Rehber

When does a sponsored article work, and when doesn't it?

Where sponsored articles work and where they cause trouble: the hidden advertising rule and Google's principle on paid links.

WyvOne Editör · 06.11.2026

A band announces its new album and sends a sponsored article to a publication, and the piece runs without a "sponsored" or "advertisement" label, as if it were news the editor had picked. For the reader the difference may seem small. Legally and for search engines, it has separate consequences. This article explains when a sponsored article does its job, when it doesn't, and when it causes problems. We cover how to choose a publication in a separate article.

Where it works: when there is something to tell

A sponsored article works when there is a concrete event that will interest readers: an exhibition opening, a festival programme, a newly released book or album, an anniversary event. If the publication already sees this as news, the piece may even cost you nothing. In that case the piece gains meaning together with the event itself.

There is also the lifespan of the article. The event ends; the article stays. A sponsored article is therefore better suited to putting on record an event with a clear date, place and name. In empty announcements like "we are setting out on a new path", the reader has nothing to hold on to.

Where it doesn't: an article written to get a link

Many people use sponsored articles to get a link to a website and rank higher in searches. Google's spam policies address exactly this point: getting links in exchange for money, goods or services in order to influence rankings, or even sending free products in exchange for a linked article, counts as link spam. Using keyword-targeted anchor text in paid articles also falls under this.

The same policies do not ban sponsored content. Buying and selling links for advertising and sponsorship is mentioned as an ordinary part of the web economy, as long as the link is qualified. According to Google's links documentation, the preferred value for paid placements is rel="sponsored"; rel="nofollow" is also acceptable. In other words, if you get a paid link, you need to tell the search engine. Buying a link without having it marked may not help your rankings and may even hurt them; the exact outcome is hard to predict.

In Turkey, advertising has to look like advertising

In the 2015 text of the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices (Ticari Reklam ve Haksız Ticari Uygulamalar Yönetmeliği), hidden advertising is defined as follows: presenting a product, service, brand or company name in articles, news or programmes for promotional purposes without stating that it is advertising. Article 6 of the same text requires that an advertisement, in whatever form or medium, be clearly recognisable as an advertisement and distinguishable from editorial content. Article 22 bans hidden advertising in every kind of communication medium.

Enforcing these rules is the job of the Advertising Board (Reklam Kurulu). According to the Ministry of Trade's page, the Board relies on Article 61 of Consumer Protection Law No. 6502; it can stop an advertisement, ask for a correction, impose fines and, if needed, suspend an advertisement for up to three months. A consumer, an institution or a competing company can file a complaint; the Board can also open an inquiry on its own.

This is the 2015 version of the text. The regulation was amended in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete) No. 33297 of 1 July 2026, and the changes came into force on 1 August 2026. According to the Ministry of Trade, influencers must now use the word "reklam" (advertisement) or "tanıtım" (promotion) in posts for which they receive a benefit. We summarised the new rules in a separate news article.

When deciding on a sponsored article

Three questions work well in practice. One: is there a real, verifiable event to report in the article? Two: if the article is in a paid publication or involves some compensation, can the reader see that? Three: if the link to our site is paid, has it been qualified?

If the answers are "yes, yes, yes", the article will not cause problems for readers or for search engines. If one of the answers is "no", either the article has to change or you have to take another route. Buying a link and expecting rankings to rise on their own is not a reliable path, for the reasons described above.