Infinite scroll: is it worth it? Pros, cons, and its impact on SEO and UX

What is infinite scroll?

Infinite scroll is a technique where additional content elements — such as products, blog posts, or images — are automatically loaded as the user scrolls down the page. There’s no need to click to view the next page or press a “load more” button. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are well-known examples, but infinite scroll is also increasingly used on blogs, image galleries, and e-commerce sites.

➡️ Unlike traditional pagination, infinite scroll does not divide content into separate pages. From the user's perspective, everything happens seamlessly — one long list of results appears continuously as they scroll (with no interaction required beyond the act of scrolling itself).

🙂 Pros of infinite scroll – from a UX perspective

For users — especially on mobile devices — infinite scroll can significantly improve the browsing experience. There’s no clicking or waiting for page reloads; everything loads in the background. This approach works particularly well when:

the user is browsing a large number of similar items without a specific goal (e.g., posts, images, product listings),

the site is visual, entertainment-driven, or engagement-oriented,

speed and flow of interaction are key to keeping users on the page.

It’s also worth noting that scrolling is a natural, intuitive gesture — especially on touchscreen devices.

🙁 Cons of infinite scroll – limitations to keep in mind

While UX may seem like the obvious winner at first glance, infinite scroll also comes with several drawbacks:

Difficulty returning to previous content – if a user clicks an item and then goes back, they often land at the top of the list. With pagination, it’s easy to return to “page 3.”

Lack of a clear end point – users may not know how much content is left, which can lead to fatigue or frustration.

Accessibility challenges (WCAG) – users navigating by keyboard or screen reader may struggle to follow a page that changes dynamically and constantly.

High browser load – with long lists and poor optimization, performance may drop significantly, especially on slower devices.

Infinite scroll and SEO – can Google actually... see it?

This is where things get more complicated. Google has officially stated that its indexing bot (Googlebot) does not perform scrolling like a human user. If content is only loaded after scrolling and isn’t available via unique, static URLs, it may never be indexed.

To ensure infinite scroll also works for SEO, it's essential to provide:

Addressable URLs – each content section should have its own URL (e.g., ?page=2, /blog/page-3) that users (and Google) can access directly.

HTML links to subsequent pages – these should be visible in the source code, even before JavaScript is executed.

Access to all paginated content via the XML sitemap or internal linking – ensure Google can discover the full structure of your site.

A fallback or alternative version – such as traditional pagination in the footer or a "load more" button with indexable links.

Even though Google no longer uses the rel="prev" and rel="next" attributes for indexing, they can still help maintain logical structure and compatibility with other bots and tools.

When should you stick with pagination or a “load more” button?

Infinite scroll is not always the best option. You may be better off with traditional pagination if your website:

contains content with high SEO value (e.g., blog posts, category pages),

uses extensive internal linking,

requires precise performance analysis (e.g., knowing how many users viewed “page 2”).

⚠️ For online stores aiming to build visibility for each category and subcategory, not having addressable URLs for product listings can result in the loss of hundreds of potential landing pages in search results.

A hybrid solution — combining dynamic scrolling with static footer links — can offer the best of both worlds.

Conclusion and recommendations

Infinite scroll is a convenient and modern feature — but only if implemented thoughtfully. For Google, dynamically loaded content that lacks a URL, isn’t present in the HTML, or isn’t listed in the sitemap might as well not exist.

If your priority is visibility in search results, full indexing of your content, and future scalability, then infinite scroll must be paired with SEO-conscious planning. Otherwise, it risks becoming a sleek but costly design mistake.

➡️ Read also: How to SEO an online store in a seasonal industry?