The rel=”sponsored” tag is an HTML attribute introduced by Google to identify links placed within a website that are the result of advertising agreements, sponsorships or business partnerships.
This attribute signals to search engines that the link was placed as a result of an economic transaction or commercial benefit, distinguishing it from natural or editorial links.
The main goal of rel=”sponsored” is to ensure transparency and fairness in SEO, avoiding artificial ranking manipulation through paid links.
By using this attribute, webmasters help Google understand the nature of the links on the site, helping to maintain the quality of search results.
When to use rel=”sponsored”?
You have to apply rel=”sponsored” every time you insert a link that comes from:
- Direct sponsorships
- Advertising Posts
- Business collaborations
- Banners or paid ads
You do not need to use it for spontaneous editorial links or affiliate links (for the latter you can also use rel=”nofollow” or rel=”ugc” depending on the context).
How do you implement rel=”sponsored”?
Implementation is simple: just add the attribute inside the tag <a>.
Example:
xml<a href="https://esempio.com" rel="sponsored">Visita il sito sponsorizzato</a>
Impact on SEO
Proper use of rel=”sponsored” protects the site from possible penalties due to unfair link building practices.
In fact, Google can penalize sites that try to manipulate rankings through undisclosed paid links.
The attribute does not convey PageRank, so it does not directly affect the ranking of the linked site, but it does help maintain reputation and compliance with Google’s guidelines.
You can learn more about these issues by reading Google’s official guide
Conclusions
rel=”sponsored” is an essential tool for those who manage websites, blogs or portals that host sponsored content.
Using it correctly means protecting your site, complying with SEO rules and offering transparency to users and search engines.