Google to Replace Infinite Scroll with Pagination in Search Results: What it Means

• Google to eliminate infinite scroll on desktop and mobile
• Search results will now feature a “Next” button for pagination
• Change aims to improve search performance and user satisfaction
• Rollout starts today for desktop and later this month for mobile

Google is to set to bring a major change in the interface of its search results.

As it so happens the company is planning on doing away with its infinite scroll feature on both desktop and mobile. 

As Search Engine Land first reported and as picked up by The Verge, the move is back to a somewhat more traditional pagination system. 

The Verge reported:

“In its place on desktop will be Google’s classic pagination bar, allowing users to jump to a specific page of search results or simply click “Next” to see the next page. On mobile, a “More results” button will be shown at the bottom of a search to load the next page.”

Brett Tabke, founder of Pubcon search marketing conference (and the person who invented the acronym SERPs), said the below about the change to continuous scroll:

“It effectively boxes more clicks on to 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.
They are on a path to fulfilling all general “searches” with their own responses in some form or another. When they don’t have a perfect response, maybe they will do “people also ask” and those lead back to a SERP where they can fulfill the search with their own properties and responses.”

Google stated, “This change is to allow the search company to serve the search results faster on more searches, instead of automatically loading results that users haven’t explicitly requested.”

Changes to Google Search Results

Starting today, users on desktops will no longer see continuous scrolling for search results, but rather a “Next” button at the bottom of each page to be clicked to continue loading more.

Similar changes arrive in mobile devices later this month.

The infinite scrolling feature will get substituted with a “More results” button as on computers. The company did reveal the reasoning behind this change. 

According to Google, the change is going to bring the search results fast.

As per the company, not loading automatically the results that user hasn’t asked for raises overall search performance.

Findings Relating to Satisfaction

What’s more interesting, according to Google, is that infinite scroll search results didn’t actually result in a higher degree of satisfaction with the Google Search experience.

That’s probably a big part of why they reverted back to the more traditional format.

This could have implications for website traffic, especially with websites that do not appear on the first page of results.

Now, more effort will be required to be made in order to view further pages the risk being that fewer visitors will reach the pages that Google Search ranks lower.

Meanwhile, on desktop, the pagination controls from Google will continue to load.

This means users can click through directly to pages one through ten. 

Historical Context of Google 

Continuous scrolling was fairly new. On desktop, the feature came out in December 2022, while on mobile devices, the feature was rolled out in October 2021.

This rollback happened less than almost two years after it began.

As Google implements these changes, it will be interesting to see how users adapt and whether this move truly delivers on the promise of faster, more efficient search results.

More importantly, websites that are ranking beyond the first page could see a dip in traffic.

FAQs

Why is Google removing the infinite scroll feature?

Google is removing infinite scroll to improve search performance and user satisfaction by not automatically loading results users haven’t requested.

When will the changes to the search interface be implemented?

The changes start today for desktop users and will roll out to mobile devices later this month.

How will this impact website traffic?

Websites ranking beyond the first page might see a dip in traffic as users will need to click through more pages to view further results.

What will replace the infinite scroll feature?

The infinite scroll will be replaced by a “Next” button on desktops and a “More results” button on mobile devices.

What are the benefits of this new pagination system

The new pagination system aims to deliver faster search results and improve the overall user experience by reducing unnecessary loading times.

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