In December 2022, Google got rid of its paginated search pages (pages one, two, three, and so on) and opted instead for a continuous scroll where results that would have been on pages two onwards were loaded into just one long page of results under the top (page 1).
Then Google announced that they are returning to the good old way of displaying search results with the pagination for pages two and upwards being at the bottom of every page. This move was made in June 2024, and as of today, I can see the old way is now back.
The reason for this is that Google wants to minimise the load times of their search pages by getting rid of results that would normally have been in the continuous scroll, thus making it quicker for users to find their results.
Pros: I like the move, as it is now far easier to target for page one results rather than it may be page one or it could be page two.
Cons: The downside, however, is that websites previously teetering at the bottom of the first ten results will no longer appear on page one. They will now move on to the next page, and in this case, page two.
So, if you have been affected by this move, you now need to get back to work to get your website back onto page one.
Want our help? Get in touch.
