Native Advertising Insights—

Content Recommendation Widgets

Recommendation widgets are a form of native advertising where an ad or paid content link is delivered via a "widget."

Recommendation widgets are a form of native advertising where an ad or paid content link is delivered via a "widget."

A common recommendation widget unit is integrated into the main well of the page, does not mimic the appearance of the editorial content feed, links to a page off the site, has not been sold with a guaranteed placement, and is measured on brand metrics such as interaction and brand lift, and will fit into this framework as follows:

Commonly used disclosure language for content recommendation widgets
These units contain up to three disclosure cues.

  • Cue #1 – This language is typically found above the listings in bold type: “You might also like” or “You might like”, “Elsewhere from around the web” or “From around the web”, “You may have missed”, “Recommended for you”.
  • Cue #2 – The name of the sponsor or the destination site is placed after the visual and/or the headline in the unit, noting that this format may contain both local and third-party content in the same overall unit.
  • Cue #3 – If served via a third party, the technology provider may also include their company name or logo to further indicate to consumers that the content contained therein is not coming from the publisher. E.g., “Recommended by Outbrain” or “Sponsored content by Taboola”.