In short. Pagination gives each part of a collection a linked page, with unique URLs and crawlable links that let Google reach later results.

Definition: Pagination divides a collection of results into a linked series of pages. Each page displays part of the collection, with links such as “next”, “previous”, or page numbers for moving through it.

Key facts

As of October 2026, Google's pagination documentation recommends a unique URL for each page in a sequence.
Google's link documentation identifies an HTML <a> element with a destination in its href attribute as the generally crawlable link format.
Google's lazy-loading documentation recommends persistent URLs and sequential links for chunks behind infinite scroll, which loads more content as a visitor scrolls.

How does a linked series make content accessible?

Google's pagination guide recommends linking each page to the following page. Its examples of collections include product categories, blog posts, product reviews, and blog comments.

Google's link best practices require that destination to resolve to an actual web address. The following illustrative HTML combines that link format with the pagination guide's query-parameter pattern:

<a href="/products?page=2">Next</a>

The same link documentation says JavaScript can insert crawlable links when it uses this HTML format. It also recommends a link from another page on the site to every page that matters. A sequence therefore needs usable links between its parts, including parts beyond the opening results.

Which URL identifies each part?

Google's pagination documentation treats URLs in a sequence as separate pages and gives ?page=n as a possible URL pattern. A canonical URL is a preferred address for a page. The pagination documentation recommends declaring each page as its own canonical. It advises against pointing the whole sequence to its opening page as the canonical.

A fragment identifier is the part of a URL after #. Google ignores it for pagination, so changing only that fragment may leave a later page unfollowed. The same documentation states that Google no longer uses <link rel="next"> and <link rel="prev"> to identify sequence relationships.

For infinite scroll, Google's lazy-loading guide requires each chunk to have a persistent, unique URL. It recommends absolute page numbers and advises against relative values such as ?date=yesterday, so a given address consistently retrieves the same content.

How can access to later content be checked?

Google's lazy-loading guide recommends the URL Inspection Tool in Search Console to examine rendered HTML, the HTML available after page processing. Inspection should establish whether the expected content appears there. Opening a later chunk's URL directly also checks the guide's requirement that its content remains consistent when loaded independently.

Google's pagination guide explains why this matters: its crawlers do not click buttons and generally do not trigger JavaScript functions requiring user actions. A working “Load more” button alone leaves later content dependent on an interaction Google generally skips.

FAQ

Do paginated pages need different titles?

Google's pagination documentation permits the same titles and descriptions throughout a sequence. Its usual recommendation for distinct page titles has this specific exception.

Can infinite scroll still expose individual pages?

Yes. Google's lazy-loading documentation recommends paginated loading beneath infinite scroll. It also recommends updating the browser's displayed URL when a newly loaded chunk becomes the primary visible content, allowing that address to be refreshed or shared.

Sources

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