Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is ending continuous scrolling for search results, bringing back the traditional pagination format.
- Google claims this change aims to serve search results more efficiently, as continuous scrolling did not significantly improve user satisfaction.
- The change takes effect for desktop searches on June 25, with mobile searches following in the coming months.
Dust off those “Google Page 2” memes, folks. Google is turning back the clock on its search results and ditching the continuous scrolling feature.
Continuous scrolling, first introduced in October 2021 for mobile search and December 2022 for desktop search, was a user experience in which Google Search automatically kept loading more results as you scrolled past the first page. Now, instead of an endless scroll, users will once again see the familiar pagination bar at the bottom of the search results page, with the option to skip to specific pages.
According to a Google spokesperson speaking to Search Engine Land, the change is already rolling out for desktop searches starting today, June 25. It will be coming to mobile searches in the following months. For desktop users, the “Next” button will reappear at the bottom of the page, while mobile users will see a “More results” button.
Google’s rationale behind the change is centered on improving the search experience.
The company stated that it found that automatically loading more results did not significantly increase user satisfaction with Google Search. By reverting to the classic pagination, Google believes it can serve search results faster on more searches, as it won’t be loading results that users haven’t explicitly requested.
Website owners and SEO professionals are no doubt intrigued by this development. The return of distinct pages in Google Search could shake up click-through rates, as results relegated to the second page and beyond might see less action. For users, continuous scrolling often meant exposure to a few more results before deciding which link to click on.
Of course, this shift is also taking place against the backdrop of Google’s ongoing tinkering with its search product. The tech giant is constantly balancing the integration of AI-powered features, like result summaries, with the need to maintain its advertising revenue.
The return of page navigation could potentially create more opportunities for AI Overviews to pop up between pages, or it could just be a strategic move by Google to flex its influence over website traffic.
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