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Pagination, also known as paging, is commonly used in e-commerce sites and comprehensive blogs. This mechanism divides content, product lists or blog posts into individual web pages. Pagination makes it easier for users to navigate the site, contributes to better organization of content and improves site performance.
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FAQ: Pagination on Websites.
On websites, especially online stores, pagination of search results is a technique for dividing extensive lists of results into smaller, clearer pages. This method makes managing and reviewing large data sets much easier. When a user browses through a store's listings and encounters an extensive list of products matching the query, pagination automatically organizes these results into smaller groups spread over several pages. This allows the visitor to focus on browsing a limited number of results at a time, making it easier to find the product they are looking for and making the whole process more intuitive.
Pagination not only facilitates navigation and improves user experience, but also helps optimize a site for search engines. When used properly, such as by adding canonical links or properly managing meta tags, it can minimize the problem of duplicate content and increase the chances of each subpage ranking better in search results. In addition, the use of pagination can contribute to a better understanding of a site's structure by search engine robots, which is crucial for effective indexing and ranking of a site on the Internet.
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The rel=“prev” and rel=“next” attributes, used on paginated pages, were intended to signal to search engines which page was previous and which was next, making it easier to understand the structure of a site. However, according to official information in 2019, Google's algorithms no longer support these parameters. This is the result of improving algorithms that now effectively identify and understand pagination structures without the need for additional guidance.
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Pagination often leads to the problem of duplicate content on a page, which can result in SEO cannibalization. Pages within pagination may display identical content or the same products. In addition, duplicate metatags are a common problem. To remedy these issues, it is recommended to use a canonical link pointing to the first page of a category or to an aggregating summary page. The rel=“canonical” attribute should be applied to the first page only in cases of actual duplication of content. When individual pagination pages contain different pieces of text or products, the canonical link should correspond to the current pagination page.
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When a site uses a classic form of pagination, also known as sequential pagination, users can easily navigate between pages of results by going directly to the next page or returning to the previous page (known as linear pagination) or jump to a selected page using numbering (direct pagination). A key advantage of such a solution is that users are free to decide which part of the results they want to explore further.
A different approach than traditional pagination is infinite scrolling. In this model, only a portion of the results are displayed when a search begins. When the user reaches the end of the page, more results are automatically loaded and added to the already existing list. Thanks to this mechanism, visitors are able to browse an unlimited number of items without having to click on “next page” buttons, which is extremely useful when using sites on mobile devices.
A solution that combines the advantages of both methods - traditional pagination and infinite scrolling - is the “Load More” option. Users, scrolling down the results page, have the choice to view more items. Deciding to continue browsing, they simply click the “Load More” button. In response, the new results will be added to the existing list at the bottom of the page, or the page will be updated with more items.
From a technical standpoint, traditional pagination can present some challenges. Although the loading speed of the first page of results is similar for different forms of pagination, a paginated system begins to show delays as the amount of data required increases. This is because it is required to load all the items from the first to the target page, to eventually display only the relevatable ones. In contrast, other pagination methods retain information about previously displayed items and only load new data.
Methods such as infinite scrolling or “Load More” may be more complicated to implement, but the client usually bears the brunt of this complexity. The size of the results page grows with each loading of new data, which can affect performance. Proper programming of the browser's “Back” button to increase usability is also a key consideration. The user, after navigating to the next page and selecting a result, should click “Back” to return to the point where he/she left off browsing. None of these technical aspects is an impassable obstacle to implementation, but they are additional elements to consider.
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In addition to the technical aspects of introducing different pagination methods, it is also crucial to pay attention to usability issues. Let's focus on the method considered the least desirable: infinite scrolling. While it may seem intuitive and seamless, as it allows users to browse through a list of products without having to stop or perform additional actions, research conducted by the Baymard Institute points to some disadvantages. Users can indeed browse more products, but they do so with less engagement. This results in lower engagement and conversion rates than is the case with traditional content-page splits.
In the context of traditional pagination, research by the Baymard Institute indicates that users often find this form of pagination ineffective. The abundance of pagination links can be a deterrent to further content exploration. What's more, these links tend to be small and close together, which can make them difficult to use, especially on mobile devices, where accurately clicking on the desired pagination link can sometimes be a challenge.
The same user experience (UX) research showed that the pagination method enjoying the greatest effectiveness is the “Load More” option. Users are faced with a simple choice: “Do I want to browse more results?”. A positive answer requires only one click to access the next results. With this method, users visit more product pages compared to the classic page breakdown, paying more attention to the products presented.
Despite the fact that traditional pagination still prevails on the Internet, there is a belief that people are so accustomed to it that any change in the way they paginate would confuse them. But is this actually true? Do users actually prefer to jump between random pages, or do they prefer the “Load More” method? To answer these questions, we analyzed our data to see how users actually use the traditional pagination in search results.
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For this article, we analyzed data from two months of search activity on the 200 most dynamic sites in our collection that use either traditional pagination or the “Read More” option.
We consciously opted for sites from a wide variety of sectors - from stores offering books, clothing and electronics, to food and pharmaceutical sales, to telecommunications service providers. Each of the analyzed sites had at least 1,000 positions in search results, with a median of 17,600 results per page.
When users navigate using step pagination, they move to the next or previous page of results. In contrast, “direct pagination” refers to selecting a specific page from a list. We define a search session as the entirety of a user's actions from entering a search query to browsing through the results until changing the query or applying a filter, which initiates a new session.
