Sponsored link checker: rel attributes of every outbound link

Enter a page URL. We fetch the page, list its outbound links with their rel values (sponsored, nofollow, ugc or none), count internal and external links, and flag links that look paid or affiliate but carry no sponsored or nofollow.

Why rel attributes matter

Google asks site owners to qualify outbound links with a rel value when the link is not an editorial vote:

• rel="sponsored" for links that are ads, paid placements, sponsorships or affiliate links;
• rel="ugc" for links in user-generated content such as comments and forum posts;
• rel="nofollow" when you don't want to associate your site with the target or have it crawled from your page; Google treats it as a hint.

You can combine values (rel="sponsored nofollow"). Google's spam policies list buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, without qualifying them, as link spam. For readers, paid content usually also needs a visible disclosure; in the US the FTC endorsement guidance covers this, and in Russia ad marking is governed by the law on advertising. Our article nofollow vs sponsored vs ugc explains when to use which, and sponsored content disclosure rules covers the labels.

What the checker reports

• Counts: all links, internal (same domain or its subdomains) and external, and external links by type: sponsored, ugc, nofollow, or followed (no qualifying rel).
• Page-level nofollow: a meta robots tag or X-Robots-Tag header with nofollow applies to every link on the page; we show a note when it is present.
• Outbound link list: each external link with its anchor text, full URL and exact rel value.
• Paid-looking links without rel: followed external links that carry signs of a paid or affiliate link. Signals we look for: known affiliate network domains, an Amazon tag= parameter, affiliate parameters such as aff_id or irclickid, UTM tags that say affiliate, sponsored or cpc, redirect paths like /go/ or /recommends/, an erid ad-marking parameter, and words like "sponsored", "affiliate" or "partner" in the anchor or in the classes of the surrounding block.

A flag is a prompt to look, not a verdict: an affiliate-style parameter can be harmless tracking, and a paid link can look perfectly ordinary. Only the site owner knows whether money or a free product changed hands.

How to use it

• Before you publish a sponsored post or partner article, run it here to confirm every paid link carries rel="sponsored".
• When you buy a placement, check the published page: you should see your link with the agreed attributes and a visible label.
• On your own blog, audit old review and "best of" posts for affiliate links added before you started marking them.

Satelo's own exchange works this way: every partner article is labelled and its links carry rel="sponsored". We don't promise dofollow links or rankings.

Limits

We read the HTML the server returns (up to about 3 MB) and do not run JavaScript, so links injected by scripts or ad widgets after load are not listed. Pages behind a login or a bot challenge can't be checked. Up to 300 external links are listed per page.

FAQ

Should affiliate links be sponsored or nofollow?

Google asks for rel="sponsored" on affiliate and paid links; rel="nofollow" is also accepted. You can use both together: rel="sponsored nofollow".

Do internal links need rel attributes?

No. Internal links normally stay followed so crawlers can discover your pages. The checker counts internal nofollow links only for information.

Why is a normal link flagged?

Flags come from patterns such as affiliate parameters, redirect paths or words like 'sponsored' near the link. They can be false positives; review the link and decide yourself.

Does rel="sponsored" hurt my site?

No. Google describes it as the expected way to mark paid links. Not marking paid links is what its spam policies warn about.

Can I check pages built with JavaScript?

Only partly. The checker reads the HTML returned by the server and does not run scripts, so links added later by JavaScript are not visible to it.

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Updated: 2026-10-16