The rel=”sponsored” and rel=”ugc” attributes label a link by how it was created: sponsored for advertisements and paid arrangements, ugc for user-generated content. Google introduced both on September 10, 2019, alongside the older nofollow value. This page defines each value, shows where each belongs, and explains what Google does with them.
What are sponsored and UGC links?
Sponsored links carry rel=”sponsored” and mark advertisements, sponsorships and other compensation agreements, while UGC links carry rel=”ugc” and mark links inside user-generated content such as comments and forum posts. Google introduced both values on September 10, 2019.
A link attribute is a value inside the rel attribute of an anchor tag. It tells Google how the link came to exist. A publisher who sells a placement labels it sponsored. A forum that lets members post links labels those links ugc. The third value, nofollow, predates both and serves as the general fallback when neither label fits.
What is the difference between sponsored, UGC and nofollow?
The three values differ by the reason a link exists: sponsored marks paid or compensated links, ugc marks user-generated links, and nofollow marks any link the site owner does not want to be associated with. Google treats all three as hints.
| Value | Marks | Typical placement | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|
| rel=”sponsored” | Advertisements, sponsorships, compensation agreements | Paid guest posts, affiliate links, sponsored reviews | September 2019 |
| rel=”ugc” | Links inside user-generated content | Blog comments, forum posts | September 2019 |
| rel=”nofollow” | Any link the site owner does not want to be associated with | Untrusted or unlabeled links | 2005 |
Search engines introduced nofollow in 2005 to fight comment spam. The 2019 values added precision: a publisher states why a link is qualified, not only that it is.
When do you use rel=”sponsored”?
Use rel=”sponsored” on every link created as an advertisement, a sponsorship or any other compensation agreement, including paid posts, paid reviews and affiliate links. Google accepts buying and selling links when the link is qualified with sponsored or nofollow.
- Paid posts: the publisher receives money for an article that contains a link.
- Product exchanges: a brand sends a product in return for a review that links back.
- Affiliate links: the link exists to earn a commission.
- Sponsorship credits: a sponsor receives a link on an event or partner page.
Google’s link spam policy lists buying or selling links for ranking purposes, and a link qualified with sponsored or nofollow falls outside that violation. The guide on paid link exposure by method rates each placement type against that policy.
When do you use rel=”ugc”?
Use rel=”ugc” on links that visitors, not the site owner, create inside user-generated content such as comments and forum posts. Google recommends marking those links with the ugc value, and it introduced the value on September 10, 2019.
A publisher adds the value once, in the template that renders user content, and every member link inherits it. Google’s guidance allows removing the value for trusted, long-term contributors.
Site owners who inherit a profile full of unlabeled user links start with a review of spotting toxic links, then label or remove what remains.
Do sponsored and UGC links pass ranking value?
Google treats sponsored, ugc and nofollow as hints, not directives, and weighs them alongside other signals. Since September 10, 2019 the hint model applies to ranking, and since March 1, 2020 nofollow also acts as a hint for crawling and indexing.
The practical reading: Google states that buying and selling links is not a violation when the link carries rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”. This page makes no ranking claim for any attributed link.
How do you add link attributes?
Add the value inside the rel attribute of the anchor tag, for example rel=”sponsored”, and place several values in one attribute separated by spaces. Content management systems and plugins expose the same setting as a checkbox or dropdown on the link dialog.
<a href="https://example.com/" rel="sponsored">partner page</a>
<a href="https://example.com/" rel="ugc">member link</a>
<a href="https://example.com/" rel="sponsored nofollow">combined values</a>Audit existing pages in the rendered source, not only in the editor.
How do attributes interact with anchor text and press releases?
Anchor choice and attribute choice are separate decisions: the attribute states why a link exists, and the anchor text describes the destination. Google’s spam policy lists links with optimized anchor text in distributed articles, guest posts and press releases as link spam.
Read the distribution report for every release, including those from newswire syndication, and record which links carry a value. Anchor choices follow the ratios in the guide on anchor text distribution.
Return to the backlink fundamentals hub for the full guide list, or read dofollow vs nofollow links for the comparison of followed and qualified links.
Related: orders with tagged placements explained.