Should you really submit all paginated pages in the XML sitemap?

Why does Google believe that not all paginated pages deserve a spot in the sitemap?

Pagination often generates hundreds or even thousands of URLs on large e-commerce sites or directories. Submitting page=1 to page=547 in the XML sitemap creates a massive, complex file that can be difficult to maintain and potentially counterproductive.

Google assumes that if page 1 is discovered, the bot will follow the internal links to page 2, 3, etc. Therefore, the sitemap does not need to serve as an exhaustive list — it should highlight the strategic URLs you want to index first.

What has changed with the end of rel=next/prev?

Until March 2019, Google recommended the rel=next/prev attribute to explicitly signal paginated series. This signal has been abandoned as Google claimed to detect it automatically in 99% of cases.

Since then, no specific markup is required. Each paginated page is processed individually by the algorithm, without automatic grouping under a common canonical URL. It is up to you to decide whether page=2 deserves indexing or not.

Which pages are considered important?

Google does not provide an exhaustive list, but the idea is clear: prioritize unique and high-value content. Product pages, blog articles, strategic landing pages — anything that drives organic traffic or conversions.

Intermediate paginated pages (page 12 of 87) rarely bring unique SEO value. They often duplicate the same filters, the same template, with just a different list of items. Unless for specific cases (e.g., page 2 ranking on a specific long tail), their indexing is not a priority.

• Only submit strategic pages: flagship products, main categories, editorial content
• Let the bot discover pagination through typical internal linking
• Monitor actual indexing with Google Search Console to ensure important pages are indeed crawled
• Avoid giant XML sitemaps that dilute the signal and complicate maintenance
• No worries if page=2 isn’t in the sitemap — Google will find it if it's linked from page=1

Is this statement consistent with observed practices in the field?

Yes and no. On well-linked sites with a correct crawl budget, Google indeed discovers paginated pages without issue. Server logs show that Googlebot naturally follows links from page=1 → page=2 → page=3.

However, on sites with a constrained crawl budget (millions of pages, complex architecture, slow response times), deep paginated pages are never visited if they do not appear in the sitemap. [To Verify] if your site exceeds 100k indexable pages — the absence of a sitemap can drastically slow down discovery.

In what cases does this rule not apply?

If your paginated pages have unique and rankable content, excluding them from the sitemap is a mistake. A classic example: a forum with specific discussions per page, or a classifieds site where each page=X targets a different search intent.

Similarly, if your pagination uses client-side JavaScript without HTML fallback, Google may struggle to discover subsequent pages. In this case, the sitemap becomes essential to guarantee indexing — even if Google claims to manage without it.

What nuances should be added to this recommendation?

Google says "important pages," but does not define the criteria. An e-commerce site with 10,000 products spread across 500 category pages: should you submit only page=1, or page=1 to page=10? No official answer.

My field opinion: if a paginated page generates documented organic traffic (via Search Console), it deserves to be in the sitemap. Otherwise, focus on content hubs (page=1 of categories, product sheets) and leave the rest to natural crawling.

What concrete steps should you take to optimize your XML sitemap?

Audit your current sitemap: how many paginated pages are submitted, and how many are truly indexed? If you have 5,000 URLs page=X in the sitemap but only 200 are indexed, that’s unnecessary noise.

Reduce the sitemap to strategic pages: main categories, flagship products, editorial content. For pagination, keep page=1 consistently — and possibly page=2 to page=5 if they generate identifiable traffic in Search Console.

How do you verify that important pages are crawled without the sitemap?

Cross-reference data from Google Search Console (coverage report, indexed pages) with your server logs. If a strategic page never appears in Googlebot logs, it is not being discovered — add it to the sitemap.

Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to force a one-time crawl of a critical paginated page. If Google rejects it or marks it as "Detected, currently not indexed," dig into the reasons: duplicated content, incorrect canonical, blocking robots.txt.

What mistakes should you absolutely avoid?

Do not abruptly remove all paginated pages from the sitemap without analyzing their real SEO contribution. Some pages=X rank on specific long tails — removing them could drastically reduce traffic.

Avoid submitting URLs with multiple parameters (page=2&sort=price&filter=brand): Google often sees them as duplicate content. Prefer canonical pagination URLs, without unnecessary filters.

• Audit the current sitemap: ratio of submitted URLs / indexed URLs
• Identify paginated pages generating organic traffic via Search Console
• Keep page=1 of each paginated series in the sitemap
• Exclude deeper paginated pages without unique SEO value
• Monitor server logs to verify the real crawl of important pages
• Test indexing via URL Inspection on a sample of excluded pages