Key takeaways
- Disclose the commission or material relationship in plain language near the recommendation and link, where a reader will notice it.
- Do not rely on “affiliate link,” a Buy button, an About page, or a platform tool that leaves the relationship unclear.
- Require honest experience, substantiated claims, current terms, link integrity, and a monitored correction process.
- Use rel="sponsored" for paid links and preserve a useful destination and disclosure when links are dynamically inserted.
01
The disclosure cannot repair a recommendation the reader has already acted on
A comparison declares one tool the best, places a bright purchase link under it, and explains the commission in the footer. The relationship technically exists on the page but not at the moment it changes how the reader weighs the recommendation.
FTC guidance says material connections should be clear and conspicuous, and that the closer the disclosure is to the recommendation, the better. Plain language such as earning a commission from purchases is more informative than a label many readers may not understand.
Swipe to compare every column
| Control | Pass condition | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | Visible with the recommendation and link | Footer or separate policy page |
| Language | Explains the commercial effect plainly | “Affiliate” with no meaning |
| Evidence | Claims remain honest and supportable | Commission drives an untested ranking |
| Link markup | Paid relationship qualified for crawlers | Ordinary followed paid link |
02
Keep the commercial model separate from the evaluation method
Record selection criteria, hands-on use, evidence, reviewer, conflicts, commission terms, excluded alternatives, material updates, and last review. Paying the same rate across products does not eliminate the incentive to produce a purchase.
Do not claim personal experience that did not occur or repeat a vendor’s performance claim without support. Typical-results and qualification requirements apply even when the publisher did not create the underlying product.
03
Make dynamic links preserve context
Client-side link insertion, geo-routing, coupons, and comparison widgets can separate the commercial link from its disclosure. Test mobile crops, reader modes, blocked scripts, copied excerpts, accessibility, and translated versions. The relationship should remain understandable without hunting.
Google recommends rel="sponsored" for advertisements and paid placements. Link qualification is not a substitute for the human disclosure; the two serve different audiences.
04
Monitor the program as published
Crawl for missing disclosure, broken destinations, wrong merchant, expired offer, unqualified paid links, and claims changed after review. Sample pages manually because a disclosure can exist in HTML and still be invisible in the decision context.
Track coverage, correction time, partner violations, reader complaints, reversals, and revenue concentration. Commercial performance matters. It should not be allowed to silently rewrite the editorial standard.
Primary sources and further reading
Use the source material to validate details against your own context and current platform configuration.
- FTC: Endorsement Guides questions and answers
- FTC: Disclosures 101 for social media influencers
- Google Search Central: Qualify outbound links
This field note follows the XenGrowth editorial policy: primary sources where available, visible limitations, material review dates, and no invented first-hand experience.
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