Conflict of Interest Disclosure
A statement disclosing any commercial, personal or financial relationships that could bias content.
Key takeaways
- Conflict of Interest Disclosure is a statement disclosing any commercial, personal or financial relationships that could bias content.
- Disclose affiliate links, sponsorships and partnerships near the content they affect.
- Avoid: hiding affiliate relationships in a footer link.
What is Conflict of Interest Disclosure?
COI disclosures are expected on review content, sponsored posts and affiliate articles. Hiding them is one of the fastest ways to fail a quality rater check.
Why Conflict of Interest Disclosure matters for EEAT in 2026
Disclosing conflicts of interest lets readers weigh your recommendations fairly. Hidden commercial relationships, once spotted, can undermine trust in everything else you publish.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full EEAT glossary or explore the Strategy and Audits service we run for clients.
How to apply Conflict of Interest Disclosure on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put Conflict of Interest Disclosure into practice on your own pages:
- Disclose affiliate links, sponsorships and partnerships near the content they affect.
- Say so when you rank or review your own products or services.
- Keep a full list on a transparency page.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with Conflict of Interest Disclosure fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Hiding affiliate relationships in a footer link.
- Reviewing your own services without saying so.
- Using vague language that doesn't explain the relationship.
Questions about Conflict of Interest Disclosure
A statement disclosing any commercial, personal or financial relationships that could bias content.
Disclosing conflicts of interest lets readers weigh your recommendations fairly. Hidden commercial relationships, once spotted, can undermine trust in everything else you publish.
Start here: disclose affiliate links, sponsorships and partnerships near the content they affect. Then say so when you rank or review your own products or services.
The most common is hiding affiliate relationships in a footer link. Another is reviewing your own services without saying so.