If you've been using Google recently, you might have noticed a familiar feature:
Yes, pagination has made a reappearance in Google's search results.
As of June 25th, 2024, Google discontinued its 'continuous scroll' feature and revived the original page-style results.
Does this mean we should be rejoicing or preparing for another Google user experience update that will cause headaches for SEO professionals?
The verdict is still out, but initial reactions suggest it may be a mixed blessing.
The benefit of continuous scroll was that it boosted visibility for web pages that didn't make the first page. Users no longer needed to navigate to a new page but could simply scroll down to view more results.
In essence, with continuous scroll, everyone had a spot on the first page.
Unfortunately, that's no longer the case.
With the return of the old-school pagination system, securing a spot on the first page is more crucial than ever. The first page garners 91.5% of all traffic on Google, inspiring this well-known joke:
This joke is now relevant again, adding some humor to the situation.
On a serious note, there's widespread speculation about Google's abrupt decision to abandon continuous scroll. They argue it's to speed up search results delivery, but could there be more than what meets the eye?
Stay connected to learn how this change might impact your organic traffic.
Continuous Search Results: A Brief Feature Recalling the original page system isn't too challenging given that continuous scrolling was only implemented for a year and a half on desktops.
Google introduced continuous scroll for mobile search in October 2021, and the feature made its way to desktops in December 2022.
Google asserted at the time that the change aimed to enhance user experience – ironically, this is also their reason for removing it.
Here's what a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land when the feature was initially launched in 2022:
"Starting today, we're bringing continuous scrolling to desktop so you can continue to see more helpful search results with fewer clicks. It’s now even easier to get inspired with more information at your fingertips.”
Infinite scrolling was (and still is) a popular feature on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram during that period.
However, it's important to note that the feature was not a true 'infinite scroll.' Instead, Google would load around 4 pages of search results at a time. As a user reached the bottom of the page, it would buffer and load more.
Here's what it looked like in practice:
Google probably hoped to replicate TikTok's infinite scroll to capitalize on its success and provide a superior user experience. However, Google now admits that the feature was unsuccessful based on data analysis.
A Google spokesperson suggested that automatically loading additional results did not increase satisfaction levels with Search, likely inspiring the decision to eliminate it. Furthermore, continuous scroll required more resources than the traditional page system.
By reverting to pagination, Google conserves tech resources by not having to load 4 pages of search results simultaneously.
Can We Take Google at Face Value? Ever since Google removed continuous scroll, there has been rampant speculation in the SEO world about why they chose to discontinue the feature.
Google has a reputation for being elusive about their actual motivations, particularly when it comes to SEO and SEM.
While the official reason for removing continuous scroll is faster search results delivery, not everyone is convinced. As we previously mentioned when internal Google search documents were leaked, Google's actions behind closed doors often contradict their public statements.
Due to their history of obfuscation, many SEO professionals have turned into amateur detectives (and some into conspiracy theorists).
Let's look at what some SEO professionals believe might be the real reason for Google's return to pagination.
Glenn Gabe suspects it might be related to the recently launched AI Overviews.
It's possible that the combination of continuous scroll and AI Overviews is taxing Google's resources excessively (and putting significant strain on their servers).
This could be a sufficient reason to discontinue continuous scroll to A) conserve resources and B) speed up AI Overviews.
On the other hand, Ori Zilbershtein believes that Google genuinely overlooked this one, disregarding lessons they learned previously.
Brett Tabke, founder of the Pubcon search conference (and the individual who came up with the acronym SERPs), had the most cynical perspective.
He theorizes that Google is gradually eliminating organic search in favor of addressing every query with sponsored ads and links to Google properties.
Tabke states:
“It effectively boxes more clicks on page one. That will result in a higher percentage of clicks going to Ads and Google properties. I think it is more evidence that Google is on a path to a new version of portal and away from search.
Organic search itself will move to page 2, and I believe eventually to a new domain.”
While this scenario is daunting, it's still plausible that Google made the change simply to conserve resources and enhance user experience.
What Does This Mean for Your SEO? Now that pagination has returned, what implications does it have for you?
It signifies that you need to intensify your SEO efforts to secure keyword rankings on the first page.
Continuous scroll allowed some sites to attract more organic traffic due to user choice fatigue, but those days are over.
This ushers in a return to fiercely competing for the #1 spot for vital industry and long-tail keywords.
If your content ranked lower down the first page with continuous scroll, it will now appear on the second page or later, likely leading to substantial traffic reductions.
If you aspire to rank on the first page, you'll need:
Content worthy of thought leaders (and plenty of it!) Backlinks from reliable websites in your field Impeccable on-page and technical SEO Clever keyword research to identify the most lucrative content opportunities Keeping up with all of this can be daunting, especially for smaller websites without in-house SEO experts. Site owners will need to step up their SEO game to stay competitive moving forward.
Do you need assistance enhancing your search rankings to appear on the first page?
If so, consider JTek Resources SEO service. We'll take the entire process off your hands to get you to page one and done!
