rel=sponsored
rel="sponsored" is an HTML link attribute that tells search engines a link was created as part of an advertisement, sponsorship, or other compensation agreement. Google introduced it in September 2019 together with rel="ugc" (for user-generated content links), splitting what used to be lumped under a single nofollow into more precise labels.
rel="sponsored" is an HTML link attribute that tells search engines a link was created as part of an advertisement, sponsorship, or other compensation agreement. Google introduced it in September 2019 together with rel="ugc" (for user-generated content links), splitting what used to be lumped under a single nofollow into more precise labels.
<a href="https://example.com/product" rel="sponsored">View the sponsored product</a>
Why It Matters
Google's spam policies treat buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. If a link you were paid for passes ranking signals like a normal link, it violates those policies and can hurt your site. Marking compensated links with sponsored tells Google "this is advertising, not an endorsement," which lets you run affiliate programs, sponsored reviews, and banner ads without risking a paid-link penalty.
It matters on the receiving end too. Links marked sponsored generally do not pass link equity, so from a link building perspective they are not equivalent to a dofollow backlink.
sponsored vs. ugc vs. nofollow
| Attribute | Use for | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
rel="sponsored" | Compensated links — ads, sponsorships, affiliates | Banner ads, affiliate links, sponsored reviews |
rel="ugc" | Links inside user-generated content | Comments, forum posts |
rel="nofollow" | Other links you don't want to vouch for | Citing a source without endorsing it |
The values can be combined with spaces or commas — a promotional link in a comment can carry rel="ugc sponsored". Google also notes you may drop ugc for trusted contributors who consistently add quality content.
Choosing the "wrong" attribute carries no penalty: using nofollow instead of sponsored on an ad link is fine. The reverse deserves care, though — putting sponsored on a normal editorial link can block whatever value that link might have passed, so reserve it for genuinely compensated links.
Nofollow Became a Hint
The other big change from the same announcement is what these attributes mean. All three are treated as hints that Google may incorporate for ranking purposes, and as of March 1, 2020, nofollow became a hint for crawling and indexing as well — a signal rather than a strict command. Links carrying these attributes are generally not followed, but Google may still consider them when it helps the search engine understand the web's link graph more accurately.
Site owners do not need to retrofit anything: Google explicitly stated that existing nofollow links remain valid and there is no requirement to switch them to sponsored.
Sources:
- Qualify Outbound Links for SEO - Google Search Central
- Evolving "nofollow" - new ways to identify the nature of links - Google Search Central Blog
How inblog Helps
When inserting external links in the inblog editor, you can apply the nofollow attribute to paid or sponsored links. If a post contains affiliate links or sponsored content, make sure every compensated link is labeled; keep ordinary citations to trustworthy sources as dofollow. That mix is what a natural, penalty-safe link profile looks like.