More Than 100 Inbound Links on a Home Page

Is it really that bad a practice?

[bouncybunny]

I've read in various places, with regards to Google indexing mainly, over the years how no single page should have more than 100 links on it.

One of my sites has a home page with closer to 150 links to other parts of the site. Some are permanent sections, other links change/are replaced/moved internally over time as news events happen and so on.

Some of the inbound links are duplicated two or three times, simply because it seemed natural at the time of writing to hyperlink a certain phrase (there is a certain amount of introductory text on the home page).

The site is fairly old and well indexed, but I sometimes wonder if I am doing it a disservice by not redesigning the home page (which I really am loathe to do) and culling some of the repetitions of links.

Any thoughts?

[leadegroot]

The '100 links' is more of a guideline, and is a little out of date. It used to be that google's processes could not handle particularly large pages. Thats no longer the case.

Aha! Found the ref: [mattcutts.com...]

so 'don't overdo it' would seem to be a better guideline.

[pageoneresults]

Some of the inbound links are duplicated two or three times, simply because it seemed natural at the time of writing to hyperlink a certain phrase (there is a certain amount of introductory text on the home page).

I've been on a mission to rid pages of what I feel are "too many" links. In fact, I recently did a major menu overhaul and trimmed out a bunch of links that may have been detracting from the overall relevancy of the targeted pages/sections.

After a recent discussion on the use of

rel="nofollow"

I was reformed and have now been using it judiciously in trimming down all link references on a page to just one, the most relevant one. Usually the one surrounded by relevant text. My goal? To only have "one" link reference that counts in the overall equation from an indexing standpoint.

I've also found that "light pages" perform better from a user perspective. Lots of white space, not too much of one thing, proper balance is key. Navigation menus can be a real bear for some, including myself. ;)

[bouncybunny]

Indeed, what with text links next to an accompanying graphic, which also has the same link destination... it can be tough task.

If this wasn't the home page, it wouldn't be difficult for me.