Our goal was to study how users use the pagination available to them. As a reminder, traditional pagination allows users to go to the “next” or “previous” page. We investigated sites using this type of pagination to examine user behavior.
As Figure 2 shows, as many as 88.7% of search sessions ended on the first page of results, indicating that users did not use pagination. Transitions to the next or previous pages were recorded in only 9.7% of sessions, suggesting that users mostly did not use direct pagination. In contrast, jumps between pages occurred in only 1.6% of sessions.
When analyzing sessions using pagination of search results, we noticed a clear difference between sessions in which users used step navigation (85.8%) and those that included at least one jump between pages (14.2%). In addition, transitions to the next or previous page dominated pagination, accounting for 91.5% of all activity, while direct jumps to other pages represented only 8.5% of activity (according to the data in Figure 3). It is also interesting to note that 33.2% of all direct jumps directed users back to the first page of results. This means that although direct jumping between pages is not widely used, when users do decide to make such a move, in a third of the cases they aim to return to the initial top results.
These observations show that users rarely choose to jump directly to random pages of results. Thinking about your own search habits, how many times have you independently decided to go straight to the 5th or 10th page of results? Such actions are generally infrequent!
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As mentioned earlier, most users bypass the direct pagination jump function. So should we abandon traditional pagination altogether in favor of newer methods, or keep it for the few who do use it? To answer this question, we decided to look at our data again, this time from a conversion perspective. Conversion here is defined as “completing a specific goal,” which could mean adding a product to a shopping cart or engaging with content (such as articles, videos) for a set amount of time (8 seconds) after selecting it from search results.
For the analysis, we selected two groups of our clients' sites - one with a customized search engine with various features, and the other with a search engine supported by solutions implemented by Persooa, tailored to specific user needs. Both groups implemented both traditional pagination and the “Load More” method, according to customer preferences.
For sites equipped with an advanced search engine, we observed different results. “First page only” was responsible for 90.1% of all search sessions, generating 91.8% of all conversions. Sessions with step pagination accounted for 8.3% and generated 6.9% of conversions. In contrast, direct transitions to other pages (jumps) were responsible for only 1.6% of sessions, yielding only 1.3% of conversions. This means that on sites with advanced search engines (customized by Persooa), users are less likely to have to browse page after page to find the information they are looking for.
The data shows that while some users use direct page hopping, it is marginal and has little impact on the overall number of conversions. Most conversions come from people who focus on the first page of search results. For this reason, it should be crucial for most websites to focus on optimizing the first page of results, rather than focusing too much on later pages.
Analyzing data from a group of sites using the search engine implemented by Persooa, we see an even more pronounced preference for users to find the information or products they need right on the first page of results.
In this category, an impressive 93% of all search sessions focused on the first page, which translated into a whopping 94.1% of total conversions. This underscores the effectiveness of Persooa-supported search in presenting users with the most relevant content up front. Only 6.3% of sessions used step pagination, generating 5.6% of conversions, while sessions using jumps were even less numerous - just 0.4% of all sessions, yielding a marginal 0.3% of conversions.
The conclusions of these observations indicate that the most effective pagination system is the one that users do not have to use. In practice, this means that the most important thing is to provide relevant results right on the first page, which is the key to increasing audience satisfaction and raising conversion rates.
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In light of these observations, we conclude that the optimal pagination system is one that is virtually invisible to users. Ideally, an effective search will allow the expected answers to be found directly on the first page of results. However, when it is necessary to use pagination, the “Load More” method seems to be the most user-friendly, offering the ability to seamlessly browse through more results without having to navigate through more pages.
When designing a website to maximize users' browsing experience, consider using the “Load More” feature as your preferred pagination method. This is a solution that allows users to explore content quickly and conveniently. In addition, focus on improving the search engine to present content that is as relevant as possible to visitors on the very first page.
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1. What is pagination?
Pagination is a technique for dividing content into smaller, easier-to-browse sections that are spread across several web pages. It allows users to easily navigate through extensive lists of data, such as articles, products in online stores or search results.
2. Why do websites use pagination?.
Websites use pagination to improve user experience by organizing large amounts of data and making it easier to access. Pagination helps to better manage content, reduce page load times and make it easier for users to find the information they are interested in.
3. What are the alternatives to pagination?.
Alternatives to pagination include infinite scrolling and the “Load More” method. Both of these approaches allow new content to be continuously added to the currently displayed page, rather than taking the user to a new results page.
4. Does pagination affect SEO?
Yes, pagination can affect SEO because it helps organize your content and makes it easier for search engine robots to index your site. It is important to properly implement canonical link tags and metatags.
5. How to implement pagination on a website?
Pagination can be implemented by adding appropriate navigation links to the page, which allow you to move to subsequent parts of the content. You should also ensure that the links are properly tagged with attributes
rel="prev" i rel="next", to help search engines understand the structure of paginated content.
6. Is pagination always the best solution?
Not always. The choice between pagination and its alternatives, such as infinite scrolling or “Read More,” depends on the specifics of the content, the site's goals and user preferences. In some cases, such as on mobile devices, alternative methods may provide a better user experience.
7. How does pagination affect the user experience?
When designed well, pagination can greatly improve the user experience by making content more accessible and allowing users to quickly find the information they are looking for. Improperly implemented, however, it can lead to frustration if users cannot easily navigate between pages of results.
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