Most websites need a disclosure page before you ever earn your first dollar from them. The moment you add an affiliate link, accept a sponsored post, or receive a free product in exchange for a review, you are required by the US Federal Trade Commission to make that clear to readers.
Most site owners know they need a disclosure but are not sure exactly what it should say or where it should go. It does not need to be complicated — a straightforward page that tells readers how your site earns money is all that is required. This guide covers what to write, how to publish it, and where to display it.
Quick Answer
Create a new page in WordPress called “Disclosure” or “Affiliate Disclosure,” write a short statement explaining that your site may earn commissions from affiliate links and that you only recommend products you trust, then add the page to your footer menu. Keep it plain prose — no legal jargon required.
Why This Matters
The FTC requires that websites in the United States disclose any financial relationship between the publisher and the products or services they recommend. This applies whether you use affiliate links, accept payment for reviews, or receive free products in exchange for coverage.
Beyond compliance, a disclosure builds trust. Readers appreciate knowing how a site earns money — it signals transparency rather than hidden agendas. In my experience, clearly disclosed affiliate content typically performs better than undisclosed content, because readers feel more confident acting on recommendations they understand.
A disclosure page in your footer is the baseline. For individual posts containing affiliate links, a brief note near the top of the post is also good practice and provides clearer per-post compliance. If you have already added affiliate links to WordPress, making sure a disclosure page exists is the next step.
How to Create a Disclosure Page in WordPress
Step 1 — Create a new page
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Pages → Add New. Give the page the title “Disclosure” or “Affiliate Disclosure.” The WordPress documentation on how to create a new page in WordPress walks through the process if you are doing this for the first time.
Leave the slug as “disclosure” or “affiliate-disclosure” — short and readable. Do not nest it under a parent page.
Step 2 — Write your disclosure statement
A disclosure does not need to be long. Two to four paragraphs covering the following is enough:
- That your site may earn commissions from affiliate links at no extra cost to the reader
- That sponsored or gifted content is identified when it appears
- That your opinions remain your own regardless of compensation
- How readers can contact you with questions about the site
Here is a simple structure you can adapt:
This site contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I have used myself or genuinely believe will be useful.
This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Write it in your own voice. A disclosure that sounds like a person wrote it is far more readable than a copied template, and readers respond better to it.
Step 3 — Publish the page
Set the status to Published. There is no need to set a featured image, a parent page, or a custom template — keep it simple.
Step 4 — Add it to your footer menu
Go to Appearance → Menus in WordPress. Select your footer menu (or create one if you do not have one). Under Pages, find your Disclosure page and add it to the menu. Save the menu. The link will now appear in your site footer on every page of the site.
What Your Disclosure Should Cover
A thorough disclosure page typically addresses:
- Affiliate relationships — a clear statement that the site uses affiliate links and may earn a commission when readers click and purchase
- Sponsored content — how you handle paid posts or paid collaborations
- Editorial independence — a statement that compensation does not influence your recommendations
- Product or service reception — a note if you receive free products for review
- Contact route — how readers can reach you with questions about your content
This does not need to be exhaustive. The goal is to give readers a clear picture of how the site operates commercially. You may also want to link to your privacy policy and terms and conditions from the disclosure page — keeping all legal pages connected makes them easier to find.
Practical Tips
- For posts with affiliate links, add a brief disclosure sentence near the top — “This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.” The footer page alone may not be sufficient for individual post compliance
- Review your disclosure annually — if your affiliate programmes or monetisation methods change, update the page to reflect them
- Keep it short — two to four paragraphs written plainly is better than three pages of legal language that no one reads
- Consider linking the disclosure from your site footer alongside Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions so all three appear together
Common Mistakes
- Burying it — a disclosure link buried in small text or only referenced inside the Privacy Policy is not sufficient. A dedicated page in the footer is the expected placement
- Being too vague — “this site may be compensated” is better than nothing but gives readers little context. Be specific about what types of relationships the disclosure covers
- Not updating it — if you add new affiliate programmes or change how your site earns money, update the disclosure to match
- Treating it as optional — if you earn from affiliate links or sponsored content targeting a US audience, disclosure is a legal requirement, not a best practice
Conclusion
A disclosure page takes less than an hour to write and publish. Write it clearly, keep it in your footer menu, and revisit it once a year as your monetisation evolves. It is one of the simplest things you can do to protect both your readers and your site. For a full picture of how to build and structure a WordPress site from the ground up, start with the step-by-step guide to building a WordPress website.
Etienne Basson works with website systems, SEO-driven site architecture, and technical implementation. He writes practical guides on building, structuring, and optimizing websites for long-term growth.