What is JavaScript SEO?
JavaScript SEO refers to the process of making sure that websites using JavaScript can be properly crawled, indexed, and ranked by search engines like Google.
JavaScript is a programming language that allows developers to create interactive and dynamic elements on websites. This could be anything from dropdown menus and sliders to complex single-page applications improving navigation and user experience.
Most of the JavaScript used on websites won’t impact SEO in any meaningful way. However, sites may run into issues when it is used to build an entire page, add or hide elements, used in menus, pull information like products or prices.
Why Does It Matter?
JavaScript SEO is often more complicated and resource intensive for search engines to crawl and index. All the typical SEO rules and best practices apply, but will also require more technical knowledge and experience.
Google processes JavaScript in 3 main phases: Crawling, rendering and indexing
JavaScript can sometimes hide content from search engines. Unlike HTML, which is directly accessible by crawlers, JavaScript may load content dynamically after the initial page load. This means that if search engines can’t execute or render JavaScript properly, they might miss out on important content, affecting your site’s SERP rankings.
JavaScript SEO Best Practices
When you’re using JavaScript to build or enhance your website, it’s essential to follow best practices to ensure that your content remains accessible and SEO-friendly.
- Include Essential Content in Initial HTML Response: Ensure that the important content of your page is available in the initial HTML response. This means that even if JavaScript hasn’t fully executed yet, search engines and users can still access important information. This can be achieved through techniques like Server-Side Rendering (SSR) or by using static HTML with JavaScript enhancements.
- Include Navigational Elements in Your Initial HTML Response: Make sure that essential navigational elements, such as menus, buttons and links, are included in the initial HTML response. This allows search engines to crawl and index your site’s structure and content efficiently, even if JavaScript hasn’t fully loaded.
- Use Google Search Console to Find Errors: Regularly check Google Search Console for any errors or issues related to your JavaScript content. The URL Inspection Tool can help you see how Googlebot views and renders your pages, and identify any problems with JavaScript execution.
- Ensure It’s Mobile-Friendly: With a lot amount of web traffic coming from mobile devices today, it’s essential that your JavaScript content is mobile-friendly. Test your site’s mobile usability and performance to ensure a smooth experience for all users, and address any issues that might arise.
- Canonical links: According to documentation, John Mueller said: “We (currently) only process the rel=canonical on the initially fetched, non-rendered version.” This means that canonical links through JavaScript means that Google will only find the canonical link after they’ve crawled and rendered the page, wasting crawl budget. The same goes for nofollow links!
