Definition

A sponsored link is an HTML anchor that uses the `rel="sponsored"` attribute to tell search engines the link is part of a paid arrangement such as an advertisement or sponsorship.

Google introduced `rel="sponsored"` in 2019 as a more specific signal than `nofollow`. Links carrying the attribute will generally not be followed by Googlebot, and Google treats the destination as something the source site does not necessarily editorially endorse. Google's spam policies state that paid links must be qualified with `rel="sponsored"` or `rel="nofollow"` to remain within policy.

Examples

• Affiliate link in a product review

  A review blog earns commission when readers click through to a retailer. The outbound link is written as `<a href="https://retailer.com/item" rel="sponsored">` so Google understands it is a paid placement rather than editorial endorsement.

• Banner-style sponsorship

  A homepage carries a sponsorship banner from a partner brand. The anchor wrapping the banner uses `rel="sponsored"`, which keeps the relationship transparent to search engines.

Sources

• Google Search Central — Qualify your outbound links to Google
• Google Search Central — Spam policies for Google web search

Related terms

• Nofollow
  A link attribute (`rel="nofollow"`) telling search engines not to associate the source page with — or pass ranking credit to — the linked page.
• Dofollow Link
  A regular HTML link with no rel qualification, which search engines crawl and treat as a standard endorsement of the destination page.
• UGC Link
  A link marked with rel="ugc" to indicate it was created in user-generated content such as a forum post, comment, or review.
• Paid Link
  A link created in exchange for money, goods or services, which Google requires to be qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
• Link Spam
  Links created primarily to manipulate search rankings, which Google's spam policies treat as a violation that can affect a site's visibility.
• External Link
  An HTML link that points from one website to a different domain, also called an outbound link from the source site's perspective.
• Backlink
  A hyperlink on one website that points at another. Search engines treat backlinks as one signal of how the wider web vouches for a page.

Where QueryCatch uses this

• SEO Audit
• Page Optimisation