Continuous scroll was a change to Google's results pages that loaded more results automatically as a user scrolled, instead of making them click to page two. Google introduced it on mobile in 2021 and on desktop in 2022. In 2024 Google ended continuous scroll and returned to a “more results” style of pagination, saying it wanted to serve results faster. It is a good example of how results layouts change and why rank tracking must adapt.
Why it mattered
While continuous scroll was live, results beyond the first ten could get impressions without a click on page two, so some sites saw impressions rise for positions in the teens and twenties. It also blurred the idea of page one, which many SEO reports were built around.
Layout changes and measurement
Results page changes affect metrics even when rankings do not move. Average position, impressions and click-through rate in Search Console all depend on what Google shows and how users see it. When layouts change, compare trends with care.
- Annotate reporting dashboards with known layout changes
- Expect impression shifts for lower positions when pagination changes
- Compare CTR by position over consistent periods
Other recent layout shifts
Continuous scroll is one of many changes. AI Overviews, expanded SERP features and the 2025 removal of support for showing a hundred results per page through the num parameter all changed what users and rank-tracking tools see. The last one affected how third-party tools collect ranking data and, by some reports, impression counts in Search Console.
Example
Explaining an impressions change
A content lead at Kitewharf sees desktop impressions for low-ranking pages fall in mid-2024 with no change in clicks. Checking known layout changes, she connects the timing with the end of continuous scroll and annotates the report instead of launching an investigation.
Common mistakes
Reading impression changes as ranking changes
Layout and pagination changes alter impressions without any change in your position.
Questions
No. Google ended it in 2024 on both desktop and mobile and returned to paginated results.
