Your content is what makes your website unique and the reason your visitors keep coming again and again. Unfortunately, displaying it all on one page is often impossible.
However, you still can create a unique user experience (UX) by opting for one of these options: pagination, load more button or infinite scroll.
Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of each display option, and which one is the best for your website.
Pagination
Pagination, the most popular option, splits content into separate connected pages. Generally, it appears at the bottom of a website page as a row of numbers. Pagination may also have Previous or Next buttons along with the numbers.
For example, search engines use pagination in their results pages (SERP). Users can use navigation controls at the bottom of each paginated page to know which page is currently displayed, which content is the most relevant, how many additional pages are available for the query.
Pros of pagination
- Pagination can help in terms of user experience (UX) and overall site navigation, because a user can reach the footer of the website conveniently.
- Pagination is good when users are searching for something specific within the list of results, not just browsing the content, which will help you increase your conversion rate.
- Pagination makes it easy to track how much content has been consumed.
Cons of pagination
- Users get easily tired after switching between pages multiple time, especially if the loading time is long.
- Pagination has been around since the beginning of the internet, that’s why this type of pagination is no longer intuitive.
- Most people will never scroll past the first page.
Load more button
The load more button is generally found at the bottom of a website page. It allows users to see more content when clicked on.
The load more button is usually used by blogs, as it allows users to decide how and when information is displayed.
Pros of load more button
- The load more button adds more content results to the existing ones without replacing the entire content.
- The load more button makes finding results easier. Indeed, users only have to keep clicking on the button without having to remember what page the content was on.
- The load more button allows you to easily measure user interest and engagement by the number of times a user clicks on the button.
- The load more button give users access to the footer, which means your website ads can get more impressions.
Cons of load more button
- Users cannot skip over to content farther in the results (for example, skip from page one to page seven).
- Users with older devices might have problems when loading a lot of content on the same page.
- If you are switching from an infinite scroll display, impressions will decrease, because users will less likely keep clicking on “Load more”.
Infinite scroll
Infinite scroll or endless scroll is a user experience (UX) practice that allows users to keep scrolling a page without reaching its “end”.
Infinite scroll has made a name for itself thanks to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This practice is also largely used on stock images websites like Unsplash and Pexels.
Pros of infinite scroll
- Infinite scroll works perfectly on mobile devices, where scrolling is more intuitive.
- Infinite scroll encourages users to keep scrolling for a longer period of time. So your users’ engagement will definitely improve.
- Infinite scroll feels quick to users, compared to other content display methods, which means a better user experience (UX).
Cons of infinite scroll
- If your website has a footer, it’ll never be seen.
- When users keep scrolling down, they find it difficult to navigate to the top of your website.
- Users cannot bookmark a page when infinite scroll method is used. They will have to consume the entire content again when visiting your website for the next time.
Which option is better for my website?
Choosing between pagination, load more button, and infinite scroll depends on your business and how users consume your content.
You should evaluate the pros and cons of every display option before selecting the best one for your website.
Which display method do we use on Digital Out Loud?
Rarely is a single method one-size-fits-all. Currently, we use two display methods: You will find the load more button on every page, except for the “Subscriber Exclusives” one, where we use the pagination display.