Sponsored content and paid links

Sometimes a placement carries a label. It depends on the publisher and the country: some label paid content, and in some markets the law requires it. If a placement will carry a label, we tell you before you approve the site, and you decide whether to go ahead.

Publishers use words such as “Sponsored”, “Advertisement”, “Partner content” or “Paid post”, and may add a link attribute such as rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Publishers decide this, not us.

Google’s spam policies (updated August 2026) treat links that are bought or sold to pass ranking signals as link spam, unless the link is marked rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Some publishers mark paid placements this way. That is why we tell you before you approve a site whether a placement will be labeled, and why you decide whether to go ahead. We can’t promise how Google treats any single link. Our guides to buying backlinks and link rel attributes explain more.

Many countries require advertising to be recognizable. For example, German law treats it as unfair not to make the commercial purpose of a business practice recognizable when it is not obvious from the circumstances (§ 5a UWG), and the Dutch Advertising Code says people must be able to see clearly that something is advertising (business.gov.nl). Some professions, such as lawyers, have extra rules.

We can’t give legal advice. You are responsible for making sure your promotion follows the laws and advertising rules that apply to you and your market. You approve every site and the content before it is published. See our Terms.