Median share of links in menus and other boilerplate
| Group | Pages | Boilerplate % |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 381 | 85.2% |
| Other platforms | 152 | 87.8% |
| Rank #1 to #3 | 120 | 80.9% |
| Rank #4 to #10 | 174 | 87.7% |
| Rank #11 to #20 | 254 | 87.3% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Class-name matching can count a few content links as navigation.
Summary
Every link on a page tells Google something about the pages it points to. Links in the main content carry context: they sit next to the words that explain why the target matters. Links in the header, menus and footer repeat on every page and say much less. So we asked a simple question: on store pages that already rank, how many links are in the content, and how many are boilerplate?
The answer is that menus win by a wide margin. Across 548 ranking store homepages and product pages loaded on a phone, a median 86.1% of followable links sat in the header, menus, drawers or footer rather than the main content. The median page had 145 links, and just 15 of them were in the content.
What we measured
We loaded store pages that rank in Google's results on an iPhone-sized screen in October 2026. This is a modest sample of 548 ranking store pages.
On each page we counted every followable link and classified it by where it sits. A link counts as boilerplate when it is inside a header, nav, footer, aside, menu, drawer, breadcrumb or announcement container. Everything else counts as main content.
Two limits apply. Class-name matching can count a few content links as navigation. And collapsed mobile menus are counted, because their links are in the HTML Google sees even when a shopper never opens the menu.
Most links on a store page sit in menus
On the 548 ranking store pages we rendered at phone size, the median page had 86.1% of its followable links in header, nav, menu, drawer, footer, breadcrumb or announcement containers.
In plain counts, the median page had 145 links and just 15 in the main content. The rest were the same menu, footer and drawer links that appear on every page of the site.
For a large group of pages the share is even higher. On 41.2% of the pages, more than 90% of links are boilerplate. On those pages, the main content links to only a handful of other pages, while the menus link to dozens or hundreds.
This is likely a side effect of how store themes are built. Mega menus, mobile drawers and long footers link to every collection and policy page, and they load on every template whether the shopper needs them or not.
86.1%
Median share of followable links on ranking store pages that sit in the header, menus, drawers, footer or other boilerplate, at phone size.
Product pages are the most menu-heavy
Page type makes a clear difference. Product pages are the most menu-heavy, with a median 94.2% boilerplate and just 6 content links across 302 pages. Most product pages link out to little more than a few related items, while the full site menu sits around them.
Store homepages sit at 76.2% boilerplate, with a median of 42 content links across 246 pages. Homepages tend to carry featured collections, product rows and promotional tiles, which all add content links.
Category pages carry the most links overall, a median of 253, with 85.1% boilerplate across 281 pages. Their product grids add many content links, but they also tend to have the largest filter and menu structures.
Platform and rank make little difference
Platform makes little difference. The median boilerplate share is 85.2% on Shopify (381 pages) and 87.8% on other platforms (152 pages). Store themes on every platform share the same habits: large menus, drawers and footers.
Rank position shows a small spread. Pages ranking #1 to #3 have a median 80.9% boilerplate (120 pages), against 87.7% at #4 to #10 (174 pages) and 87.3% at #11 to #20 (254 pages). That does not show that fewer menu links help a page rank. The groups likely differ in page type and site size, and the gap is modest next to the overall level.
What this means for your store
Most of the links on your store pages are probably in your menus, and that is normal. The opportunity is in the small number of links that sit in the content, because those links sit next to the words that explain how your products and collections relate.
- Add a few useful links in the main content of product pages: the parent collection, a closely related product, a sizing or care guide.
- Use short intro text on category pages to link to related collections, so the content area does more than list products.
- Trim mega menus and footers that link to every collection. Link to the pages that matter most and let category pages handle the rest.
- Check what your mobile drawer contains. It is in the HTML even when closed, so a drawer with hundreds of links adds to every page.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters phone-size render of ranking store pages, October 2026
- Google Search Central, link best practices: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable
Embed this research
Paste this on your site to embed the chart. It links back to the source automatically.
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<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="boilerplate-link-statistics"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-boilerplate-link-statistics");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/boilerplate-link-statistics">Boilerplate Links: 86.1% of Store Page Links Sit in Menus - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of links on a store page are in the navigation?
On 548 ranking store pages rendered at phone size, a median 86.1% of followable links sat in the header, menus, drawers, footer or other boilerplate. The median page had 145 links and just 15 in the main content.
Which store pages have the fewest content links?
Product pages. Across 302 ranking product pages, a median 94.2% of links were boilerplate and the median page had just 6 content links. Store homepages had a median of 42 content links.
Does Shopify have more menu links than other platforms?
Not by much. The median boilerplate share was 85.2% on 381 Shopify pages and 87.8% on 152 pages on other platforms.
Do collapsed mobile menus count as links for SEO?
Their links are in the HTML Google sees, so we counted them even when the menu is closed. On 41.2% of the ranking store pages we rendered, more than 90% of links were boilerplate.
A few well-placed content links on product and category pages are an easy change, and they give the pages you link to context that a menu link cannot. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.