If you're asking "how many internal links per page for SEO is ideal," you're already thinking about a crucial part of a smart SEO strategy. The short answer is there's no single magic number that fits every page. Google's own experts have confirmed there isn't an optimal count.
Instead of chasing a specific number, the goal is to build a helpful, logical navigation path for both your users and search engine crawlers. This guide will walk you through the practical guidelines, showing you how to find the sweet spot for your website.
Why Quality Beats Quantity Every Time
Before we get into numbers, let's establish the golden rule: a few highly relevant internal links are far more valuable than dozens of random ones. Each link you add should serve a purpose, either by providing more context for the reader or guiding them to another useful page on your site.
Think of it this way: every link on a page passes a small amount of authority, often called "link equity." The more links you add, the more that equity is diluted among them. So, instead of asking how many internal links per page for SEO, a better question is, "which internal links will be most helpful here?" For most standard blog posts or content pages, this usually ends up being somewhere between 5 and 15 links. This isn't a strict rule, but a common sense range that keeps the page clean and useful.
The Old "100 Link Rule" Is Officially Dead
You might have heard an old SEO myth about keeping your links under 100 per page. This advice is completely outdated. Years ago, Google's crawlers had limitations, and the 100 link guideline was a technical recommendation to ensure a page could be fully indexed.
Today, Google's technology is far more advanced. Google engineers have stated they can process a "stupid high number" of links on a single page, essentially a number you'd only see on a spam site. Google's Search Essentials documentation even allows for a few thousand links as an upper limit, which is so high that most websites will never have to worry about it.
While there's no technical penalty for having 101 links, that doesn't mean you should go wild. A page loaded with hundreds of links creates a terrible user experience. That's why SEO resources like Moz have suggested a loose upper bound of around 150 links per page as a general best practice, focusing on usability rather than a technical constraint.
Scaling Internal Links with Content Length
A great way to determine a reasonable number of internal links is to look at the length of your content. Longer pages can naturally support more links without feeling cluttered.
Short Pages (Under 500 words)
For brief articles, product descriptions, or updates, aim for 3 to 5 internal links. On a short page, every link is more prominent, so make each one count. Cramming ten links into a 500 word post will look forced and can distract the reader. If you're unsure which on‑page elements to optimize before linking, use our on‑page SEO checklist.
Standard Pages (Around 1,000 words)
This is a common length for blog posts and service pages. Here, 5 to 10 internal links usually feels natural. This gives you enough room to link to your main "cornerstone" content, define key terms by linking to other articles, and include a call to action. A good guideline some experts follow is about 5 to 10 links per 1,000 words.
Long Form Content (2,000+ words)
On comprehensive pillar pages, ultimate guides, and in depth resources, you can easily include 10 to 20 or more internal links. Because these pages cover multiple subtopics, it's helpful to link out to more detailed articles on each one. With more text, you can spread the links out, adding one or two per section where they provide the most value.
Tailoring Links for Different Page Types
The purpose of a page should also dictate your linking strategy. Here's a look at how many internal links per page for SEO makes sense for different types of content.
Blog Posts and Articles
Informational content is perfect for building a strong internal linking web. Your goal here is to guide readers to more of your valuable content.
- Cornerstone Links: Add 3 to 5 links to your most important pillar pages or guides. This signals to Google that those pages are foundational to your site.
- Contextual Links: Include 3 to 7 links to other related articles that offer more detail on a specific term or concept mentioned in the post.
- Call to Action Links: It's perfectly fine to add 1 or 2 links to a relevant product or service page. For instance, an article about SEO tips can naturally link to a page describing your SEO services.
Product and Service Pages
For commercial pages, internal links should help users make a decision and convert, not distract them.
- Related Products: Linking to 5 to 7 similar or complementary products is a great way to cross sell and help users find what they need.
- Supporting Information: Add 1 to 3 links to helpful resources like a size guide, an FAQ page, or a case study. This builds trust and answers common questions.
- Conversion Paths: Include 2 to 3 links that support the conversion, like a link to your contact page, a demo request, or a store locator.
