How many links home on a page?

[robertrRSwalters]

We are planning on a mega menu which will have around 300 links and a mega slider which will have around 175 links if our developer has their way.

In all I could be looking at over 500 links from the home page.

The Mega Menu will flatten the site link structure out but I am worried this slider on the home page which is our 4th most visited page behind our 3 core category pages.

What are your thoughts?

[irvingw]

I would suggest not more than  100 links on a PR 5 home page and  50 links on a PR 4 home page or otherwise risk spreading your page juice too thin for any pages to rank.  However, the most important rule of thumb is that all links should have user value and SEO value. I would change the developer to someone  who understands how to design a site for users and search engines

[robertrRSwalters]

Thanks Irving

This isn't going to happen. We are going to have close to 300 links on the home page. It will mean a nice flat site structure and better usability.

I think 500 is too much.

I watched a Google Webmaster video with Darth Cutts and he said that 100 link rule is old hat now but the logic of what you suggest makes a ton of sense to me.

I am thinking there will be an element of taking Google at their word and designing for the 'User Experience'.

[Dr-Pete]

I wrote a post about this last year, but the logic is in line with what Irving said - it's really a question of dilution:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-many-links-is-too-many

I would say, as someone who used to do a lot of usability work - don't assume more choices is better for users. I'm amazed how often people don't even see mega-menus or click on roughly none of them. I'd strongly recommend user testing and probably firing up something like CrazyEgg to click map. You may be surprised at how many links people never see or use. I think flat architecture has its merits, but putting all of the choices up front is rarely the boon for visitors that people expect it to be.