Advertorials and the law
Advertorials must be clearly labeled as advertising, for example “Sponsored” or “Advertisement”, so readers aren’t misled into thinking they are reading independent journalism. Consumer protection and marketing laws in the EU, the US and elsewhere require this.
Advertorials and SEO
Links in a paid article are paid links. Google requires them to be marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow", and buying articles with followed links to boost rankings breaks Google’s link spam policies. Publishers that sell such articles at scale can also be penalized for site reputation abuse.
When advertorials work
- When the article is genuinely useful to the publication’s readers.
- When the publication’s audience matches your customers.
- When success is measured by readers, leads and sales, not by links.
Advertorial example
A skincare brand pays a lifestyle website to publish “How to build a morning routine for dry skin”. The article is helpful, mentions the brand’s moisturiser and carries a visible “Sponsored” label at the top. Links to the brand’s shop are marked rel=”sponsored”. The brand measures success by visits to the product page and sales, not by the number of links.
Checklist for a compliant advertorial
- Label it clearly as an advertisement or sponsored content, near the top.
- Make every claim true and provable.
- Mark paid links with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.
- Write for the publication’s readers first and the brand second.
- Follow the rules of the country where the audience lives.
Advertorial mistakes
- Hiding the sponsorship, which can mislead readers and break advertising law.
- Paying for followed links to improve rankings.
- Publishing the same text on many sites.
- Choosing a site only for its authority, with an audience that does not match yours.
Advertorial FAQs
What is the difference between an advertorial and a guest post?
An advertorial is paid for and labeled. A guest post is usually written for free in exchange for an author credit. Paid guest posts with followed links break Google’s link rules. See nofollow links.
What is native advertising?
Ads designed to look like the content around them. Related: display ads and paid advertising.
How to measure an advertorial
Use a tracking link with UTM parameters so you can see visits, sign-ups and sales from the article in your analytics. Look at how long readers stay and whether they go on to the product page. A well-read advertorial that sells is worth more than one that only earns a link.