rel="sponsored" vs rel="ugc" vs rel="nofollow"
Google split one attribute into three in 2019. Here is what each one is for, how to write them, and where publishers still get it wrong.
Short answer
sponsored marks paid or advertising links. ugc marks links inside user-generated content such as comments and forum posts. nofollow is the general-purpose value for anything else you do not want treated as an endorsement. All three tell Google not to pass ranking credit.The three attributes
Until 2019 there was one blunt instrument: nofollow. Google then introduced two more specific values so publishers could describe why a link is not an endorsement, and kept nofollow as the catch-all.
rel="sponsored"— advertisements, sponsorships, affiliate links, paid placements, gifted-product reviews.rel="ugc"— links your users created: comments, forum posts, reviews, profile fields, submitted listings.rel="nofollow"— anything else you do not want to vouch for, and the safe fallback when nothing else fits.
Which one when
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Display ad or banner | sponsored | Money changed hands |
| Affiliate link | sponsored | Commission is compensation |
| Sponsored post from a brand | sponsored | Paid editorial |
| Blog comment | ugc | A reader wrote it, not you |
| Forum signature or post | ugc | Member-created content |
| Unmoderated submission form | ugc nofollow | User content plus zero review |
| Citing a source you dispute | nofollow | Reference without endorsement |
| Press release syndication | nofollow | Self-published, not editorial |
| A tool you genuinely recommend, unpaid | Nothing | This is a real endorsement |
Syntax and combining values
<!-- single value -->
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Our sponsor</a>
<!-- multiple values are space-separated -->
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored nofollow">Affiliate offer</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc nofollow">Reader-submitted link</a>
<!-- alongside unrelated rel values -->
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank">Ad</a>Space-separate, never comma-separate. Combining sponsored or ugc with nofollow is harmless and gives you coverage with any crawler that has not adopted the newer values.
Does the choice matter?
For ranking, not much: Google treats all three as hints not to pass credit. For accuracy, yes. The attributes describe your site truthfully, which is what you want if a human at Google ever reviews your outbound links, and what advertisers and regulators expect too. Using nofollow for everything is acceptable but lazy; using sponsored on organic editorial links is actively wrong, because you are declaring links paid that were not.
Common mistakes
- Comma-separating values.
rel="sponsored,nofollow"is invalid. Use a space. - Assuming a plugin handles it. Many affiliate and ad plugins insert plain followed links. Inspect a live page and confirm — the methods are in the checking guide.
- Marking your own internal links. These attributes are for outbound links. Never use them to control crawling of your own pages.
- Retrofitting nothing. If you have years of unmarked affiliate links, fix them in bulk now rather than one at a time later.
- Confusing the attribute with disclosure.
sponsoredtalks to crawlers. Readers still need a visible disclosure, which is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions.
For the bigger picture on which of your outbound links need marking at all, read when to use nofollow links, and for the fundamentals start at dofollow vs nofollow.
FAQ
What is the difference between sponsored, ugc and nofollow?
Sponsored marks links that are paid or part of an advertising arrangement. UGC marks links inside user-generated content such as comments and forum posts. Nofollow is the general-purpose value for any link you do not want treated as an endorsement.
Can you use rel sponsored and nofollow together?
Yes. Multiple rel values are space-separated, for example rel="sponsored nofollow". Combining them is safe and is a reasonable belt-and-braces approach for paid links.
Does it matter which one I use?
For ranking purposes all three are treated as hints not to pass credit, so using nofollow everywhere is not harmful. Using the specific value is still better because it describes your site accurately, which matters if your links are ever reviewed manually.
Put it into practice
Browse the directory to find the next backlink opportunity to act on.