Creative Formats
Part of Sponsored article production
Keeping sponsored links separate from editorial citations
Separate sponsor destinations from factual citations, then check claim support and paid-link treatment in the rendered article.
Give each proposed link in a sponsored article a clear purpose. A link to the sponsor's offer serves a commercial action; a citation should support a nearby factual statement. A sales page should not be presented as independent proof simply because it appears beside a claim.
Record each link’s purpose
For each proposed destination, record who requested it, what readers will find there, the nearby claim or action, and who will approve it.
| Purpose | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Sponsor action | Does the destination match the call to action, and is its commercial role clear? |
| Factual support | Does the exact source support the nearby wording, including its date and limits? |
| Further reading | Does it add useful context without being presented as proof of an unrelated claim? |
Sponsor-published product documentation may support a specific product fact. Record its source and check what it establishes. For a wider market or outcome claim, find evidence that covers that wider claim. A link to a sales page does not validate an unrelated statistic.
Link purpose: sponsor action vs factual support
- Sponsor action
- Destination matches the call to action and its commercial role is clear.
- Factual support
- Exact source supports the nearby wording, including date and limits.
- Further reading
- Adds useful context without being presented as proof of an unrelated claim.
Identify links included in the paid arrangement
Google Search Central says to mark advertising and paid-placement links with rel="sponsored". It says to use rel="nofollow" when other values do not apply and you prefer Google not to associate your site with, or crawl, the linked page.
Google's spam policies broadly address techniques intended to manipulate Search systems, including attempts to secure higher rankings. These are Google Search rules for link treatment, not reader-facing disclosure rules.
Mark links requested or supplied as part of the commercial arrangement for the page owner to assess and qualify in the rendered HTML. Do not assume that every independently chosen factual citation needs the same attribute solely because it is outbound. If a sponsor requests an unqualified link for ranking benefit, resolve that request before approval.
Check the claim and destination
Read the sentence with its proposed citation. Does the source cover the same product, Australian market, measure and period? If it supports only part of the claim, narrow the wording or use better evidence.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says it can require businesses to back up claims about their products or services. It may take compliance or enforcement action if a business misleads. The presence of a link does not itself prove a claim.
Check the commercial path as well. An anchor presented as "research" should not quietly lead to a checkout page. A product page can be a useful next step when its role is clear.
Before release, inspect the rendered anchor, destination and paid-link attribute. Recheck them after a URL replacement or sponsor revision.
Pre-release link check
- Read the sentence with its proposed citation.
- Check the source covers the same product, Australian market, measure and period.
- If it supports only part of the claim, narrow the wording or use better evidence.
- Confirm the anchor is not presented as research but leads to a checkout page.
- Inspect the rendered anchor, destination and paid-link attribute.
- Recheck after a URL replacement or sponsor revision.
- Remember the ACCC can require businesses to back up claims about products or services and may act if a business misleads.
