Ad Disclosure for Affiliate Links UK: How to Label Them

What to take away

Why commission links are ads in the ASA's eyes

The CAP Code defines an advertisement by its purpose, not by who paid for the placement. CAP Code rule 2.1 requires marketing communications to be obviously identifiable as such.

When a retailer pays you a share of each sale, the link is an inducement to buy, and the ASA's online affiliate marketing guidance says that relationship must be made clear.

The same logic applies to influencer marketing. The ASA's guidance on recognising ads in social media covers content created for reward, including commission earned through tracked links.

There is no minimum earnings threshold. A blogger earning a small commission on a handful of sales faces the same labelling duty as a national publisher.

The ASA's enforcement route is a published ruling. If it upholds a complaint, the advertiser is named on the ASA website and the decision can appear in search results.

What a compliant label looks like

The label needs to be understood without effort. Place it at the start of the line, before the reader reaches the link, and use plain words. The table below shows common approaches and how each is likely to be read.

Compliant blog line: "#ad We earn commission if you buy through this link. Shop the jacket."

Non-compliant blog line: "The jacket I keep reaching for is linked here, with affiliate links noted in the footer."

Labelling links across formats: a short sequence

Where the CMA and consumer law come in

The Competition and Markets Authority enforces the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), which ban misleading commercial practices. Its remit overlaps the ASA's: an unlabelled affiliate link can mislead a shopper about why a product is being recommended.

The CMA can take enforcement action through the courts, so an unlabelled link is a commercial risk, not only a reputation one.

Building disclosure into your affiliate agreement

If you work with a brand or an affiliate network, your influencer contract clauses should say who writes the label and where it goes. That protects both sides if a complaint lands.

A written clause also settles the awkward case where a retailer asks you to keep a commission link quiet. Put the labelling duty in the agreement so you can point to it.

Record keeping and review

Keep dated screenshots of live content with the labels visible. If the ASA receives a complaint months later, you will need to show what the page looked like on the day. A dated screenshot is the simplest evidence.

Affiliate networks update their tracking and commission terms from time to time, so a label added years ago may no longer match how a link works.

If a post mixes commission links with gifted products, you will also need the gifted items disclosure rules that sit alongside these labels.

Common questions

Do I have to label every affiliate link, or only the first one?

Label the first link clearly. That usually means once per section.

Is "affiliate link" enough as a label?

No. The ASA expects readers to recognise advertising, so the label must signal a commercial relationship. Use #ad or a plain phrase such as 'paid link' next to the link itself.

Can I put the disclosure on a site-wide disclosure page?

Not on its own. A general page is useful background, but a reader arriving from search or a social feed may never see it.

Will an #ad label put readers off clicking?

Readers rarely object to a clear label. The commercial risk sits with the unlabelled link, which can attract an ASA ruling and enforcement action from the CMA.