WordPress offers a convenient setting for designating links within your pages and posts as “sponsored”. But when and where is it appropriate to use this feature? Here’s everything you need to know.
WordPress Sponsored Links
When copying links to content in WordPress, there are three optional settings:
- “Open in new tab”
- “Search engines should ignore this link (nofollow)”
- “This is a sponsored link or advert (sponsored)”
Using the “sponsored” link setting is helpful and strongly recommended when inserting a link that originates from a paid source, such as a company that pays to advertise on your website, or that has paid you for a review.
When ticking the sponsored link checkbox, WordPress adds the rel=”sponsored” attribute to the link’s HTML, meaning a link would look something like this:
<a href=”https://www.example.com” rel=”sponsored”>example link</a>
Applying this link setting informs search engines such as Google that a link is a result of a paid placement and is not a natural editorial endorsement. This tells Google not to count the link as a “vote” to the website that you are linking to, preventing them from receiving the extra link equity a normal link would provide. Usually, you link to a piece of content because it’s a valuable resource, but getting paid to place the link means your incentive is different. By marking links with the “sponsored” tag, it maintains search quality in Google, ensuring high-quality content naturally appears at the top of search results, rather than content that has paid for visibility.
Additionally, Google considers undisclosed paid links to be a form of spam. Marking sponsored links helps you avoid potential penalties that could hurt your site’s search rankings.
When to Use a Sponsored Link
In WordPress, you should tick the “sponsored” link checkbox whenever you have received compensation for a link, such as:
- Affiliate links – A link that earns you a commission on a sale or lead.
- Partnerships – Any link resulting from a commercial agreement or partnership, even if it’s not a direct advertisement.
- Paid placements and advertisements – Links that are part of a paid advertising deal, such as banner ads or links within an advertorial.
- Sponsored reviews or posts – If you are paid by a company to write a review or a post that includes a link to their product or service, that link must be disclosed as sponsored.
Benefits To Your Audience
Using sponsored links not only ensures compliance with search engine guidelines but also promotes transparency with your audience. In addition to using the “sponsored” link setting, you may also want to consider marking sponsored or affiliate links with a clear indicator, such as an asterisk (*), to signify that it is a paid link. This open approach allows users and customers to better understand any potential content bias, enabling them to make informed decisions. This complete transparency helps form connections with your users and builds your reputation, supporting the long-term success of your website.
Do You Need Help With Website Content?
Ready to boost your search rankings, establish your business as industry experts, and drive more traffic to your website? Contact the Ballyhoo team today to find out how our expertly written content can help your business achieve online growth.
