Sponsored link

Long definition

rel="sponsored" is one of three link-attribute values Google rolled out on September 10, 2019, alongside rel="ugc" (user-generated content) and the reframing of rel="nofollow" from a directive to a hint. The trio replaces the prior one-size-fits-all use of nofollow for any link the publisher didn't want to fully endorse.

When sponsored applies:

• Paid placements — sponsored posts, paid reviews, paid product mentions.
• Affiliate links — Amazon Associates, commission-based outbound product links.
• Compensated partnerships — a vendor pays for a link in exchange for money, free product, or services.
• Native advertising — branded content where the link itself is the commercial transaction.

You can combine values: rel="sponsored nofollow" is valid and explicit. rel="sponsored ugc" is rare but allowed (a paid ad inside a user comment, for instance).

Google treats sponsored links similarly to nofollowed links: usually no PageRank, but Google may still use them as hints for understanding the linked page. The intent disclosure is what matters legally and editorially — Google has stated that publishers using unmarked dofollow links for paid placements risk being treated as participating in a link scheme, which can trigger Penguin-style algorithmic devaluation or, in egregious cases, manual action against both the linker and the linkee.

The FTC has separate disclosure rules in the United States that overlap with — but are not identical to — Google's rel requirements. The HTML markup is for search engines; FTC disclosures (visible "#ad", "Paid promotion") are for users.

For affiliate links specifically, the standard practice is rel="sponsored nofollow" plus a visible disclosure on the page. Most modern affiliate plugins (e.g., ThirstyAffiliates, Pretty Links) apply this automatically.

Common misconceptions

• "sponsored is optional, nofollow is enough." Google's own guidance explicitly recommends sponsored for paid links. nofollow alone is allowed but loses the intent signal that distinguishes paid placements from other suppressed links.
• "Sponsored links pass zero value." They pass referral traffic and brand exposure. Google may use them as hints. The difference is usually no PageRank and no anchor-text-driven ranking lift.
• "Affiliate links must be sponsored, not nofollow." They should carry sponsored. Adding nofollow alongside is fine. Using only nofollow is suboptimal but not penalized — Google's algorithms can typically detect affiliate patterns regardless.
• "Sponsored links hurt the linking site's rankings." Properly marked sponsored links don't. Unmarked paid links — found via pattern detection or manual review — can. The disclosure protects you.