Infinite scrolling and SEO

What is Cumulative Layout Shift?

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a metric that measures the sum of all individual layout shift scores for every unexpected layout shift that occurs during the entire lifespan of the page. A layout shift happens whenever a visible element changes its position from one rendered frame to the next, for example, in the case of a footer being pushed down by new content.

How can I minimize impact on SEO?

A higher CLS can negatively impact your site’s rankings in search results because Google aims to promote sites with good user experiences. Infinite scrolling, if not added with careful consideration of layout stability, can deteriorate the user experience by causing high CLS. If you add pagination with infinite scrolling, try to avoid positioning layouts like pivots and footers below the loading content. This will help minimize layout shifts, thus not harming SEO.