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Documentation often assumes readers will follow a set order. In reality, people skip around and take unexpected paths. You can still give them useful signposts. At the end of a page, tell readers whether they’re done or should continue somewhere else.

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Link to the next page

The lightest option is a single sentence that names the next page, says what it covers, and links to it. You’ve probably noticed these at the end of lessons in this course.
Example of a next page link
Link to the next page when:
  • The flow is linear. There’s one obvious next step.
  • The content is part of a sequential course or tutorial.
  • You want to maintain reading momentum.
Include a description. A bare link doesn’t tell the reader why they should go there. Help your readers understand why they should read the next page and what they’ll learn.

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Use a card at the end of a page

When readers have a choice of next steps, cards make the options easy to compare.
Cards at the end of a guide
Use cards at the end when:
  • You want to make the next step prominent and scannable.
  • The destination is important enough to stand out even for readers who skim to the bottom.
  • You want to guide readers between a choice of next steps.

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Let the sidebar do the work

For reference pages like API endpoints, configuration options, or component documentation, readers usually navigate with the sidebar or search rather than following a set path. Explicit next steps at the bottom of every reference page don’t help much, because you can’t predict where each reader goes next. That’s fine. Mintlify adds previous and next links to the bottom of each page automatically, following your navigation order. You only need to add your own navigation when the navigation order doesn’t match the reading order, or when you want to send readers outside the current section. On standalone pages where previous and next don’t make sense, like a landing page, set hideFooterPagination: true in the page’s frontmatter. For pages without one obvious next step, a list of related pages helps readers who want to keep exploring. Turn on Related topics in your dashboard settings, and Mintlify adds suggested pages to the bottom of each page automatically. To choose the suggestions yourself, list them in the page’s related frontmatter:
Example of related topics
Set related: false to hide the section on a page where it doesn’t help.

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What not to do

Don’t add next steps just to have next steps. Sometimes a single page is enough, and your reader is ready to get back to their work. Don’t add several competing next steps. If you can’t pick the most useful one or two, readers can’t either. Next up: Small components with specific jobs—decide when a narrow component earns its place on the page.