Google is discontinuing its continuous scroll feature in search results, reverting to the traditional pagination system.
This change marks the end of an experiment that began in October 2021 for mobile and December 2022 for desktop users.
Key points:
- Implementation timeline:
- Desktop: Changes start today (June 25, 2024)
- Mobile: Changes will roll out in the coming months
- User interface changes:
- Desktop: “Next” button at the bottom of the page
- Mobile: “More results” button
- Rationale for the change:
- Improved search result speed
- Automatic loading of additional results didn’t significantly increase user satisfaction
- Potential impacts:
- Websites on the second page of results may see fewer clicks
- Changes in Search Console data due to altered user behavior
Google’s spokesperson emphasized that this decision aims to serve search results faster by loading only explicitly requested content. The company found that automatically loading more results didn’t substantially improve user satisfaction with Google Search.
For digital marketers and website owners, this change could affect traffic from search results beyond the first page. It may also influence how data appears in Google Search Console, as user scrolling and clicking behavior may shift in response to the new pagination system.
