External Link Rel Checker
Paste your HTML and your website address. See every outbound link with its rel value, plus a warning for links to sites you earn from that are not marked sponsored.
Worked examples
An affiliate link with no tag
<a href="https://shop.partner.com/a">Buy</a> (partner.com listed as a site you earn from)
Problem: Links to a site you earn from but has no rel="sponsored".
Change the link to rel="sponsored" and the problem clears.
A new tab without noopener
<a href="https://x.org" target="_blank">X</a>
Warning: Opens in a new tab with no rel="noopener".
Add rel="noopener" to cover older browsers.
About External Link Rel Checker
Links that leave your site can carry a rel value that tells search engines how to treat them. Sponsored is for advertising, affiliate links and anything you are rewarded for. Ugc is for links added by visitors, such as comments and forum posts. Nofollow says you do not want to vouch for the target. Getting this wrong matters: links you are rewarded for that are not marked can break the rules search engines publish for site owners.
Paste the HTML of a page and your own website address, and this checker lists every outbound link with its anchor text, rel values and whether it opens in a new tab. It adds up how many links use each value and which sites you link to most. If you list the shops and partner sites you earn from, it warns about any link to them that is not marked sponsored, and it warns about links that open a new tab without rel noopener.
How to use External Link Rel Checker
- Copy the HTML of the page you want to audit.
- Paste it into the first box and type your own website address in the second.
- Optionally list the partner or affiliate sites you earn from, one per line.
- Read the checks and the link table, then fix the tags in your page.
Common uses
- Auditing a review page full of affiliate links
- Checking that sponsored posts mark their links correctly
- Reviewing user comments for unmarked outbound links
- Finding links that open in new tabs without noopener
Frequently asked questions
When should I use rel sponsored?
Use it on any link where you receive something in return: payment, a commission, a gift or any other reward. It is the value search engines ask site owners to use for advertising and affiliate links.
What is the difference between nofollow and sponsored?
Nofollow is a general instruction not to pass your endorsement. Sponsored and ugc are more specific versions that say why. You can use sponsored on its own, and search engines treat all three as hints.
Do I need noopener on links that open a new tab?
Current browsers treat a new-tab link as noopener by default, so the risk is small. Adding rel noopener still protects visitors with older browsers, and the checker mentions it as a warning.
Why must I enter my own address?
So links to your own site are left out. Without it, a full link such as https://example.co.uk/page would look like an outbound link.
Does nofollow stop a page being visited?
No. It only tells search engines not to treat the link as an endorsement. Visitors can still click it, and crawlers may still follow it as a hint.