# Pagination SEO Best Practices **Last updated:** 2024-08-31 **Source:** https://www.lawrencehitches.com/pagination-seo/ --- wp:post-featured-image / wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph As your website gets bigger, pagination SEO creeps up more in conversation.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph And it’s understandable. A good pagination strategy can improve website speed, [crawl budget efficiency](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/crawl-budgets-for-seo-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important/), and link equity distribution. /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Each and every one of these benefits can move the needle on your website. A needle that could result in higher rankings, more traffic, and ultimately, more customers.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## What is Pagination in SEO? /wp:heading wp:paragraph **The practice of splitting content or listings across multiple pages, typically with numbered page links (Page 1, 2, 3...). Common on category pages, blog archives, and e-commerce product listings.** Poorly handled pagination creates crawl bloat, duplicate content, and indexation issues. Google deprecated rel=prev/next in 2019, meaning each paginated page is now treated as a standalone URL. You need a clear strategy for which pages should be indexed and how link equity flows. Each paginated page gets a unique URL (usually with a ?page= parameter or /page/2/ path). Self-referencing canonicals on each page are the current best practice. Make sure each paginated page is reachable within a reasonable click depth and consider whether load-more or infinite scroll better serves your users and crawl efficiency. Common mistakes: - Canonicalising all paginated pages to page 1, hiding products from the index - Creating hundreds of paginated pages with only 10 items per page - Not including paginated URLs in the XML sitemap /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Pagination is an SEO/design technique when pages (normally with related content) are organised into a sequential series.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Mostly, these pages use elements such as links or numbered buttons. Users can then click on these elements and move through the content archive.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Examples of Pagination SEO /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph One of the main examples of pagination is from a blog section. On our website, we use numbers. Users can then click these numbers to go through our content archive.  /wp:paragraph wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph ***Reference:****Blog Pagination on*[Lawrence Hitches](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/articles/)*Article Page* /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Another example of pagination SEO is from e-commerce shops. They use pagination to limit the number of items on one page and split them across several pages.  /wp:paragraph wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph ***Reference:****E-commerce Pagination on*[JD Sports](https://www.jd-sports.com.au/) /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Just so you have a better idea of pagination, you can also find them on product reviews, forum pages, blog comments, and so on.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Types of Pagination Formatting /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph When it comes to pagination, you have [three formatting choices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/pagination-and-incremental-page-loading). These are basic pagination, load more, and infinite scroll.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Basic Pagination /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph Basic pagination is the most used (and best) option. It follows a button format. For example, a user can click on buttons “1”, “2”, or “3” to go through a content archive of a blog. It’s the most simple and also provides the best user experience.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Load More /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:image /wp:image wp:paragraph ***Reference:****Load More Paginate Format from*[Asos](https://www.asos.com/men/a-to-z-of-brands/nike/cat/?cid=4766&refine=attribute_10992:61388) /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Unlike basic pagination, which uses buttons, load more has a big “Load More” button users need to click to expand the content of a page.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph With load more, sometimes content can be pushed too deep into the site's architecture. The recommended crawl depth is 3, but load more can push content 4, 5, or even 6+ deep.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Infinite Scroll /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Infinite scroll is another type of pagination formatting. Think of “[YouTube Shorts](https://www.youtube.com/)” or “[TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/en/)”; instead of clicking “Load More” or buttons, scrolling automatically brings up new content.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph It has a few pros and cons. The pro is that it keeps users engaged. A big con is that it’s not a good user experience, especially if they want to reach the footer of a website.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Is Pagination Good or Bad for SEO? /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Pagination gets a lot of love and hate in the world of SEO.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph One of the main issues around pagination and SEO is thin and [duplicate content](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/why-is-having-duplicate-content-an-issue-for-seo/). However, neither of these issues is a problem that cannot be fixed.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph You can easily avoid duplicate content by just using canonical tags. We go into more detail about this below.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph For [thin content](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/thin-content/), some thin content is okay, for example, on a contact or location page. However, if you have thin content on, let’s say, a landing page or blog post, then you’ll just need to add content.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph With that said, pagination does have some benefits. Firstly, it’s great for bots and indexability. Secondly, it increases your digital real estate as you’ll have more pages online. Thirdly, it improves [website speed](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/core-web-vitals/).  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Pros and Cons of Pagination SEO /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph When done right, pagination can present some great SEO benefits. But it also has its risks. Let’s take a look at both.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Pros /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### 1. Improved UX /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph From a user's perspective, pagination is great. It allows them to move through lots of content effortlessly.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Not only that, it tells the user where they are. For example, if they’re on “Page 3” of the blog content archive, they can see how many pages they have left “Page 4”, “Page 5”, and “Page 6”, etc.