Campaigns / Topic guide
Make commercial links clear.
An affiliate link combines an ordinary destination with a commercial relationship. Treat the markup, the reader-facing explanation, and the merchant destination as separate responsibilities. None of them should depend on a visitor guessing what happens next.
Affiliate Link HTML URLDescribe the relationship in plain language
Place a clear explanation near a relevant recommendation so a reader can understand the relationship before acting. An HTML attribute is not a substitute for a visible disclosure. Keep the wording specific to the actual arrangement, and review the rules that apply to your audience and market. An educational example should never imply that a publisher has an agreement it does not have.
Use the appropriate link relationship
Google recommends rel="sponsored" for links that are advertisements or paid placements. Multiple relationship values can be included when appropriate. Those values describe the link; they do not create attribution, route commission payments, or turn a normal URL into a working affiliate program. Keep any necessary merchant parameters intact and use the destination format documented by that program.
Review the whole destination
Check the first URL, every redirect you can inspect, and the final landing page. Make sure the visible description still matches the offer, region, price context, and availability. Do not remove identifiers simply to make an address look shorter. A clean-looking URL is useful only when it still carries the intended meaning and sends readers to the right place.
<!-- Markup example; use the actual approved destination. -->
<a href="MERCHANT_URL" rel="sponsored">
View the merchant’s offer
</a>Reference: Google: Qualify outbound links. Examples and review steps above are practical editorial guidance.
Go deeper in the Lab
Affiliate links: disclosures, attributes, and clean destinations
A practical publishing workflow for clear commercial relationships, appropriate link markup, and destinations that match the recommendation.
Read the full article · 7 minGood questions make better links.
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