In short: For most advertorials, one to three links are enough: one to the page that answers the reader's next question, optionally a second to a related page, and sometimes a reference to an authoritative source. Place them where they help the reader, vary the anchors and choose the target page by relevance rather than by habit.
The short answer: one to three links
When people ask how many links in a sponsored article is acceptable, they usually hope for a single number. There is none that works everywhere, but there is a range that works almost everywhere: one to three. One link is often the strongest choice. Two cover most cases where you want to send readers both to a service and to a supporting resource. A third can be used for an authoritative source. Beyond that, the text starts to resemble a directory of commercial pages.
The number is not a technical rule. It reflects three practical pressures. Readers lose trust in a text that is dotted with links to the same company. Editors may refuse texts that look like link vehicles. And, from a search point of view, a small number of well-placed, relevant links is easier to defend as natural than a dense cluster. Google's documentation on spam policies warns against link schemes designed to manipulate rankings, so it is in your interest to keep links modest and relevant.
Placing the link is only one decision. If you are planning a campaign of SEO advertorial publishing, bear in mind that what the link points to, what words carry it and what attribute it has also matter; we deal with the last point in dofollow, nofollow and sponsored links.
A quick guide by article length
Length offers a rough guide. The following table is a starting point, not a rule.
| Article length | Suggested links | Typical mix |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 500 words | 1 | One link to the most relevant page |
| 500 to 900 words | 1 to 2 | Main page, optionally a related guide |
| 900 to 1,500 words | 2 to 3 | Main page, related page, one source |
| Over 1,500 words | 3, rarely more | Same logic; do not add links just because there is room |
The principle is that every link must have a job. If you cannot explain in one sentence what the reader gains from a link, delete it. A longer article gives more places where a link could fit, but it does not create a need for more links.
A publication may also state its own limit. If it does, follow that rather than any general guideline. The general conditions for the sites we work with are in our publishing rules, and it is always sensible to confirm any link limit before you finalise the text.
It also helps to think in terms of density. A single link in a 1,200-word article is barely noticeable; three links in a 300-word article is a very different experience for the reader. If your text is short and you feel pressure to add links to justify the effort, resist: a shorter article with one strong link is better than a padded one with four weak ones.
Where to place the links
Placement affects both readability and credibility. These are the positions that work best.
- In the body, after value has been delivered. A sentence that continues an idea and offers more detail is the natural home for a link.
- In a sentence about the thing itself. A link to a service page belongs in a sentence about that service, not in an unrelated remark.
- Away from the headline and the very first line. Links in the headline or opening look like advertising and distract from the message.
- Not all at the end. A closing paragraph full of links reads as a signature block, and readers rarely reach it.
- Spread apart. If you use more than one link, separate them by at least a few paragraphs.
Two links in the same sentence, or the same link repeated, are rarely useful. If a page is relevant in two places, link it once and write the second mention without a link.
Read each sentence containing a link and ask whether a curious reader would want more at that point. If the honest answer is no, move the link or remove it.
Internal and external links
An advertorial is published on another site, so the terms mean something specific. An outbound commercial link leads from the publisher's site to yours. An internal link leads to another page of the publisher's own site, for instance a related article, and is not under your control. An external reference link leads to a third party, such as an official source.
Many advertorials work well with one commercial link and one reference link. The reference link might point to an authority such as a public body, a standards organisation or the documentation of a technology. That link shows the reader you have done your homework, and it tells an editor the article is more than promotion.
Internal links to the publisher's site are the publisher's choice. Do not insist on them; if the editor adds one, that is a sign the article fits well. Never link to a competitor to look balanced, and be careful with sources that may disappear, because a dead link weakens the article. Our article on sources, data and quotes in advertorials goes deeper into how to choose and cite them.
