Campaigns / Topic guide
Keep the promise and destination aligned.
An offer URL is part of the offer itself. If the linked page changes, expires, or serves a different audience, the surrounding recommendation may become misleading even when the link still returns a successful response.
Affiliate Offer HTML URLRecord the offer you actually reviewed
Keep a concise record of the merchant, relevant product, intended audience, destination, and review date. If there are conditions such as a geographic limit or a required plan, describe them accurately near the recommendation. A link title should reflect the content currently available rather than a past promotion. Separate editorial notes from claims supplied by a merchant. For paid placements, Google recommends marking the link with rel="sponsored"; that relationship markup does not establish that the offer itself is current.
Preserve meaningful parameters
An offer address may contain a product identifier, partner identifier, campaign value, or language preference. Do not assume every query parameter is removable tracking noise. Follow the program’s URL requirements and test the result after any change. If the destination changes through redirects, compare the final page with the offer you intended to describe.
Plan for the end of the offer
Choose who reviews the link and what happens when the offer expires. Replace an outdated recommendation with a relevant current page, or clearly explain that the offer is no longer available. Avoid silently forwarding readers to an unrelated promotion. A useful expired-offer page can preserve context and point to a maintained guide without inventing substitute terms.
Offer review record
Destination: approved merchant URL
Audience: intended region and eligibility
Conditions: visible, current, understandable
Review: named owner and next check dateReference: Google: Sponsored link relationships. 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.
Have a correction, a question, or a topic for the Lab?