Google Ends Continuous Scroll in Search Results: Pages Are Back

If you noticed the “Next” button back at the bottom of Google’s desktop results this week, you are not imagining it. Google continuous scroll is ending. On 25 June 2024, Google confirmed it has started removing continuous scrolling from desktop search results, with mobile to follow in the coming months.

So the short answer is yes: numbered pages are coming back. In this article I explain what changed, why Google says it did it, and what it means for your clicks, your rankings and your Search Console reports.

What Google Changed on 25 June 2024

Continuous scroll was the feature that loaded more results as you scrolled down, without clicking to page 2. Google is now turning it off.

Here is what the change looks like:

• Desktop: the rollout started on 25 June 2024. Instead of more results loading on their own, you see the classic page numbers and a “Next” link at the bottom of the page.
• Mobile: Google says the change will reach mobile in the coming months. On phones, you will get a “More results” button that loads the next set only when you tap it.
• What stays the same: the results themselves, the ranking systems and the features on page 1. This is a change to how the page loads, not to how Google ranks.

In my view, that last point is the one to remember. Nothing about this change moves your page up or down. It changes how many people ever get to see results beyond the first ten or so.

A Short History of Continuous Scroll

Continuous scroll did not last long. It arrived on mobile in October 2021, starting with English searches in the US. On mobile it loaded up to about four pages of results before showing a button to load more.

Desktop followed in December 2022, again starting in the US. There it loaded up to six pages of results as you scrolled, then showed a “More results” button. We covered that launch in our article on continuous scroll coming to desktop search.

So on desktop the feature lived for about a year and a half. On mobile, a bit longer. That is a short life for a change to something as basic as the results page.

Why Google Ended Continuous Scroll

Google gave two main reasons when it confirmed the change:

1. It did not make people happier with Search. Google said that loading more results automatically did not lead to much better satisfaction for searchers.
2. It slowed things down. Google said that by not loading results people did not ask for, it can serve results faster.

Both reasons make sense to me. Most people find what they need near the top of page 1, or they change their search. Loading five or six extra pages in the background that almost nobody reads is wasted work for the browser and for Google.

There is also a wider picture. Google launched AI Overviews in the US in May 2024, and the top of many results pages now holds AI answers, ads, maps, videos and “People also ask” boxes. I explained what that means for traffic in our guide to the AI Overviews launch. With so much on page 1, a simpler page below it is not a surprise.

I would not read anything more into it than what Google said. I have not seen any sign that the change is linked to ranking updates or to ads.

What Google Continuous Scroll Removal Means for Clicks

For most websites, the practical effect is small but real. Here is how I think about it.

Page 1 Matters Even More

With continuous scroll, a result in position 15 or 25 could appear on the screen just because someone kept scrolling. Now it only appears if the searcher actively clicks “Next” or “More results”.

Very few people click to page 2. That was true before continuous scroll, and I expect it to be true again. So if you rank around positions 11 to 30, you will likely get fewer views than you did over the last year or two.

Pages Ranking Beyond Page 1 May See Fewer Impressions

This is the part that may confuse people when they open Search Console in a few weeks. An impression is counted when your result appears in results the user actually sees. Google’s own help page says a result on page 3 gets no impression if the user only views page 1. You can read the full rules in Google’s Search Console help page on impressions, position and clicks.

Under continuous scroll, more of those deeper results were loaded and scrolled into view. Without it, I expect impressions for queries where you rank beyond the first page to drop, mainly on desktop first and then on mobile as the change rolls out there.

The key thing: a drop like that does not mean your rankings fell. It means fewer people reached the page where you already ranked.

Clicks Should Change Much Less

Results on later pages never got many clicks, even with continuous scroll. Most clicks have always gone to the top few results. So for most sites I expect the change in clicks to be small.

If you see a big click drop at the end of June 2024, I would look for other causes first. A core update, a spam update, a technical problem or a seasonal dip is far more likely to explain it.

Average Position Might Look Better

Average position in Search Console is only calculated from impressions. If fewer impressions come from deep positions like 20 or 40, your average position can look higher (a smaller number) even though nothing actually improved.

I always tell people not to celebrate or panic over average position alone. Look at it per query and next to clicks.

How to Check Whether the Change Affected Your Site

Here is the process I use when a search feature changes and I want to know if it touched a site. It takes about 20 minutes.