Choosing the target page: home page or a specific page
The target is as important as the number. A link is a promise to the reader that the page will continue the thought. If the sentence mentions a heating installation service and the link opens a home page full of unrelated products, the reader has to search again.
| Sentence is about | Good target |
|---|---|
| The company in general | Home page or “About” page |
| A service | The service page |
| A product category | The category page, not a single product |
| A guide or explanation | The matching article or resource page |
| A contact or booking step | The contact or booking page |
Choose pages that are live, load quickly on a phone and say clearly what they offer. A good link to a poor page wastes the reader's attention. If a page is likely to change address, fix that first, since the published article stays where it is. For shops, the pattern of linking to categories rather than products is covered in advertorials for online stores.
How anchors and attributes fit in
Number and placement come first, but two more details complete the picture. The first is the anchor text, the words that carry the link. Use words that describe the destination in a natural phrase, such as “our installation checklist” or “the city's cycling map”. Avoid forcing a keyword into every anchor; repeating the same exact phrase across several articles is a pattern that looks artificial. For types of anchor and the mistakes to avoid, see anchor text in advertorials.
The second is the link attribute. Google's guidance on qualifying outbound links says that paid links should be marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". On our network, links are dofollow by default, with nofollow on explicit request; the choice is yours, and the consequences are discussed honestly in the article linked above. Whatever you choose, do not expect any single link to produce a given ranking, because search engines weigh many signals.
Mistakes with links in advertorials
- Too many links. More than three in a short article makes the text look like a link page.
- Every link to the home page. Readers and editors notice the lack of variety.
- Identical anchors. The same commercial phrase repeated within one text or across a campaign looks mechanical.
- Links in the first sentence or the headline. They look like adverts.
- Links to irrelevant pages. A link that does not fit the sentence disappoints the reader.
- Unverified claims behind a link. Linking to a page does not make a claim true; the claim must still be supportable.
- Linking to pages with restricted content for the publication's category, which can lead to refusal.
Sensitive topics add another layer. A health-related advertorial should be careful about which pages it links to and what those pages claim; the article on advertorials for clinics and medical practices explains the restrictions in that field.
A worked example with a fictional company
Imagine a fictional company, “Lumen Roof”, a roofing contractor in a mid-sized city, publishing a 1,000-word article titled “How to check a roof before winter”. A sensible link plan would be:
- Link 1, around the middle of the article: a sentence about roof inspections points to the company's inspection page, using the anchor “book a roof inspection”.
- Link 2, in the next section: a sentence about insulation points to a guide on the company's website, anchored on “how insulation affects heating costs”.
- Link 3, as a reference: a sentence about building regulations points to an official public source, so the reader can verify it.
The article does not link in the opening, does not repeat the company name in every paragraph, and would still be useful if all three links were removed. That last condition is the real test of whether the number of links is right.
Next step: plan the links before you write
The easiest way to get the number right is to decide it before drafting. Pick the one page you most want readers to see, then ask what else would help them, and stop there. If you would like the text published on a relevant site, our SEO advertorial publishing places your Word article with the links inserted on the anchors you choose, and gives you a report with the live URLs.
For the broader picture of what an advertorial is and when it makes sense, start with what SEO advertorials are. And before you send the file, check it against the publishing rules so that the link count, images and wording are ready for the editor.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sensible number of links for an advertorial?
In most cases one to three. One link is perfectly acceptable and often best. A second can point to a closely related page or to a source. Beyond three, the text begins to look promotional and gives each link less weight, both for readers and for editors who review the article.
Should I link to my home page or to a specific page?
Link to the page that best answers what the sentence raises. For a brand introduction the home page can be right; for a service, product category or guide, the specific page is usually more helpful to the reader. Linking everything to the home page can look unnatural.
Is it good to link to external sources as well?
Often yes. A link to an official or primary source for a fact increases the reader's trust and shows that the text is not just a vehicle for commercial links. Choose sources that are stable and relevant, and do not use them to send readers to competitors.
Where should the first link go?
After the text has delivered some value, usually in the middle of the article, in a sentence where the reader would naturally want more detail. Avoid the very first sentence, which can look like an advertisement, and avoid placing it only in the closing line.
Does the number of links affect whether an editor accepts the article?
It can. Editors tend to reject texts with many commercial links, repeated anchors or links in every paragraph. A small number of relevant links, clearly useful to the reader, is far more likely to be accepted. Individual publications may also state their own limits.