Getting approved
I applied after publishing eight posts and essential pages (About, Contact, Privacy Policy). Approval took four days. Lesson: Google wants substance, not a shell site.
What I expected
Honestly? More than I got. I thought early traffic plus ads would mean meaningful income. Week one taught me RPM and niche matter more than enthusiasm.
Week-one numbers (honest)
~340 pageviews, $4.12 revenue, 1.21 RPM. Not life-changing. But it’s data—and I’m documenting the climb, not faking the summit.