Are duplicate links on same page alright?

[dkamen]

If I have a homepage with category links, is it alright for those category links to appear in the footer as well, or should you never have duplicate links on one page? Can you please give a reason why as well? Thanks!

[EGOL]

For a general answer... I have zero concerns about two (or even three) links to the same URL on a single page of my website.  I place links when it makes editorial sense and when it  is helpful to my visitors.

Although I have not heard any specific information about how google handles duplicate links on a page I doubt that they find a problem with it.  Why should they?  In my opinion, linking to the same URL two or three times on a page can be a signal of its importance.

[RyanKent]

Duplicate links on a page are fine. As EGOL shared, you only want to offer a duplicate link when it makes sense and offers a benefit to users.

The SEO community all seems to agree only the first link is counted with respect to Google, but I have been unable to locate an authority such as Matt Cutts who provides a response confirming this information.