According to Search Engine Land, Google is gradually discontinuing the endless scroll function on search results pages. In October 2021, this never-ending scrolling experience—which is akin to the never-ending feeds on social media platforms—was first made available for mobile search results. It was then expanded to PC searches in late 2022.
An official from Google has stated that the infinite scroll function would be eliminated from desktop search results as of right now, and that it will be eliminated from mobile results in the upcoming months. With this change, the user experience that let users easily scroll through search results without needing to click to the next page comes to an end.
Google is going to bring back the traditional pagination bar for desktop searches in place of the ongoing scroll. Users can utilize this bar to browse to particular search result pages or just click the “Next” button to go to the next page. Mobile users can load more results with a single swipe by tapping the “More results” button that appears at the bottom of the search results.
The goal of Google’s decision to go back to pagination is to increase the effectiveness and speed of search result delivery. “This change is to allow the search company to serve the search results faster on more searches, instead of automatically loading results that users haven’t explicitly requested,” the company told Search Engine Land.
The removal of infinite scroll reflects Google’s commitment to optimizing the user experience by balancing convenience with performance. As users adapt to these changes, they may find the return to pagination a familiar and efficient way to browse search results. This shift underscores the ongoing evolution of search technologies as Google continues to refine its approach to delivering relevant information swiftly and effectively.
