

• Individuals submit a valid government photo ID such as a passport, driver's license, national ID card or residence permit.
• Businesses submit registration documents plus the ID of an authorized representative.
• You have 45 days from the first request. If nothing is submitted or verification fails, ads stop serving.
• Processing can take up to 2 days.

Make sure the name on your documents matches your payments profile exactly.

2. Address verification

After identity is confirmed, Google mails a PIN to your payment address. Enter it under Payments, then Verification check. They warn that PINs can take up to four weeks to arrive by mail, so keep your address current.

3. Site approval

Each site you monetize is reviewed separately. According to the Google guide on adding sites, the status will change as it moves through the system.

• Getting ready means under review, often a few days and sometimes 2 to 4 weeks.
• Needs attention means you need to fix policy, content or ads.txt issues.
• Ready means approved.

4. MCM readiness

Once a partner invites you, Google tracks your readiness status as a child publisher:

• Ready: all onboarding steps are done and you can serve.
• Not ready: something is pending, such as account approval or verification.
• Inactive: the invitation expired after 90 days, was declined or withdrawn, or the relationship ended.

Failed or expired verification means restarting the step, so act on requests quickly.

Quick checklist

• Payments profile name matches your ID or business registration.
• Identity verification submitted and approved.
• Address PIN entered.
• All monetized sites show Ready.
• ads.txt is up to date on every site.
• MCM invitation accepted within 90 days.

Why this matters for your review

Our review service checks whether your account is fully verified before anything else, so completing these steps first shortens the path to an MCM invitation. Ticked every box on this checklist? Send us your network for review.