When it comes to product listings or other types of website lists, the decision between lazy loading and multiple pages (pagination) depends on balancing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and User Experience (UX). Here we take a look at both approaches.
Lazy Loading
The term ‘lazy loading’ refers to the dynamic loading of content as the user scrolls down the page, typically without requiring a page refresh.
What are benefits?
From an SEO (search engine optimisation) and UX (user experience) point of view, the main benefits of lazy loading are:
- Fewer Page Requests: A single-page structure may reduce server requests and loading times for the initial page.
- Efficient Crawling: Modern search engines like Google can crawl lazy-loaded content meaning all products are visible in the page’s HTML/DOM when fully rendered.
- Seamless Browsing: Users don’t need to navigate to a new page, which feels faster and smoother.
- Mobile Friendliness: Works well on mobile devices where users expect infinite scrolling.
It should be noted that the JavaScript used for lazy loading must be implemented properly, otherwise, crawling by search engines can be negatively impacted.
What are the issues?
With lazy loading, it can be harder to create unique URLs for specific product sections e.g. using anchor links. This lack of ‘sections’ within a listing also means that users cannot easily bookmark or return to specific points in the list.
Another consideration is if listings have too many items as this can lead to users feeling overwhelmed by endless scrolling.
Pagination (Multiple Pages)
This traditional approach divides products or other listed items into pages, often with a “Next” button or numbered links.
What are benefits?
When it comes to SEO and UX, there are some benefits to pagination, including:
- Crawlable Structure: Pagination creates unique URLs for each page, making it easier for search engines to index all products.
- Internal Linking: Each page can include metadata and links, boosting overall site structure and keyword targeting.
- Section Navigation: Users can easily return to specific pages or share links to particular sections.
- Less Cognitive Overload: A finite number of products per page can feel more digestible to some users.
What are the issues?
The use of multiple pages, listing the same type of item inherently creates the risk of duplicate content, particularly the repetition of meta titles or descriptions across pages. Also. if pagination is too deep, search engines might struggle to prioritise deeper pages.
The use of multiple pages can interrupts a user’s flow – clicking through pages disrupts the browsing experience, especially on mobile phones.
Finally, loading times can be increased as each page may take time to load, which can frustrate users on slow connections.
Which is Better?
From a UX standpoint, lazy loading probably edges the fight with its smooth and uninterrupted browsing experience.
When it comes to SEO, there is not much in it unless your lazy loading is implemented poorly, I which case, some search engines may find it hard to crawl the listing effectively.
Ultimately. hybrid approaches like “load more” buttons with proper internal linking and tracking often provide a balance.