diff --git a/docs/features/software-catalog/well-known-annotations.md b/docs/features/software-catalog/well-known-annotations.md
index 795bf15621..3c8f836aed 100644
--- a/docs/features/software-catalog/well-known-annotations.md
+++ b/docs/features/software-catalog/well-known-annotations.md
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ The value of this annotation is a location reference string (see above). If this
 annotation is specified, it is expected to point to a repository that the
 TechDocs system can read and generate docs from.
 
-### backstage.io/browser-view-url, backstage.io/browser-edit-url, backstage.io/browser-source-url
+### backstage.io/browser-view-url, backstage.io/browser-edit-url
 
 ```yaml
 # Example:
@@ -78,16 +78,26 @@ metadata:
   annotations:
     backstage.io/browser-view-url: https://some.website/catalog-info.yaml
     backstage.io/browser-edit-url: https://github.com/my-org/catalog/edit/master/my-service.jsonnet
-    backstage.io/browser-source-url: https://github.com/my-org/my-service
 ```
 
 These annotations allow customising links from the catalog pages. The view URL
 should point to the canonical metadata YAML that governs this entity. The edit
-URL should point to the source file for the metadata. The source URL should
-point to the source code of the entity itself (where relevant, i.e. when the
-entity is a `Component`). In the example above, `my-org` generates its catalog
-data from Jsonnet files in a monorepo, and so for the `my-service` component, we
-need three custom links.
+URL should point to the source file for the metadata. In the example above,
+`my-org` generates its catalog data from Jsonnet files in a monorepo, so the
+view and edit links need changing.
+
+### backstage.io/source-location
+
+```yaml
+# Example:
+metadata:
+  annotations:
+    backstage.io/source-location: github:https://github.com/my-org/my-service
+```
+
+A `Location` reference that points to the source code of the entity (typically a
+`Component`). Useful when catalog files do not get ingested from the source code
+repository itself.
 
 ### jenkins.io/github-folder
 
diff --git a/packages/catalog-model/src/location/annotation.ts b/packages/catalog-model/src/location/annotation.ts
index 93f2fabea4..ba875c3edf 100644
--- a/packages/catalog-model/src/location/annotation.ts
+++ b/packages/catalog-model/src/location/annotation.ts
@@ -17,3 +17,5 @@
 export const LOCATION_ANNOTATION = 'backstage.io/managed-by-location';
 export const ORIGIN_LOCATION_ANNOTATION =
   'backstage.io/managed-by-origin-location';
+
+export const SOURCE_LOCATION_ANNOTATION = 'backstage.io/source-location';
diff --git a/packages/catalog-model/src/location/index.ts b/packages/catalog-model/src/location/index.ts
index 8fd516120a..6cfb074613 100644
--- a/packages/catalog-model/src/location/index.ts
+++ b/packages/catalog-model/src/location/index.ts
@@ -20,4 +20,8 @@ export {
   locationSpecSchema,
   analyzeLocationSchema,
 } from './validation';
-export { LOCATION_ANNOTATION, ORIGIN_LOCATION_ANNOTATION } from './annotation';
+export {
+  LOCATION_ANNOTATION,
+  ORIGIN_LOCATION_ANNOTATION,
+  SOURCE_LOCATION_ANNOTATION,
+} from './annotation';
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.test.tsx
index dfca528716..e99ec056d2 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.test.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { EntityProvider } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-react';
+import { SOURCE_LOCATION_ANNOTATION } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
 import React from 'react';
 import { AboutCard } from './AboutCard';
@@ -135,8 +136,8 @@ describe('<AboutCard /> custom links', () => {
           'backstage.io/managed-by-location':
             'bitbucket:https://bitbucket.org/backstage/backstage/src/master/software.yaml',
           'backstage.io/browser-edit-url': 'https://another.place',
-          'backstage.io/browser-source-url':
-            'https://another.place/backstage.git',
+          [SOURCE_LOCATION_ANNOTATION]:
+            'url:https://another.place/backstage.git',
         },
       },
       spec: {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.tsx
index ee42281d31..6a13d78d14 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/AboutCard/AboutCard.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@
 
 import {
   Entity,
+  LocationSpec,
   ENTITY_DEFAULT_NAMESPACE,
+  SOURCE_LOCATION_ANNOTATION,
   RELATION_PROVIDES_API,
 } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { HeaderIconLinkRow } from '@backstage/core';
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@ import EditIcon from '@material-ui/icons/Edit';
 import ExtensionIcon from '@material-ui/icons/Extension';
 import GitHubIcon from '@material-ui/icons/GitHub';
 import React from 'react';
-import { findLocationForEntityMeta } from '../../data/utils';
+import { findLocationForEntityMeta, parseLocation } from '../../data/utils';
 import { findEditUrl, determineUrlType } from '../actions';
 import { AboutContent } from './AboutContent';
 
@@ -60,23 +62,35 @@ type CodeLinkInfo = {
   href?: string;
 };
 
+function getSourceLocationForEntity(
+  entity: Entity,
+  location?: LocationSpec,
+): LocationSpec | undefined {
+  const annotation = entity.metadata?.annotations?.[SOURCE_LOCATION_ANNOTATION];
+  const parsed = annotation && parseLocation(annotation);
+
+  return parsed || location;
+}
+
 function getCodeLinkInfo(entity: Entity): CodeLinkInfo {
-  let sourceUrl =
-    entity.metadata?.annotations?.['backstage.io/browser-source-url'];
   const location = findLocationForEntityMeta(entity?.metadata);
   const editUrl = findEditUrl(entity, location);
+  let sourceLocation = getSourceLocationForEntity(entity, location);
 
   if (location) {
-    sourceUrl = sourceUrl || location.target;
+    sourceLocation = sourceLocation || location;
     const type =
-      location.type === 'url' ? determineUrlType(sourceUrl) : location.type;
+      sourceLocation.type === 'url'
+        ? determineUrlType(sourceLocation.target)
+        : sourceLocation.type;
     return {
       edithref: editUrl,
       icon: iconMap[type],
-      href: sourceUrl,
+      href: sourceLocation.target,
     };
   }
-  return { edithref: editUrl, href: sourceUrl };
+
+  return { edithref: editUrl, href: sourceLocation?.target };
 }
 
 type AboutCardProps = {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/data/utils.ts b/plugins/catalog/src/data/utils.ts
index df14875092..ec63d94754 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/data/utils.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/data/utils.ts
@@ -32,13 +32,17 @@ export function findLocationForEntityMeta(
     return undefined;
   }
 
-  const separatorIndex = annotation.indexOf(':');
+  return parseLocation(annotation);
+}
+
+export function parseLocation(reference: string): LocationSpec | undefined {
+  const separatorIndex = reference.indexOf(':');
   if (separatorIndex === -1) {
     return undefined;
   }
 
   return {
-    type: annotation.substring(0, separatorIndex),
-    target: annotation.substring(separatorIndex + 1),
+    type: reference.substring(0, separatorIndex),
+    target: reference.substring(separatorIndex + 1),
   };
 }