Sponsored content disclosure rules for blogs and websites

If someone pays you, gives you something of value or has a business relationship with you, and you publish content about them, your readers have a right to know. Sponsored content disclosure rules exist in the US, UK, EU and elsewhere, and search engines add their own layer on top. This guide summarises the main requirements in plain language, shows where to put labels, and gives wording you can adapt. It is general information, not legal advice.

Published: 2026-09-20 · Satelo

The principle behind every rule

Every regulator says roughly the same thing: readers must be able to tell advertising from editorial content, easily and before they act on it. A disclosure that a typical reader would miss is treated as no disclosure. Keep this in mind and most practical questions answer themselves.

United States: the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission’s Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255, last revised in 2023) cover reviews, endorsements and other content where there is a "material connection" between the publisher and a brand: payment, free products, commissions, employment or family ties. The FTC also has an enforcement policy on native advertising, which covers ads formatted to look like articles.

In practice the FTC expects disclosures to be:

• Clear and conspicuous: easy to notice and understand, not buried in a footer, tooltip or "About" page.
• Close to the claim: at the start of the article and near paid links, not only at the end.
• Plain: words like "Sponsored", "Paid post" or "Advertisement" work. Vague terms such as "Partner" alone, or abbreviations only insiders understand, may not.

The FTC’s plain-language guide "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers" gives similar advice and is useful for bloggers too.

United Kingdom: ASA and the CAP Code

The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising (CAP Code), enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority, requires marketing communications to be obviously identifiable as such (section 2). For advertorials, the publisher must make clear that the content is a marketing communication. The ASA’s guidance favours clear labels such as "Ad" or "Advertisement feature" placed up front. Consumer protection law, enforced by the CMA, also prohibits hiding paid promotion.

European Union

The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive lists, among practices that are always unfair, using editorial content to promote a product when the trader has paid for it without making that clear. Member states implement this in national law, and some have their own labelling guidance. If your readers are in a specific EU country, check that country’s consumer authority.

Russia: advertising labelling (for Russian-language sites)

Since 1 September 2022 online advertising in Russia must be labelled under article 18.1 of the Federal Law "On Advertising": a "Реклама" label, information about the advertiser and a unique token (erid) obtained through an advertising data operator. Our Russian version of this article covers the details.

Google and search engines

Search engines care about links rather than labels. Google’s spam policies treat buying or selling links that pass ranking signals as a link scheme, and ask that paid links be marked with rel="sponsored" (introduced in 2019) or rel="nofollow". A sponsored article that is clearly labelled but contains followed paid links is still a problem for search. Read Google’s rules on link exchanges and nofollow vs sponsored vs ugc for the details.

Quick comparison

Where to put the disclosure

1. Above the title or directly below it. The reader sees it before reading.
2. Near the first paid link if the article is long and the link comes much later.
3. In social posts that promote the article, using the platform’s paid partnership tool or a clear "Ad" at the start.
4. In newsletters that feature the article, at the top of the sponsored section.

Avoid placing the only disclosure at the bottom, in a sidebar, in an image or behind a "Read more" link.

Wording you can adapt

• Sponsored article: "Sponsored: this article was paid for by [Brand]. We edited it and only publish partners we think are relevant to our readers."
• Guest post written by the sponsor: "Advertisement: written by [Brand] and published as a paid partnership."
• Affiliate links: "This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you."
• Free product: "[Brand] sent us this product for free to review. They did not see or approve this review before publication."

Common mistakes

• Disclosing only on a general "Advertising policy" page.
• Using only "Thanks to our partner" or "In collaboration with", which readers may not read as paid.
• Labelling the article but leaving paid links followed.
• Removing the label later at the buyer’s request.
• Labelling the article on the site but not in the newsletter or social post that promotes it.

How networks handle it

If you exchange or sell articles through a platform, check how it labels content by default. On Satelo, exchanged articles are labelled as partner content and links get rel="sponsored" by default; you can switch auto-placement off in the WordPress plugin to add your own wording before publishing. Whatever platform you use, you as the publisher remain responsible for what appears on your site.

Applying sponsored content disclosure rules to common cases

• Exchanged articles with no money involved. If you publish an article in exchange for a placement elsewhere, that is still a benefit. Treat it as partner content and label it.
• Gifted products. A free product counts as a material connection under the FTC guides, even if you were not paid. Disclose it in the review itself.
• Affiliate links in your own article. A short disclosure near the top, not only in the footer, plus rel="sponsored" on the links.
• Old posts. If a past article was sponsored and has no label, add one now. Disclosure rules apply for as long as the content is live.
• Content for several countries. Use the strictest standard among your main audiences. A clear "Sponsored" or "Ad" label at the top satisfies the spirit of all the rules above.

When in doubt, ask one question: would a typical reader feel misled if they found out later that this was paid? If yes, disclose more clearly.

Next steps

• Add a reusable disclosure block to your CMS and a sponsored category.
• Read how to write a sponsored article that readers actually finish.
• If you run WordPress, follow our guide to accepting sponsored posts on WordPress, or connect your site to receive labelled partner articles.

FAQ

Do I need to disclose sponsored blog posts?

Yes. In the US, UK and EU, paid content must be identifiable as advertising. The FTC, the ASA and EU consumer law all require a clear disclosure readers will notice.

Is a disclosure at the bottom of the post enough?

Usually not. Regulators expect the disclosure to be seen before the reader engages with the content, so put it at the top and near paid links.

Does labelling a post as sponsored make paid links safe for SEO?

No. Labels are for readers and regulators. For search engines, paid links need rel=sponsored or rel=nofollow so they do not pass ranking signals.

What words should I use for disclosure?

Plain words such as Sponsored, Paid post, Ad or Advertisement, ideally with the sponsor’s name. Avoid vague phrases like In collaboration with on their own.

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