Define what each page contains
Choose a stable order, reasonable page size and explicit sort rule. Show result counts and active filters when relevant. An item should not vanish or appear twice as someone moves through the list.
Plan for new entries, removals and empty lists. The filter guide covers combinations of criteria.
- Predictable order and page size.
- Readable result count.
- No skipped or duplicated entry.
Provide accessible links
Each important portion needs a usable URL and HTML links to neighbouring pages. Controls identify the current page and work by keyboard. Someone opening page three directly should know where they are.
Infinite loading may improve comfort, but keep a linked path to the content. Google pagination guidance explains how crawlers can discover all pages.
- Direct URL for each useful portion.
- Previous and next links usable.
- Current position announced.
Handle state and return journeys
Test back, refresh, filter changes and arrival from a shared link. People should recover their context rather than restart the list. On a phone, access to later pages should remain easy to find and activate.
Out-of-range pages and empty combinations need understandable messages. Automatically redirecting to page one can conceal a stale link and make diagnosis harder.
- Browser history tested.
- Filters and sort kept where appropriate.
- Empty states explained.
Check crawling and performance
Ensure entries are reachable through links, list pages do not all point to an unsuitable canonical, and resources load progressively. A fast first page does not help if later ones fail.
Measure on a representative catalogue, including its last page and mobile view. Repeat after adding entries: pagination that works today may break as volume or filters change.
- All entries reachable.
- URLs and canonicals coherent.
- Several pages checked for speed.