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How to Use Pagination in SEO

January 1, 2018
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What Is Pagination in SEO?

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Pagination is the process of breaking down a large amount of content and spreading it out over several pages. This is done to make it easier for visitors to read and to simply make the website look better. It can also improve SEO and lead to a higher search engine ranking. Pagination is not hard, but it can be intimidating to website and blog owners. It’s important to find the perfect balance. Knowing how to use pagination in SEO is important if you want your website or blog to be successful.

Using Pagination for SEO

When it comes to using pagination, there are a few different types you can use. Each type works for different blogs and topics. The length of the content and the style of the website also play a role in how you should handle this technique. Keep in mind, if there are pages you do not want to be used by Google to determine your rank, you can always add a noindex tag to them. Here are a few different pagination types to consider.

Page Numbers

This is a simple way to spread out your keywords and your content. You simply split the content up between several pages. Each page has its own URL that usually corresponds to the page number. Readers can navigate between the pages by clicking on the page numbers at the bottom of the page. You can also add arrow or buttons that read “Next” and “Last” if you prefer. This is probably the easiest way to do it, as well.

Infinite Scroll

This is a popular method that allows each page to have its own link, but it also breaks up the content. Instead of having the readers click on the page numbers or buttons, the page automatically scrolls down to the next page. The content is still split up into different pages and title tags, but it is less noticeable to the reader and takes less time to navigate to the next page. Most readers find this convenient and prefer it. If you are thinking about continuous scroll vs. pagination for SEO, it may be wise to opt for continuous scroll if you want your site to appear more modern.

Image Gallery

Some people are confused about how to use pagination with an image gallery. However, it’s pretty simple. Simply assign each image its own page. Each page has its own name and the number assigned to it. The image gallery is set up like a slideshow, and viewers can click through the images with arrows or buttons. Instead of having all of the images on one page, they are spread out over several pages.

Forums and Comments

You have probably noticed that most forum and comment sections are split up into pages. This is because these things can make pages too long if they are allowed to run down one page. They can also be split between pages with links, numbers, and buttons. This helps make comments more organized, and it will make people more likely to read through them.

Best Practices for Pagination SEO

If you want search engines to rank your site well, you need to make sure you are using good SEO practices. If you are trying to cheat the system or if the algorithms think you are violating the terms, they will penalize you. Here are some of the best practices for pagination SEO.

Know When to Use It

It’s not good enough to simply split your content up between different pages; you also have to know when and how to split it up. Your readers don’t want to be interrupted or have to navigate to a different page when they are in the middle of a sentence or a paragraph. You need to be wise about when you split up your content. For website content and blog posts, it is best to split it up by section. Start a new page with a new section or heading.

When it comes to blog comments and forums, it is best to split the pages up after every 10 to 15 topics. This helps make it feel neater and more organized. If you are working on splitting up the content by links, a good rule of thumb is to add a new page after about 50 links.

Create a Page to View All Content

Not everyone is going to one to take the time to click through the pages. Some people won’t even be interested in reading the entire post and would rather just scan through it. They can do that much faster if they are able to see all the content at once. You can offer a “View All” button that allows your readers to see all of the content on one page. They may still have to scroll through it, but they will be able to do so quickly. If you are using continuous scroll pagination, you may still want to add this option to your site.

Offer a Table of Contents

A table of contents is another way for readers to find the section of the content that they want or need. It should be located in a place that is easy to see and always on the first page of content. You may want to put it beside the first paragraph or anywhere else near the top of the page. This will keep your readers happy and likely keep them coming back. This can also be considered reader- and SEO-friendly pagination.

Using Pagination to Improve SEO

A lot of people forget how important it is to split up longer content to make it easier for readers to enjoy. Google takes a lot of things into consideration, and this is one of them. Search engines want users to be happy with the pages they rank high, and if your readers can’t navigate the content quickly and easily, they won’t return. It’s not difficult to use pagination, but you do have to make sure you are using it correctly to avoid penalties from Google’s Algorithms. Knowing when and how to use it can have a big effect on the success of your site or blog.

We’ll be glad to hear your stories about how pagination works. Leave your comments just below the article!

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