1. Mark the date. Note 25 June 2024 as the desktop change date. Write down the mobile date too once you see it in your area.
2. Open the Performance report in Search Console. Use the Search results report and compare the 28 days after the change with the 28 days before. Do this once you have enough data after the change.
3. Split by device. Add a Device filter for desktop. If the change affected you, the shift should show up on desktop first, while mobile stays steady for now.
4. Look at the Queries tab with position. Turn on the Position column and sort by it. Check queries where your average position is above 10. These are the ones most likely to lose impressions.
5. Compare impressions and clicks. If impressions fell on those deep queries but clicks stayed about the same, the change in scrolling is a likely reason. If clicks fell on page 1 queries too, something else is going on.
6. Check other events. Look at Google’s Search Status Dashboard for any ranking updates during the same weeks. A spam update was running in late June 2024, so do not blame everything on scrolling.

In my experience, the most common mistake is reading one total number for the whole site. Always split by device and by position before you decide what happened.

What to Do About It

You cannot switch continuous scroll back on, and you do not need to. What you can do is make the most of page 1.

Find Your Page 2 Opportunities

Queries where you sit in positions 8 to 20 are the best place to spend your time. They are close enough to page 1 that a better page can move them up, and they now lose the most from the change.

When I look for these, I filter Search Console for queries with position between 8 and 20 and a decent number of impressions. Then I check which page ranks for each one and ask: does this page fully answer what the searcher wants?

Improve the Pages That Are Close

For each page that ranks just off page 1, I usually do these things:

• Make sure the main question is answered clearly near the top.
• Add the details that the top results cover and your page misses.
• Update anything out of date, like prices, steps or screenshots.
• Add internal links from strong, related pages on your site.
• Rewrite the title tag so it matches the search and gives a reason to click.

If your site lost ground in the recent core updates, the advice in our recovery plan for sites hit by the helpful content system applies here too. Pages that help people are the ones that climb to page 1.

Win More of Page 1

Page 1 is more than ten blue links. Think about which features show for your key searches and whether you can appear in them:

• Local pack: for local businesses, a complete Google Business Profile matters more than ever.
• Videos: if videos show for your topic, a good video can give you a second spot.
• People also ask: clear, direct answers to common questions give you a chance to show there.
• Images and products: for shops, good product images and Merchant Center feeds can add visibility.

Adjust Your Reporting

If you report on SEO to a client or a manager, add a short note about this change to your next report. Explain that impressions for deeper rankings may fall on desktop from late June 2024 and on mobile later, and that this is not a ranking loss.

I would also focus reports on clicks, top 10 rankings and conversions rather than total impressions. Those numbers are less affected by how Google lays out its pages.

What Searchers Will Notice

For people using Google, the change is simple. On desktop, the results page now ends after the first set of results, with page numbers to move on. On mobile, once the change arrives, you will tap a button to see more.

I think most searchers will barely notice. People who do research and like to dig deep may even prefer page numbers, because it is easier to remember where a result was and go back to it.

For site owners, this is a good reminder that searcher behaviour, not just rankings, decides your traffic. A ranking only helps when people can see it.

What It Means for Rank Tracking

Rank tracking tools check where your pages appear for a list of keywords. The change does not stop them from seeing deeper results, so your tracked positions should not jump because of it.

What does change is the value of a ranking on page 2 or 3. Under continuous scroll, a position of 15 had a small chance of being seen. Now that chance is smaller. When I look at tracked keywords, I now treat anything outside the top 10 as “not visible yet” rather than “nearly there”.

Common Questions I Expect From Site Owners

A few points come up whenever Google changes how results look, so here are short answers.

• Do I need to change anything technical on my site? No. This is a change to Google’s results page, not to how Google crawls or indexes your site.
• Is pagination on my own site affected? No. How you paginate your blog or category pages is a separate topic. This change only affects Google’s own results.
• Will this affect ads? Ads can show at the top and bottom of results pages, so ad layouts on later pages may change. I would watch your ad reports, but I have not seen Google share details on this.
• Should I worry about one bad week? No. Give it a few weeks of data and compare like with like, such as weekdays with weekdays, before you decide anything.

Conclusion: Google Continuous Scroll Is Out, Page 1 Is Everything

Google continuous scroll is ending, starting on desktop on 25 June 2024 and moving to mobile in the coming months. Google says the extra results did not make people happier and that dropping them makes Search faster.

For your site, rankings do not change, but results beyond page 1 will get seen less. Expect fewer impressions on deep queries, small changes in clicks and maybe a nicer looking average position.

My suggested next step: open Search Console this week, filter for queries in positions 8 to 20, and pick five pages to improve. That is where this change costs the most, and where better content pays back the fastest.