Imagine a large, unformatted text that you pasted into a document. All the information merged into one continuous flow of words without sections, contents, pages and divisions into paragraphs.

To find the necessary part, you will have to search for it for a long time, scrolling the page. Approximately the same is a site without pagination.

On large sites, there are dozens and hundreds of pages: the main page, product cards, product pages, a blog, and others. How to help users not to get lost among a colossal array of information? Arrange everything on shelves - add a link block to separate the content. This block is called pagination.

Пагінація: що це таке, навіщо потрібна пагінація сторінок на сайті

What is pagination?

Pagination (from the Latin pagina - page) is the structuring of a large amount of information on the site by dividing it into separate pages. In simple words, pagination is a page-by-page output of data.

It is implemented to:

  • speed up page loading;
  • simplify site navigation;
  • make viewing information convenient for users;
  • bring the design of the pages to a look familiar to users.

Initially, the term "pagination" began to be used in publishing. He meant the numbering of pages in books, newspapers, and magazines. The number could be located at the bottom, top, and side of the letter. In 1499, the first book using pagination appeared. It was introduced by the Italian publisher Ald Manutius, who developed the book design that is still used today. Italics and the introduction of the punctuation system were also his "child".

At the end of the 20th century, in the era of the development of the Internet, pagination seeped into the global network. Information on the sites began to be displayed page by page, adding the ability to turn pages.

Pagination is necessary for:

  • electronic libraries to search for authors or book titles alphabetically;
  • online stores for turning page-by-page photos of the product from the card or reviews on it;
  • news portals, with a link to the most recent material by the posting date;
  • photo banks, where hundreds of thousands of images are divided page by page.

Pagination is done by SEO specialists. Moreover, it is necessary to organize the process so that it does not negatively affect the promotion of the site and does not lower the position of the resource in search results.

Types of pagination

There are several types of pagination:

  1. A numbered list, each number containing a jump link.
  2. Alphabetical order, where selecting a specific letter opens a list of names starting with it.
  3. The "Show more" button allows you to load a certain number of elements on the page with one click.

Each of these types is good in its own way. There are also combinations of several types of pagination. For example, when the site simultaneously provides a numbered list of pages and the "Show more" button. This allows the user to choose how to more conveniently scroll through page elements.

Social networks are an example of resources where pagination is not used. News feeds have no limits, thanks to which the user stays longer on the site. Endless scrolling of news allows you to keep the attention of visitors.

How to configure page pagination on the site

In each CMS, pagination has its own characteristics. We will tell you how to set it up yourself using WordPress and PHP.

Pagination on WordPress

You don't need to learn a programming language to set up pagination. CMS WordPress already provides such a function. Even if you haven't configured anything, you can find buttons with "Previous page" and "Next page" links at the bottom of the pages.

If you are not satisfied with this option of pagination, you can select the appropriate "Plugins" section. We search by the tag pagination. Next, you can choose a plugin compatible with your version of WP and install it.

When setting up, pay attention to the following parameters:

  • link size. They should be comfortable to press with a finger;
  • page size. The page should not be too short or too long. The optimal value is from 20 to 100 elements per page;
  • pagination design. While flipping through the pages, it is important for visitors to understand which page they are on. It is advisable to highlight the reference to the number in a contrasting color;
  • space between elements. A balance between links should be maintained for visual appeal. They should not be too close to each other, but at the same time it is desirable to fit 10 links per page.

PHP pagination

Another tool for self-configuration of pagination, which is not so difficult to understand. Even if you have no experience writing code, you can spend a little time and understand how this process works.

In PHP, pagination is done in two ways:

  1. Page-by-page pagination. There are several commands in the code, three of which indicate the current, previous and next page.
    The code determines that we are on a certain page and extracts the necessary links from the database.
  2. Thematic pagination. As a basis, it is necessary to independently prescribe the method of identification of pages. For example, on the topic. Pages are divided into groups - they are usually called "sections". The user goes to the page of one of these headings, the script independently finds similar options in the database and offers them to the user.

What errors occur when configuring pagination

Pagination makes browsing the site comfortable and fast for the user. If mistakes are made during its preparation, a number of problems appear:

  1. Delay in the indexing of pages of the same type. They encounter it when promoting online stores in the presence of a large number of product cards.
  2. Duplicate content on scrolling pages. In case of detection of low uniqueness, the site may be fined.
  3. The difficulty of identifying important pages from less important ones. The first can wait for indexing for several months, and the second can be approved in a couple of days.
  4. Poor content. If there is no text in the image gallery and there are no alt and title, the robots may not index it, because they will have nothing to "hook" on.

Closing pages with pagination from robotic scanning will help deal with SEO errors.

How to use pagination on someone else's site

Go to the site of, for example, an online store and select the desired section with the product in the menu. If there is no numbering at the top, skip to the end. A digital list with links to other pages will appear below:

Пагінація в інтернет-магазині

Digital list with links to other pages

In our example, the "Show more" button is provided for further viewing of product cards. It provides for quick disclosure of positions from the next page.

The paginator is configured in a similar way on all major sites, and it is not difficult to use it.

Conclusion

We recommend using pagination based on the wishes of your site's target audience.

  1. For online stores with a large number of products, it is better to choose pages with the "Upload more" button. It is best to sort the goods by price, date of appearance on the site, popularity.
  2. We will use scrolling for informational sites. Page-by-page pagination is no less suitable.
  3. If you have a site with a lot of photo and video content, infinite scrolling is the best solution.