Paid links are a normal part of the web. Brands sponsor newsletters, run advertorials, pay for directory listings and send products to reviewers. None of that is a problem for SEO in itself. The problem starts when a paid link is dressed up to look like an editorial recommendation and passes ranking credit.
Google’s solution is simple: label the link. A single attribute, rel="sponsored", tells search engines that a link exists because of a commercial arrangement. Publishers keep their revenue, advertisers get exposure and traffic, and nobody risks a penalty.
This guide explains exactly when a link counts as sponsored, how to mark it in HTML and popular platforms, how it relates to nofollow and UGC, what disclosure rules apply to readers, and how to audit your site for unlabelled paid links.
Key Takeaways
- Any link that exists because of payment, gifts or other compensation should be marked
rel="sponsored"(orrel="nofollow"). - Google says paid links are not a violation as long as they are qualified.
- Search-engine attributes and reader disclosures are separate requirements; you usually need both.
- Advertisers should insist on qualified links rather than paying for followed ones.
- Audit old sponsored posts, affiliate links and partner pages; they are the most common gaps.
What counts as a sponsored link?
Google’s guidance on qualifying outbound links is direct:
“Mark links that are advertisements or paid placements (commonly called paid links) with the sponsored value.”
— Google Search Central, Qualify your outbound links to Google
In practice, “paid” is broader than a cash payment. Google’s link spam examples include exchanging goods or services for links and sending someone a product in exchange for writing about it with a link. If value changed hands and the link is part of the deal, treat it as sponsored.
| Situation | Sponsored? | Recommended rel value |
|---|---|---|
| Banner or text advert linking to an advertiser | Yes | sponsored |
| Paid article or advertorial with links to the sponsor | Yes | sponsored |
| Review written after receiving a free product | Yes, if linked to the brand | sponsored |
| Affiliate links that earn commission | Yes (commercial) | sponsored |
| Paid directory or “featured” listing | Yes | sponsored |
| Comment or forum post by a user | No (user-generated) | ugc |
| Link you do not want to vouch for | No | nofollow |
| Editorial link you chose freely | No | No attribute needed |
sponsored vs ugc vs nofollow at a glance
The three attributes were designed to describe different kinds of links. Choosing the most accurate one helps search engines understand the nature of each link on your site.
| Attribute | Use it for | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
rel="sponsored" | Adverts, paid placements, gifted or affiliate links | A sponsor’s logo link in a newsletter archive | Google’s preferred value for paid links |
rel="ugc" | Links inside user-generated content | Links in blog comments or forum posts | Can be removed for trusted, long-standing contributors |
rel="nofollow" | Links you do not want to vouch for, when other values do not apply | A link to a source you are criticising | Still acceptable for paid links |
| No attribute | Editorial links you choose freely | Citing an official study | The default for normal, trusted links |
Google’s documentation also notes that links marked with these attributes will generally not be followed, although the linked pages may still be crawled through other routes. To stop Google fetching pages on your own site, use robots.txt instead.
Is it a policy violation to sell links?
No, as long as you qualify them. Google’s spam policies acknowledge that buying and selling links is a normal part of the web’s economy for advertising and sponsorship, and then add:
“It's not a violation of our policies to have such links as long as they are qualified with a rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute value to the <a> tag.”
— Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search
The violation is buying or selling links for ranking purposes. Our guide to Google’s spam policies covers the wider rules.
How to add rel="sponsored" in HTML
Add the attribute to the <a> tag:
<a href="https://brand.example.com/product" rel="sponsored">Brand product name</a>You can combine values with a space or comma. Google’s documentation shows both forms:
<a href="https://brand.example.com/" rel="sponsored nofollow">Brand</a>
<a href="https://forum.example.com/" rel="ugc,nofollow">Forum thread</a>Google also notes that nofollow was previously recommended for paid links and is still acceptable, although sponsored is preferred. If you already use nofollow on adverts, you do not have to rewrite them.
Step by step: labelling sponsored links on your site
- List your commercial relationships: advertisers, sponsors, affiliate programmes, gifted products and paid listings.
- Find every page with those links. Crawl your site with a tool such as Screaming Frog and export outbound links, then filter by partner domains.
- Add the attribute. In WordPress, many SEO plugins add a “sponsored” checkbox to the link dialog; otherwise edit the HTML. Ad networks and affiliate plugins usually have a global setting.
- Add a visible disclosure near the content, such as “Sponsored by” or “We earn a commission if you buy through these links.”
- Update templates. Make sponsored content templates add the attribute and disclosure automatically.
- Write it into contracts. State that links will be qualified, so advertisers know what they are buying.
- Recheck quarterly as new campaigns go live.
Sponsored links and disclosure to readers
The rel attribute is for search engines. Readers need a visible disclosure, and in many countries the law requires one. In the US, the FTC’s guidance for influencers says to disclose when you have any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a brand, and to place the disclosure so it is hard to miss, alongside the endorsement itself. Similar rules apply elsewhere, including advertising standards bodies in the UK and EU. Treat “labelled for Google” and “disclosed to people” as two separate checkboxes.
Advice for advertisers and link buyers
If you pay for placements, do not ask for followed links. Pay for audience, relevance and brand exposure. Sponsored links in respected publications can still send valuable traffic and build awareness, which often leads to natural editorial links later. When a seller promises “dofollow guaranteed” or refuses to label sponsored content, that is a red flag. Our guides to high-quality backlinks and niche edits explain the risks of paid followed links.
Sponsored link audit checklist
| Area to check | What to look for | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored posts and advertorials | Followed links to the sponsor | Add rel="sponsored" and a visible label |
| Product reviews | Gifted products with followed brand links | Qualify links and add a disclosure |
| Affiliate links | Links without rel attributes, including cloaked redirects | Set the plugin or template default to sponsored |
| Sidebar, footer and partner pages | Sitewide paid or swapped links | Qualify or remove |
| Contracts and media kits | Promises of “dofollow” links | Rewrite terms to offer qualified links |
Common mistakes
- Forgetting gifted products. A free product is compensation; links in the resulting review should be qualified.
- Labelling the link but not disclosing it. Readers cannot see rel attributes.
- Only fixing new content. Old sponsored posts and partner pages often still have followed links.
- Requiring followed links in contracts. Google’s spam policies list requiring links without allowing the publisher to qualify them as link spam.
- Over-correcting editorial links. Links you chose freely to trusted sources do not need any attribute; nofollowing everything is unnecessary.
For the difference between all link attributes, see dofollow vs nofollow links. If a partner arrangement looks more like a swap, read our guide to link exchanges, and if you are selling products through creators, see link building for ecommerce and affiliate marketing.
{FAQ}Conclusion
Labelling sponsored links correctly costs nothing and protects both publishers and advertisers. Mark paid, gifted and affiliate links with rel="sponsored", disclose the relationship to readers, and build the rule into templates and contracts. If you have received an unnatural links warning or want an audit of your outbound links, our penalty recovery and on-page optimization services can help. Request a free quote.
References
- Google Search Central – Qualify your outbound links to Google
- Google Search Central – Spam policies for Google web search
- Search Console Help – Manual actions report
- FTC – Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers
- Google Search Central – Link best practices for Google
- Semrush – What are UGC links? (Vs. sponsored and nofollow)
