Online Advertising and Marketing

Whether advertising in print, on radio or TV, or on the Internet, it’s important to disclose the details of the deal up front. This publication offers practical tips on how to make effective disclosures online.

Advertising on the Internet? The rules that apply to other forms of advertising apply to online marketing, too. These standards protect businesses and consumers – and help maintain the credibility of the Internet as an advertising medium.

Do you sell products by mail, by phone, or online? This publication discusses what the FTC's Mail Order Rule covers, offers how-to compliance advice, answers common questions, explains where to go for more information – and includes a copy of the Rule.

If you use email in your business, you need to know about the CAN-SPAM Act. The law establishes requirements for commercial messages and gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them. The FTC enforces the CAN-SPAM Act and the accompanying CAN-SPAM Rule.

The Consumer Review Fairness Act protects consumers’ ability to share their honest opinions about a business’s products, services, or conduct in any forum – and that includes social media. The FTC has tips to help your company comply with the law.

By selling your goods online, you can potentially reach customers in every country of the world. But this can pose challenges if you’ve never shipped overseas. These guidelines answer questions about taxes, duties, customs laws, and more.

People who rely on online reviews of companies, products, and services should be getting an accurate picture of what other consumers think. If you operate a website or platform that features reviews, have processes in place to ensure those reviews truly reflect the feedback received from genuine customers.

Answers to questions people are asking about the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, including information about disclosing material connections between advertisers and endorsers. The brochure also addresses how those established consumer protection principles apply in social media and influencer marketing.

If your business is an online marketplace or a "high-volume third party seller" on one of those platforms, the INFORM Consumers Act requires certain information collection, verification, and disclosure requirements. 

Attention app developers! Basic truth-in-advertising and privacy principles apply to your product. It’s important to give the straight story about what your app can do and be transparent about your privacy practices. This start-from-scratch publication from the FTC reminds you to consider your choices from the user's perspective.

Marketers and publishers are using innovative methods to create, format, and deliver digital advertising. One form is “native advertising,” content that bears a similarity to the news, feature articles, product reviews, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online. But as native advertising evolves, are consumers able to differentiate advertising from other content?

Online charitable giving portals must ensure that their efforts to provide more giving options do not inadvertently create donor confusion or violate advertising law principles. Here’s some guidance on how to do that.

This article is part of the FTC’s efforts to help small business owners avoid scams. It explains common scams that target small businesses and non-profit organizations, describes scammers’ tactics, and provides steps people can take to protect their company from scams. Copies can be ordered for free at ftc.gov/bulkorder.

If you’re selling goods or services online, it pays to know the ground rules for making promises about shipments, notifying consumers about unexpected delays, and refunding consumers' money.

Consumers rely on online reviews in deciding what to buy. But some businesses abuse that trust by writing or procuring fake reviews or by paying supposedly independent websites for good rankings. Is your company taking steps to avoid that kind of deception and manipulation?

Do you sell products on online platforms? If you meet the definition of a "high-volume third party seller," the INFORM Consumers Act may impact your business. The FTC has more information about the law.