Pagination SEO: How Google Handles Paginated Pages
Short answer: give every page in the sequence its own URL (like ?page=2), link the pages to each other with normal <a href> links, and give each page a self-referencing canonical, not one pointing to page 1. Google no longer uses rel="next" and rel="prev", and its crawlers don’t click “load more” buttons, so make sure every item is reachable through plain links. Keep filtered and re-sorted versions out of the index with noindex or robots.txt.
Why pagination matters
Category pages, blog archives and search results split long lists across pages. Google finds the items on page 5 only by following links to page 5. If those links don’t work for a crawler, the products or posts listed there may never be found, unless something else links to them or they’re in your sitemap.
Google’s rules, in one table
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
A unique URL per page: /shoes?page=2 or /shoes/page/2 | Page numbers after a #; Google ignores fragments |
Link each page to the next with <a href>; consider a link back to page 1 | Pagination that works only through JavaScript click handlers |
| A self-referencing canonical on every page | Canonical from every page to page 1 |
| noindex or robots.txt for filter and sort variants | Rely on rel=next/prev for Google; it no longer uses them |
Source: Google Search Central, “Pagination, incremental page loading, and their impact on Google Search”.
A correct setup for page 2
<head>
<title>Running Shoes - Page 2 | Example Store</title>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/shoes?page=2">
</head>
<body>
<!-- the items for page 2 -->
<nav>
<a href="/shoes">1</a>
<a href="/shoes?page=1">Previous</a>
<a href="/shoes?page=3">Next</a>
</nav>
</body>Optional extras that do no harm: rel="next" and rel="prev" links for other search engines, and a short “Page 2” in the title so people can tell results apart. Google says the pages can share a title and description.
Load more and infinite scroll
Both usually load items with JavaScript when someone clicks or scrolls. Google’s crawlers don’t click buttons or scroll like a person, so items that appear only that way may not be seen. The safe pattern:
- Back the experience with real paginated URLs (
?page=2,?page=3) that load the same items without JavaScript. - Make the “load more” button an
<a href="?page=2">link that JavaScript enhances, rather than a bare button. - Update the address bar as new pages load, so each state has a URL.
Filters and sorting
Sort orders (?sort=price) and filter combinations create many URLs that show the same items in a different order. Google recommends keeping them out of the index with a noindex robots meta tag or blocking them in robots.txt. See faceted navigation for how to choose between the two.
Pagination and your sitemap
The pages that matter most are the items themselves: products, posts and articles. List those in your XML sitemap so Google can find them even if a deep pagination link is missed. Paginated list pages are optional in a sitemap, and filtered or sorted URLs shouldn’t be there at all. The free sitemap checker tests 30 sitemap URLs and lists any that redirect, return errors, are noindexed or point their canonical elsewhere.
Common mistakes
- Canonical to page 1 on every page, which tells Google to ignore the items on later pages.
- noindex on pages 2+, even though those pages are the path to the items listed on them.
- JavaScript-only pagination with no crawlable links.
- Very deep sequences (page 80 of 100), where items sit many clicks from the homepage. Shorter categories, more items per page, or links to page ranges help.
Details on canonicals for paginated pages: rel=next/prev and canonical tags.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google still use rel="next" and rel="prev"?
No. Google says it no longer uses these tags. They don’t hurt, and other search engines may still read them, but Google relies on normal links between the pages.
Should page 2 have a canonical pointing to page 1?
No. Google says not to use the first page of a sequence as the canonical. Give each page its own self-referencing canonical, because page 2 lists different items than page 1.
Should I noindex paginated pages?
Usually not. Pages 2, 3 and so on are how Google reaches the items listed on them. Noindex filtered and re-sorted variants instead.
Is infinite scroll bad for SEO?
Only if items load solely through JavaScript after scrolling or clicking. Google’s crawlers don’t click buttons, so back infinite scroll or "load more" with real paginated URLs linked with <a href>.
Can paginated pages have the same title?
Yes. Google says pages in a sequence can share titles and descriptions. Adding "Page 2" is still helpful for people choosing between results.