The word pagination may be unfamiliar to you. However, it is actually a web page mechanism that we often see, and it is indispensable for pages with a large amount of information content.
It is originally a mechanism to make it easier for users to browse the website, but if it is not properly installed, it can also affect SEO.
This time, we will explain about pagination, which you should be careful about when creating a website.
What is pagination?
Pagination is the process of dividing a page to make it easier to view when posting content with a large amount of information on a web page. In Japanese, it is also called pagination, pagination, etc., and some people call it pagination.
You will most likely see pagination at the bottom of pages such as search engines and e-commerce sites. You may have seen pages designed to be turned by “number”, “next”, or “previous” as the page progresses. This is pagination.
- The need for pagination
It is not a good idea from a usability perspective to create a long page at the bottom of a website with a lot of content without dividing it up. If you put a lot of text and images on one page, it will take a long time to load, causing stress to the user.
Also, it’s not a good idea to have users read a page that they don’t know when it will end. By installing pagination, it is possible to show users how much more content they are currently reading, making it easier to navigate between pages, which is said to reduce the dropout rate.
The presence or absence of pagination also affects
SEO
(Search Engine Optimization), so let’s check it out below.
Does pagination affect SEO?
Google is the leading search engine in over 40 countries around the world, and has a market share of over 80% in Japan. For this reason, it is no exaggeration to say that many companies that provide SEO services primarily focus on SEO for Google.
Google regularly patrols websites using a crawler called Googlebot, collects and analyzes website information, and registers the results in a database for evaluation. When a user searches for a keyword, the ranking is determined based on this evaluation and displayed as a search result.
Pagination divides content into multiple pages, but Google evaluates them as a whole, rather than as individual pages. The important point here is that the evaluation is for the entire site, not for individual pages. By combining multiple backlinks, your content will be evaluated as high quality and will be more likely to appear at the top of search results.
Things to be careful about when creating a website
Although it is possible to increase the number of backlinks by dividing the page into smaller sections, it does not mean that the smaller the page, the better. If there are too many numbers at the bottom of the page (pagination), would you be interested in reading the website to the end?
If there are consecutive pages with little content, the user will have to click more than once, which will become tedious and result in a high abandonment rate. When using pagination, it is important to distribute the appropriate amount of content to each page.
The next thing to keep in mind when it comes to design is that when setting pagination, it is important to make the clickable area wide.
Nowadays, when viewing websites, it is more common to view them on smartphones and tablets than on computers. If you operate the cursor with a mouse, it is relatively easy to pinpoint an element (such as a number in this case). On smartphones and tablets, you have to tap (click) on elements with your finger, so if the click area is narrow, you won’t be able to move properly, which can be frustrating for users.
Also, if you are installing pagination, such as changing the color of the page number that the user is currently on, you will need to take measures to ensure usability is not compromised.
Pagination is effective for SEO when placed when there is a lot of content. Although it is a very beneficial system for users, it can have the opposite effect if web creators are not careful. The important thing is usability. Let’s not forget this.
summary
◆Pagination is the process of dividing a page to make it easier to view when posting content with a large amount of information on a web page. Or how it works.
◆By setting up pagination, you can show users how much more content they are currently reading. It is also easier to navigate between pages, which results in lower abandonment rates.
◆Content divided into multiple pages by pagination is evaluated as a single piece of content. By aggregating multiple backlinks, Google evaluates your content as high-quality and increases the likelihood that it will appear at the top of search results.
◆When setting pagination, design the click area to be wide. It is important to consider the design so that it can be used on smartphones and tablets, making it easy to tap with your fingers.