Endless or very long scrolling websites are becoming increasingly popular today. Yes, the trend emerged a few years ago, but it continues to grow in popularity. However, calling this type of scrolling a fashion, a style, or a "feature" is not entirely accurate. Rather, it's a necessity—a necessity to present users with large portions of content and to literally open up everything the website has to offer.

We’re all familiar with endless news feeds in VKontakte, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks, so it’s easy to imagine what we’re talking about here.

Interestingly, this type of scrolling has its advantages. On the one hand, it ensures almost 100% user engagement with the content. They don’t have to get distracted by menus, sections, or wait for new pages to load. In fact, they don’t even have to think about navigation.

On the other hand, infinite scrolling is particularly in demand on mobile devices. The smaller the screen, the more scrolling is needed. There’s limited space for layout, so a headline, a short description, and a small image are often enough. On larger screens, you can display navigation, buttons, frames, various content blocks, and so on. Moreover, on mobile, scrolling becomes a more natural and accessible interaction.

But that’s just one side of the coin. What about designers? Why are they so drawn to infinite scroll? Why do they try to apply it to projects of different themes and styles, even when there’s no mobile version involved? The answer is simple: infinite scroll is great for conversions, for user attention, and for creative storytelling—just look at examples like Apple Mac Pro, Boat, and Firewatch.

And even though infinite scroll won’t work on every website, many designers have found creative ways to make it successful.

Encouragement

Users will only continue scrolling if they’re genuinely interested. Especially right after the initial page loads. If they see content that resonates—images, headlines, copy—they’ll keep going. Designers know this and apply it effectively in sites like Cheetos, Photobazaar, Komarnicki, on Pinterest boards, or DeviantArt. First, they hook you with content, then let you explore more on your own.

Subtlety

Many web designers aim not to force long scroll on users—and rightfully so. Not everyone wants to endlessly scroll for interesting or relevant content. Users still want context—where they are on the page, what section they’re in, what else is available. That’s why we often see floating navigation bars at the top. These are helpful since infinite scroll can push menus out of view, making navigation less convenient. Check out how this is handled on Uplug, Voux, Geranandpartners, and Company.airbus (with right-aligned navigation).

Everything Has a Beginning

Infinite or long scrolling can confuse users—they lose track of where they are on the page. Are they near the top? The middle? Even with a “Back to Top” button (usually an arrow), it often sends users to the very top of the page—not to where they left off. VK’s newsfeed handles this well by returning users exactly to where they were. Flickr works similarly—when you view and then close an image, it takes you back to the exact scroll position, not the beginning. Same with e-commerce sites like Etsy and Amazon.

On the flip side, some sites like Fomo always reload from the top—tiles and all. Even Boomandthearty doesn’t remember scroll position, despite its complex structure.

Most designers aim to store scroll position to improve user experience, even on mobile.

Visible Activity

Let’s admit it—it's quite convenient when you not only know content is being updated, but you can actually see it happen. Designers use this idea frequently, adding all sorts of loading indicators. These are also used to signal content is being dynamically loaded. In many cases, the animation is so fast and subtle that you barely notice it.

For example, “Load More” buttons or nearly instant animations are used by Time, Vogue, Yandex Zen, Voux, and Ria.

Impact on Infinity

Even on infinite scroll pages, users often feel the need to scroll faster—subconsciously. This becomes especially noticeable on long (but not infinite) pages. Developers usually want users to stay longer, so the scroll speed is intentionally limited. No matter how fast you spin your mouse wheel, new content appears only as designed. This is effectively implemented on Apple Mac Pro. You can change scroll speed settings on your mouse, but the website will still load content at its own pace. Similar behavior is found on Amur Tiger and company.airbus.

Whether this is good or bad depends on the content and how it’s meant to be consumed.

Viewing Convenience

This especially applies to online stores and product cards. Webmasters often add “Like” or “Add to bookmarks” icons to each product, simplifying browsing through extensive inventories. Also, many sites display how many items have been found—so even on very long product pages, users know where they are in the list. While some designers ignore this, it greatly improves usability. Others load all items on a single canvas, as seen on Ericbeauduin, Vagabond, and Skechers. Even photo banks like Photobazaar don’t always let users save images for later.

Other projects, however, do allow sorting and filtering—like Wildberries, Ozon, and Lamoda.

More Effects, Please

It’s hard to imagine a modern website without visual effects. Without them, a site can feel boring or simplistic. A great way to bring life to long or infinite content pages is to add loading animations, smooth tile appearances, and of course, parallax effects in their many forms.

Studies show the average user stays on a web page for just 8 seconds. If they're interested, they’ll stay longer and come back. Parallax can help spark that interest and increase engagement.

But sometimes, using parallax with infinite scroll backfires. Imagine you're shopping, and every scroll triggers an animation instead of showing product info. Annoying, right? The store Ericbeauduin uses subtle pseudo-parallax that doesn’t interfere with content but adds charm.

Innovation

Infinite scrolling is creative by nature—it gives room for imagination. But it’s one thing to study techniques and patterns, and another to seek out truly inspiring ideas.

Lexus explores tech and innovation through a unique approach. Topic selection happens via mouse movement, then redirects you to a relevant page. Images are distorted in perspective, content is dynamically loaded, and animation is subtle. Parallax is used beautifully on the main theme selection page.

Claridgeicon has a long but captivating scroll. Even if you’re not into architecture, you’ll keep exploring—there’s video, drawings, infographics, photos, and a sticky menu for easy navigation. There's even 360° panoramic video.

Foodisforeating is full of surprises. Its navigation is minimal, yet scrolling affects how content and infographics appear. It’s not just scrolling—it triggers animations, reveals data, and gradually displays visuals. It’s better experienced than described.

Channel National Geographic also impresses. The page may not be long, but content scrolls in all directions. Every section—photos, videos, news, articles—is tied together thematically. It’s engaging and conversion-friendly.

Powerofpossible tells a story about human energy, solar power, and technology through animations triggered by scroll. The backgrounds are vibrant and mysterious, showing people and ideas forming in the clouds, then descending to land and sea. A long scroll, but a fascinating journey.

Twinpinejourney lets users explore the history of Twin Pine casinos and hotels in California. Scroll vertically to explore the story, and horizontally to dive into different sections. Even the roadmap features scroll-based animation that reacts to your scroll speed.

Conclusion

There are still countless innovative ideas out there, and infinite or long scroll doesn’t have to be irritating. When done right, it creates an incredible and immersive experience. If the scrolling feels intuitive—like a good user interface—it becomes a welcome feature.

In any case, you must decide whether infinite scroll is right for your project. It's not just about loading content on the homepage.

That means there’s endless room for creative implementation—confirming once again that web design is a highly creative, innovative, and technological field.