Google introduced an infinite scrolling feature for search results on mobile in 2021, followed by the desktop version in 2022. The page layout mirroring the format of social media platforms is now being removed on desktops and will later be discontinued on mobile phones as well. The company will go back to the classic method of displaying search results on various pages.
Google Search is removing continuous scroll for the same reason it was first introduced for
It is good to experiment every now and then and opt for innovation and change, for it can give companies a new sense of direction and help them achieve their goals. But sometimes, old is gold; when you try to play around with that, it does not necessarily give the required results. This is what happened with Google’s attempt to translate the social media feed format, which followed endless scrolling with search results.
Continuous scrolling on search results was first introduced for mobile in October 2021 and later extended to desktops in 2022. Although it was not exactly the same format as an Instagram feed, for instance, the display would account for about six pages of results in one scroll before the option to view more results was displayed.
A Google spokesperson has said to have informed Search Engine Land of the decision to remove the endless scroll feature from desktop on June 25th, with the mobile discontinuation coming in a couple of months. The desktop search would display the option of selecting ‘Next’ from the bottom of the page, while the ‘More results’ option would be available for mobile devices.
Google would instead return to its old format of supporting a pagination bar that allows users to move from one page to another by selecting from the bottom. When it first introduced the change, the company claimed that continuous scrolling would help load search results faster and make browsing easier. Users expressed that they missed the classic system, which allowed them to take the necessary pauses to evaluate whether they had the needed information. But slowly, the updated format grew on them.
The search engine giant went back on its original claim and instead focused on how the change being implemented now is to help serve users quicker through more prompt and accurate search results that do not unnecessarily load information that has not been requested. Whether Google’s move to return to the old ways will be received positively by users or will be taken as a downgrade is yet to be seen. We are not certain if the pagination bar will give quicker search results, but it sure will ring nostalgic bells.