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### 2. Faster Page Loading Speed /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Page speed is a huge ranking factor on search engines like [Google](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/lighthouse/performance/speed-index/). It’s no hidden secret. However, pagination splits the content over multiple pages, reducing loading resources and increasing loading speed.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### 3. Internal Linking Opportunity /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Pagination can also link your website together via [internal linking](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/internal-linking-seo/). This isn’t only good for [crawling](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/search-engine-crawling/) and [indexing](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/search-engine-indexing/), but it’s also good for passing [authority](https://www.lawrencehitches.com/what-is-topical-authority-in-seo/) through your website.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph It also pushes pages up in the site's architecture. It shouldn’t be deeper than a crawl depth of 3. Therefore, by internal linking, you can push the content up, increasing the chances of it being crawled and indexed.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### Cons /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### 1. Duplicate Content /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Duplicate content appears when a website has the same content on multiple pages. This only occurs from pagination if the site owner(s) set up pagination incorrectly.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph For example, let’s say you have a “View All” button next to your paginated pages. The same content will appear on the “View All” page and the paginated pages, resulting in duplicate content.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":4} #### 2.Reduced User Engagement /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph If you don’t set up pagination while thinking about your users, it may result in reduced user engagement. It should benefit the user and not only be used for SEO purposes.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Pagination SEO Best Practices /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### 1. Make Your Anchor Links Crawlable /wp:heading wp:list {"ordered":true} /wp:list wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph If search engines cannot access your pagination pages, it’s a waste of time. They need to be able to crawl your pages to index them.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph A common belief is that you don’t want pagination pages to rank, so many “noindex” them. However, you want them indexed.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph But what about keyword cannibalisation? You can de-optimise your paginated pages. You don’t want them to compete with the root page.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph You can do this by adding the page number to the meta title. For instance, “Page Two of XX Blog”. This is usually enough to indicate to search engines that this isn’t the root page.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### 2.Avoid Using a “View All” Page for Pagination /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Sometimes, websites have a “View All” button, which will direct the user to see all of the content for a specific category. For instance, “View All” blog posts on a website.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph This can cause a few problems. Firstly, it’ll be a slow page, especially if there’s a lot of content. Secondly, it gives the user too many options, providing a poorer user experience. Thirdly, it can, if you use basic pagination also, cause duplicate content.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Please note: “View All” can be good for websites with very little content. However, for large websites, this isn’t a good idea.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading {"level":3} ### 3. Use Self-Referencing Canonical Tags /wp:heading wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":3} /wp:list wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph Canonical tags suggest the preferred page on a website to search engines. It’s normally found in the section of a webpage and is structured like: /wp:paragraph wp:list - *“”* /wp:list wp:paragraph Using canonical tags on paginated pages tells search engines, “This is the primary webpage for this content, regardless if it’s found elsewhere”.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Without it, search engines would have a difficult time understanding which is the primary page. As a result, it’ll end up not ranking any of the pages, as it’s unsure which one to rank.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph For that reason, you want to use canonical tags for each paginated page. It’ll help search engines rank the right page and also avoid duplicate content.  /wp:paragraph wp:heading {"level":3} ### 4.Use URLs Properly /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":4} /wp:list wp:paragraph When it comes to URLs, make sure they’re clear. For example, here’s how paginated blog pages would look like:  /wp:paragraph wp:list - https://example.com/blog - https://example.com/blog/?page=2 - https://example.com/blog/?page=3 /wp:list wp:paragraph Remember, don’t use URL fragment identifiers. These look like this: /wp:paragraph wp:list - https://example.com/blog/#page2 /wp:list wp:paragraph See the difference? There’s a “#” and no “=”. This is what a fragment identifier looks like. However, Google ignores fragment identifiers, meaning your paginated pages might not be crawled.  /wp:paragraph wp:heading {"level":3} ### 5. Think of Pagination Pages like Internal Linking /wp:heading wp:paragraph Pagination SEO shouldn’t be complicated. It should just be looked at as internal linking. Nothing else than that.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph As a result, use the same best practices:  /wp:paragraph wp:list - Link to relevant pages. - Give users an idea of where they’re going. - Don’t use too many links on a single page. - If possible, target relevant keywords. - Make sure no page is too deep in the site architecture. /wp:list wp:paragraph By following these tips, you’ll be able to get a lot more from your paginated pages.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:heading ## Final Word /wp:heading wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer wp:paragraph After reading the above, you know everything to do with pagination SEO.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Though it’s more suited for those with large websites, if you plan to have a large website, having a solid pagination strategy now can help you in the future.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Alongside this, a site audit should be performed regularly on paginate pages. There are various tools for this, but you’ll want to audit crawl depth, duplicate content issues, and canonical tags.  /wp:paragraph wp:paragraph Adding this to your technical audit list is hugely beneficial for your users and your SEO rankings and traffic.  /wp:paragraph wp:spacer {"height":"10px"} /wp:spacer --- *Lawrence Hitches is an AI SEO consultant in Melbourne and Chief of Staff at StudioHawk, Australia's most awarded SEO agency. Agent edition of this site: https://www.lawrencehitches.com/md/index.md*