Almost any site with a product catalogue, a blog listing or filterable results eventually runs into the same problem: the content doesn't fit on a single page, so it gets split across several (page 1, page 2, page 3…), and that split, if not handled carefully, sends Google confusing signals about which of those pages it actually wants ranked.
The most common symptom is Google starting to index dozens of pagination pages from the same category, each competing for the same keywords as the others, with none of them ranking well because, in practice, they're competing against each other. This is known as cannibalisation, and paginated listings are one of the most frequent sources of it.
What to do with pages 2, 3, 4…
The most common and currently recommended approach is to let Google index them normally (blocking all but the first is no longer recommended), while making sure each one has a unique title, even if that just means adding "page 2" at the end, avoiding literally repeated content across pages, and clearly linking to the previous and next page so the crawler understands the sequence. What you want to avoid is page 1 and page 2 of the same category competing for exactly the same search query.
The specific problem with filters
On online stores, every filter combination (colour, size, price, brand) tends to generate a different URL with parameters (?color=blue&size=m), and if all of those URLs get indexed, Google can end up crawling thousands of nearly identical pages, wasting crawl budget on variations with no content value of their own. The usual fix is to block indexing of those filter combinations (via noindex or parameter configuration), reserving indexing for the main categories, which do have real search volume behind them.
When it does make sense to index a filter combination
When that specific combination has real searches behind it and enough volume to justify its own page: for example, "women's running shoes" might deserve its own indexed page inside a sports store, even though technically it's "category + gender filter + type filter", because people are searching for exactly that. The key is to decide this using search data, not by applying the same rule to every combination as a blanket policy.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use the rel=next/prev tag for pagination?
Google stopped using that signal a while ago, so it no longer provides the benefit it used to. What matters today is that every page in the sequence is crawlable, has its own content and metadata, and is well linked within the pagination.
Should I use a "view all" single page instead of paginating?
It can work if the content volume isn't excessive and the page still loads fast despite showing everything, since Google sometimes prefers that format when it exists. But if you have hundreds of products per category, pagination remains the more practical option for both the user and load speed.
How do I detect a pagination cannibalisation problem?
In Search Console, check which pages within the same category receive impressions for the same keywords. If several pagination pages compete for the same query with low, shifting rankings, that's a clear sign of cannibalisation.