Should You Use Page Numbers Or “Load More”?

Pagination might be a boring topic, but still important when designing or redesigning your website.

When it comes to pages, what is currently being used? What are your options? You have two. You can use “Load More” pages or you can make users click on to the next page.

Each one has a different impact on SEO and page speed so weigh the pros and cons carefully.

Using The “Load More” Button Is Better For SEO

So, you have a blog feed or pages upon pages of product listing.

If you decide to use a “Load More” button for users to get to the next set of feed or items, that is actually better SEO-wise.  That’s because all those items are technically just on that one page—they’re only hidden.

The downside? The act of hiding those items can drag down your page load speed.  This is especially true if you have a large listing or feed to display.

Using Page Numbers Loads Your Page Faster

What if you decide to use page numbers instead? You know, the one where you click on page 2 if you want to go to page 2, page 3 if you want to go page 3, and so on…will that load faster?

Yes, page numbers load a lot faster than using “load more”. That’s because the page doesn’t have to worry about loading the rest of the remaining items except for those on the first set—at least, not until you click on the next page.

But although page numbers are good for your load speed, it’s not as good for SEO because Google only considers the first page of results in its index. It thinks of the rest as irrelevant content.

What Is More Important?

Is the page important from an SEO perspective? Or do you think it’s more important for users to be able to access information quickly?

Some find it crucial to follow the fundamentals of SEO tactics; others give more weight in providing the best user experience. The answer depends on what’s important for you and your business.