Google recently confirmed a significant change to its search results that undoes a decision made two years ago. The tech giant is reverting to paginated results, ditching the continuous scrolling method introduced in 2022 that mimicked social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
The reports of Google’s move away from continuous scroll surfaced following a report on Search Engine Land. According to the initial report, the return to pagination was set to begin on June 25. However, our attempts to find paginated search results across various desktop browsers were unsuccessful.
Upon reaching out to Google for clarification, the company verified that as of June 25, the ability to endlessly scroll through desktop search results has been eliminated. The transition to paginated results on mobile devices will occur gradually in the coming months, with the rollout already underway since June 25.
A Google spokesperson explained, We are constantly enhancing the Search experience. Through testing, we discovered that automatically loading more results did not significantly increase user satisfaction with Search.
The return to paginated results will be reminiscent of the 2022 search experience. When reaching the bottom of a page of search results, users will need to click on ‘Next’ to load the next page. Mobile users will see a ‘More results’ button for navigation.
In addition to the change in navigation, page numbers will also make a comeback. This adjustment is likely to please SEO experts who aim to secure a spot on the first page of Google search results. The shift away from continuous scrolling, designed to level the playing field, seems to have been unpopular among users. The revamped approach now focuses on delivering search results more efficiently by loading results only upon user request.
As Google continues to evolve its Search features, the impact of the return to paginated results on websites remains to be seen. This change marks another chapter in Google’s ongoing efforts to optimize the search experience for users and maintain a fair playing field for websites striving for visibility.
