SEO Update: How Many Links Am I Allowed On One Page?

In the SEO consultancy world, a big puzzler has always been, how many links am I allowed on one page? This has vexed webmasters for years.

The rule of thumb, prior to a very recent update from Google’s search supremo Max Cutts, was that a page could only really sustain 100 links.

Now, following the Cutts clarification in a Google webmasters video, the situation appears a little clearer.

The good news is that Google is no longer hung up on the amount of links that any one page can have. Indeed, the old guideline of 100 links only, was thrown out of the window prior to 2008. The bad news is that if Google thinks that the links are spammy then, uh oh, you’ll get hit.

Which, when you think of it, has a certain sense of logic. Google is on the warpath against any site which does not offer a rich user experience and that means listening to their mantra of quality and relevance. If you fill your site with anything spammy, from links through to content, then you will be punished by Google.

There were thousands of sites with more than 100 links on their home page and as many SEO consultancy experts figured out, they survive and prosper. So the 100 link theory didn’t hold water anyway.

But in a rare explanation which involves finite figures, Cutts has now cleared up this tricky question. You can have more than 100 links on any one page, but woe betide if they are spammy.

Now, the focus has shifted to what is spammy. And if you’re stuck with that, perhaps you’ll need some help!