JavaScript can be a powerful tool for creating dynamic websites, but it needs to be implemented correctly for search engines to understand your content. With many debates and opinions you see online, we created this article to help you understand the situation.
Understanding how Google interacts with JavaScript
Google’s crawler, Googlebot, doesn’t interact with websites like regular users do. It can’t click buttons, expand collapsed content, or scroll through endless pages. Instead, it only sees content that’s immediately available in the rendered HTML. This means any content hidden behind interactive elements might be invisible to Google.
Best practices for JavaScript implementation
Your content should be available on the server rather than just in the browser. This ensures Google can read and index your content properly. Server-side rendering is crucial for SEO success as it makes your content immediately accessible to search engines
Use standard HTML links instead of JavaScript-based navigation. The correct format is:
<a href="your-link-goes-here">Your relevant anchor text</a>Avoid using:
- JavaScript redirects (window.location.href)
- onClick events for navigation
- Hash fragments for separate pages
Images should follow standard HTML formatting:
<img src="image-link-here.png" />Don’t use lazy loading implementations that hide the true image source, as this can prevent Google from finding your images.
Make sure your rendered HTML includes:
- All page copy
- Properly formatted images
- Canonical tags
- Title and meta descriptions
- Meta robots tags
- Structured data
- Language tags (hreflang)
- Other relevant SEO tags
If you’re using infinite scroll, remember that Google won’t scroll through your pages. Consider implementing pagination or ensuring crucial content is visible without scrolling.
Conclusion
JavaScript isn’t harmful to SEO when implemented correctly. To study more about JavaScript, check out this guide from Google.