Homepages and Category Hubs
Your homepage and main category pages are navigational hubs and will naturally have more links. It's not uncommon for a homepage to have 50 or more links when you count the header, footer, and body content. The key here is organization. Use clear navigation menus, dropdowns, and structured sections to present these links logically. Don't just throw a giant list of links at the user, as this can be overwhelming and dilute the importance of your key pages.
Managing this structure across a growing site can be a full time job. This is where a fully managed SEO solution like Rankai comes in. The platform's experts and AI work together to ensure your internal linking structure is always optimized, guiding users and search engines to your most important content without you having to manually adjust links. You can also leverage SEO automation tools to speed up internal link maintenance.
The Dangers of Getting It Wrong
Finding the right balance for how many internal links per page for SEO is crucial, because both extremes can cause problems.
Too Many Internal Links
When a page is overloaded with links, it can look spammy and confuse visitors. This can lead to a high bounce rate. From an SEO perspective, it also dilutes the authority passed by each link, meaning your most important pages get less of a boost.
Too Few Internal Links
The biggest risk of under linking is creating orphan pages. These are pages with no internal links pointing to them, making them nearly invisible to both users and search engines. Orphan pages struggle to get indexed and almost never rank. A lack of links can also create dead ends for users, encouraging them to leave your site after viewing only one page.
If manually auditing your site for these issues sounds tedious, you're not wrong. A service like Rankai can run a technical SEO audit to instantly identify orphan pages and other linking issues, then put a strategy in place to fix them, ensuring every page on your site is part of a strong, interconnected network.
Your Internal Linking Checklist
So, how many internal links per page for SEO is the right amount? There is no single number, but by following these principles, you'll be on the right track.
- Focus on Relevance: Every link should be genuinely useful and relevant to the content on the page. If a link doesn't feel natural, leave it out.
- Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Use clear, descriptive text for your links (e.g., "our managed SEO services") instead of generic phrases like "click here."
- Prioritize Important Pages: Use internal links to send authority to your most valuable pages, like your top products or cornerstone content.
- Audit and Update Regularly: As you add new content, go back to older, relevant posts and add links to your new pages, and track progress with SEO reporting tools.
Internal linking is a powerful tool for improving user experience and boosting your SEO. By focusing on quality and user intent, you'll build a site structure that helps both people and search engines.
If you want to build a powerful internal linking strategy without the guesswork, Rankai offers a fully managed, expert and AI driven solution. We handle everything from technical audits to content creation, ensuring your site is perfectly optimized. Learn how we make enterprise grade SEO affordable for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best number of internal links per page for SEO?
There is no single best number. The ideal amount depends on the page's length, type, and purpose. A good starting point for most content pages is 5 to 15 relevant links. The key is to focus on quality and user experience, not a specific count.
Can you have too many internal links on a page?
Yes. While Google doesn't have a strict limit, overloading a page with links can hurt the user experience, dilute link equity, and make your page look spammy. It's better to have fewer, high quality links than a huge number of irrelevant ones.
Do links in the header and footer count as internal links?
Absolutely. All links on a page that point to other pages on the same domain, including navigational links in your header, footer, and sidebars, are considered internal links by search engines.
How do I find pages with too few internal links?
You can use SEO crawling tools (like Screaming Frog) or a comprehensive SEO platform—see our list of top SEO tools—to audit your site. These tools can identify "orphan pages" (pages with zero internal links) or pages that are many clicks deep from the homepage, indicating they are not well integrated into your site structure.
Does the number of internal links affect my crawl budget?
For most websites, this is not a major concern. However, if a page has an extremely high number of links, it could cause search engine crawlers to spend more time on that page, potentially at the expense of discovering other important content. A clean, logical link structure is always more efficient for crawling.
Should I link to the same page multiple times from one article?
Generally, no. The first link to a specific URL is the one that search engines like Google typically count for passing anchor text signals. Adding more links to the same page within the same content usually doesn't provide any extra SEO benefit and can clutter the page for readers.
