John Mueller from Google has clarified that search engines no longer require special handling for paginated content, following the discontinuation of rel="prev" and rel="next" attributes.
In a recent LinkedIn thread, Mueller addressed concerns about indexed paginated URLs. He emphasized that Google's systems can recognize unique content within a paginated series without requiring special treatment. The core message is straightforward: if content provides value, it will be indexed regardless of its location in a pagination sequence.
Mueller explained that attempting to combine multiple paginated pages into a single URL adds unnecessary complexity. The search engine's systems can effectively:
- Process unique content across paginated pages
- Index valuable content based on merit
- Handle URLs as standard web pages
The discussion stemmed from a case where paginated URLs ranked for main keywords, such as "cheap monovolume cars" appearing as /cheap/monovolumes?page=12. These URLs were visible in the Google Search Console's indexed pages report, demonstrating Google's natural processing of paginated content.
Mueller noted that technical SEO fundamentally relies on clear communication of intentions to search engines, describing this principle as both beautiful and frustrating in its simplicity.
