Do I Need an FTC Disclosure on My Site?

Do I have to put an affiliate disclosure statement on my website?

If you use any kind of links or advertising on your website where you receive monetary income if someone clicks on the link or advertisement, then yes, you absolutely must use an affiliate disclosure. 

You also must use a disclosure statement if you receive a free or discounted product in exchange for a review. This includes reviews that you give on Amazon or any other website as well, except it needs to specifically be stated within the review.

First, what is an affiliate disclosure statement?

An affiliate disclosure statement is a short statement that says you receive monetary compensation if someone clicks on the links on your website or within your content. It doesn’t matter how many links or advertisements you use, you still have to include the statement near the link. 

Take a look at the one on the top of my page for an example. I had a colleague once tell me that it looks tacky, and while I couldn’t agree more from a design perspective, at least I know I’m following the rules, being transparent with my site visitors, and won’t run into any trouble with the FTC.

The statement I have on the top of my page is considered a blanket statement, in which I also include a link to a more detailed page. This isn’t necessary, but I prefer it since I have such a simple statement on the top of my page. 

If you only have a few posts where you have an affiliate link then you only have to include the statement on those specific posts. 

I don’t necessarily have affiliate links within every single post, but there are ads on the sidebar, at the top, and bottom of the pages even if they aren’t within the content. You can use widgets and have it set up so that it just appears on every single page so you don’t have to keep writing it over and over.  

One thing that’s clear, according to the law is that you must have your affiliate disclosure statement so that your visitors see it right away. There are some website owners who generate their fortune just from affiliate earnings and they only put a tiny link at the bottom of their page which is totally wrong and could get them into a lot of trouble. 

Earning a little extra money, or turning your website into a full-time income, is an easy and perfectly honest means of work. Just be sure that you follow the simple rules that are in place so that you don’t run into difficulties. 

If you have any questions regarding affiliate link usage on your website, please don’t hesitate to ask, I’m happy to help you in any way I can. 

All the best success,