Legal · Legal document
A material commercial relationship should be visible where it can influence a recommendation.
This disclosure explains how affiliate links, referral fees, sponsorships, free access, partnerships, and other material relationships are identified, reviewed, and separated from editorial judgement.
Operative document
Semantec SEO Affiliate and Commercial Relationship Disclosure
Reviewed 15 August 2026
Owner: Kevin Maguire trading as Semantec SEO
1. Current disclosure position
Semantec SEO should publish an affiliate or sponsorship disclosure only for relationships that actually exist. This page does not state that a particular affiliate programme, paid placement, or sponsorship is active unless the current relationship register confirms it.
Where no material relationship exists, the page or comparison should not imply one.
2. What counts as a material relationship
A relationship can be material when Semantec SEO, Kevin Maguire, or another contributor receives or may receive money, commission, free access, discounts, products, services, investment, employment, partnership benefit, or another advantage connected to a recommendation or mention.
A relationship can also be material when a close personal or business connection could reasonably affect how a reader interprets the content.
3. Placement and clarity
The disclosure should appear close to the recommendation, comparison, link, or content it qualifies and before the reader acts where practical.
A generic footer statement is not enough when the relationship is material to a specific page, table, review, email, video, or social post.
4. Affiliate links and commissions
An affiliate link may allow Semantec SEO to receive a commission or other benefit if a reader clicks, signs up, or purchases. The reader should be told that the relationship exists and whether the price is affected where known.
The existence of a commission must not be presented as evidence that the product is better, safer, more suitable, or endorsed by a third party.
5. Sponsorship, free access, and review copies
Paid sponsorship, gifted access, review copies, event support, travel, free services, and other benefits should be disclosed in language a reasonable reader can understand.
Editorial claims must still be supported by evidence, and negative or limiting information must not be hidden because of the relationship.
6. Comparison and recommendation standards
A commercial relationship must not determine the comparison question, criteria, evidence, or verdict without disclosure.
Comparison pages should state fit, non-fit, trade-offs, current source dates, unknown values, and the basis of the recommendation. A paid relationship does not create a universal winner.
7. Relationship register
| Field | Required record |
|---|---|
| Party | Legal and trading identity of the related organisation |
| Relationship | Affiliate, referral, sponsorship, free access, partnership, ownership, employment, or other |
| Benefit | Payment, commission, discount, access, services, or other value |
| Content affected | Pages, links, reviews, comparisons, media, or campaigns |
| Start and end | Effective dates and termination state |
| Disclosure wording | Approved visible statement and placement |
| Owner and review | Accountable person and next review trigger |
8. Editorial independence and conflicts
Semantec SEO may decline or end a commercial relationship where it requires misleading claims, hidden conditions, suppression of relevant limitations, or control that conflicts with editorial standards.
Material relationships and conflicts follow the Conflicts and Disclosures standard.
9. Report an omission
Send a suspected undisclosed relationship to privacy@semantecseo.com with the page, link, party, date, evidence, and requested correction.
Official and first-party references.
The published legal document remains subject to mandatory law, the order confirmation, and current provider terms.
CCPC Consumer Rights Act guidance
Official Irish consumer and service information context.
Semantec SEO Disclaimer
First-party no-endorsement and claim boundary.
Google helpful content guidance
Official people-first and trust-oriented content questions.
Use the document that owns the question.
Specific policies control their own subject and should not be replaced by a summary elsewhere.
Owned route
Conflicts and Disclosures
Relationship register, reviewer separation, and escalation.
Open route →
Owned route
Editorial Standards
Evidence, comparison, byline, and publication standards.
Open route →
Owned route
Claims and Substantiation
Evidence requirements for commercial claims.
Open route →
Owned route
Corrections Policy
Correction and disclosure repair process.
Open route →
Owned route
Disclaimer
No endorsement or result inference.
Open route →
Owned route
Contact
Relationship and correction route.
Open route →