Pagination and infinite scroll both depend on the site correctly tracking which page or batch of content has already been shown, and when that tracking breaks — a caching plugin serving the same page repeatedly, a query parameter conflicting with another plugin, a script failing partway through loading additional content — visitors either see the same content loop, skip content entirely, or find that scrolling simply stops loading anything further. None of these symptoms look alike at first glance, but they all trace back to the same underlying category of fault — something interrupting the site’s ability to correctly track and serve the next batch of content in sequence.
Compare the behaviour logged in versus logged out
Read-only. Test the pagination or infinite scroll both while logged into the admin and in a private or incognito browser window, logged out.
A difference between the two situations points strongly toward caching, since logged-in admin views typically bypass the cache that logged-out visitors actually experience.
It’s also worth noting whether the issue happens consistently every time, or only occasionally, since an intermittent pattern often points toward a script timing issue rather than a straightforward caching or query mistake. Either pattern is fixable.
Pagination & infinite scroll repair
Pagination links skip pages, loop, or infinite scroll stops loading more content partway down. We isolate the cause and get navigation working.
- Full backup taken before we start
- If we can’t fix it, you get your money back
- We never ask for your own password
This or something else?
| Pagination links or infinite scroll skip, loop, or stop loading content | This fix covers it |
| Search results specifically are affected, not general pagination | Site search returning no results – repair, a different fix |
| A specific tab, accordion, or slider is unresponsive, not pagination | Tab, accordion & slider script errors, a different fix |
| The whole page loads slowly rather than pagination specifically failing | A different, general performance service |
| The issue only happens for one specific category or archive page | This fix covers it; that detail helps narrow the cause |
What you are seeing
- Pagination links leading to duplicate, skipped, or repeated content
- Infinite scroll stopping partway down the page with no further content loading
- The behaviour differing between being logged in and logged out
- The issue affecting specific archive or category pages, or the whole site
- The problem appearing after a caching, plugin, or theme change
Common causes
- A caching plugin serving the same cached page for what should be different page numbers
- A query parameter conflict between the pagination system and another plugin
- A JavaScript error interrupting infinite scroll before it finishes loading additional content
- Incorrect post counts or offsets in a custom query powering the archive
- A theme update changing how pagination templates generate their links
What we do
- Reproduce the pagination or infinite scroll failure and identify the specific pattern
- Check for caching, query conflicts, or script errors interrupting the process
- Correct the underlying query, caching configuration, or script conflict
- Confirm pagination or infinite scroll works correctly across affected pages
- Test both logged-in and logged-out to rule out a caching-specific discrepancy
- Check other archive or category pages for the same latent issue
What is included
- The specific pagination or infinite scroll issue identified and resolved
- Testing across both logged-in and logged-out states
- A check for the same issue on other archive pages
- The pre-fix backup, kept for 30 days
Not included
- Redesigning pagination or infinite scroll’s visual style beyond restoring function
- Fixing a third-party plugin’s own underlying bugs beyond a safe correction
- A broader performance optimisation beyond this specific navigation issue
- Ongoing monitoring for future caching or plugin changes
Questions about this fix
Could my caching plugin really cause pagination to loop?
Yes, if it's caching page two identically to page one, visitors see the same content twice, which is one of the most common causes of exactly this symptom.
Why does this only happen on some category pages and not others?
Usually because those specific pages use a custom query or template that handles pagination differently from the site's default behaviour.
Will fixing this affect my page speed?
Not directly — this addresses the accuracy of pagination and content loading rather than how fast the page itself loads, though a broken script error can sometimes contribute modestly to both.
Does this affect WooCommerce product archives the same way as blog pages?
The same underlying pagination mechanism applies, so yes, though the specific query generating each type of archive can differ slightly.
Will infinite scroll ever fully replace traditional pagination once fixed?
That's a design choice separate from this fix — we restore whichever mechanism your site currently uses to work correctly, rather than changing which one you have.
Related fixes
If this is the second time this year
A bad update breaking the site is a symptom of updates not being tested first. Care plans run every update on a staging clone before it reaches your live site, which is the actual fix for this happening again.
Your access, your rules
Create a separate admin account for us and delete it when we are done. For anything else, we get in touch and agree a method — never a form field on this site, never by reply to an email.
We back up first, always
Before anything is touched we take a full backup and keep it for 30 days. If a fix goes wrong, we put the site back exactly as it was.
If it is not what you bought
If the problem turns out smaller than what you ordered, we refund the difference. If it is bigger, we stop and send a quote before doing any extra work.
If we cannot fix it
You get back what we received. Diagnosis is on us — you only pay when the problem is actually solved. The payment processor takes its fee before the money reaches us, so we never hold it and it is not ours to return. That is true here as everywhere else.
If it comes back
Reply within seven days of delivery and we put it back on the bench at no cost. The fix is not finished until it holds.
What we are responsible for
If something goes wrong with a fix, our responsibility is limited to what you paid for it. We take a full backup first so mistakes can be undone, and we tell you before doing anything outside what you bought.