Affiliate Disclosure Handbook

Earn from a link? Say so where readers see it.

Affiliate Disclosure Handbook explains, in plain language, what US and UK regulators expect from publishers and merchants who use affiliate links: when a disclosure is needed, what it should say, where it should go and what search engines expect from paid links. Every chapter is written from the regulators' own published guidance.

Start with how it works Go to the checklist
Cut-paper illustration of a blank yellow paper tag tied with string to a navy chain link, the tag hanging right beside the link on a blank sheet of paper.
The idea in one picture: the label sits next to the link, not at the bottom of the page.

Three questions every disclosure answers

  • Is there a connection?Commission, payment, free products or a personal tie can all count.
  • Will people notice it?Close to the claim or link, before the click, hard to miss.
  • Will people understand it?Plain words such as "ad" or "I earn a commission", not jargon.

Seven chapters, from the basics to a checklist

Read them in order for the full picture, or go straight to the chapter you need. The first three explain the model and the rules; the next three cover placement, link attributes and reviews; the last turns it all into questions to ask before you publish.

  1. How affiliate marketing works, and why disclosure matters

    Who is involved, how commission is earned and why readers should be told.

  2. What the US Federal Trade Commission expects

    Material connections, clear and conspicuous disclosure and shared responsibility.

  3. What UK advertising and consumer rules expect

    The CAP Code, ASA advice, CMA guidance and the consumer law behind them.

  4. Where and how to place a disclosure

    Putting the label where people will see it before they click.

  5. Affiliate links and the rel="sponsored" attribute

    Telling search engines a link is paid, and why that is not a reader disclosure.

  6. Honest reviews and endorsements

    Real use, honest opinions and the review practices that are banned.

  7. A pre-publish disclosure checklist

    Twenty questions to ask before anything with an affiliate link goes live.

From the regulators, not from rumour

Advice about affiliate disclosure is everywhere, and much of it is copied from other advice. This handbook starts from what the regulators themselves publish: the US Federal Trade Commission, the UK Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority, plus Google's own documentation on paid links. Each chapter lists the documents it relies on.

Read the editorial policy

  • Regulator sources onlyChapters are based on documents published by regulators, legislators and, for link attributes, the search engine concerned. Industry codes and commentary are not used as sources.
  • Information, not adviceThe handbook explains published guidance in general terms. It is not legal advice and cannot tell you how a rule applies to your own situation.
  • Nothing for saleThere are no services, affiliate links, sponsored posts or tracking scripts on this site.

Twenty questions before you publish

The checklist chapter gathers the main points from the other six into questions you can answer in a few minutes for any article, post or video that carries an affiliate link.

Open the pre-publish checklist