Broken Pagination Chain (rel=next/prev)

What This Means

A gap exists in the rel=next/prev pagination chain. Page N has a rel="next" link pointing to page N+1, but page N+1 either does not have a rel="prev" link pointing back to page N, or page N+2's rel=prev does not point to N+1, breaking the chain of linked pages.

Why It Matters for SEO

Pagination with correct rel=next/prev signals allows search engines to understand the relationship between pages in a series and consolidate signals for the series as a whole. A broken chain prevents crawlers from discovering all pages in the series from within the paginated set itself, potentially missing pages that are not otherwise linked.

What the Platform Checks

After crawling all paginated pages, the platform traces each rel=next/prev chain and verifies bidirectional consistency. A broken chain is detected when: page N's rel=next target does not rel=prev back to N, or the chain has a gap where the next page in sequence does not exist.

How to Fix It

• Ensure every paginated page (except the first) has a rel=prev pointing to the previous page.
• Ensure every paginated page (except the last) has a rel=next pointing to the next page.
• Check for 404 or redirected pagination URLs in the chain — a 404 on page 3 breaks the chain for all subsequent pages.
• Verify the chain programmatically: the rel=next of page N must point to the URL that rel=prevs back to N.