What to do when JavaScript breaks your website’s Google search results

Does your website use JavaScript to show content, but Google isn’t finding or displaying your pages properly? This is a common problem that many website owners face. When JavaScript doesn’t work correctly with Google’s crawler, your content might not appear in search results at all.

JavaScript powers many modern websites, making them interactive and dynamic. However, Google’s crawler (called Googlebot) reads websites differently than regular visitors do. Understanding these differences and fixing common issues can help your content show up in search results where it belongs.

How to identify and fix JavaScript problems

Step 1: Test how Google sees your website

Before fixing anything, you need to see what Google actually finds on your pages. Use Google’s free tools to check this:

• Go to Google’s Rich Results Test tool
• Enter your website URL
• Look at what content appears in the preview

You can also use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console if you have an account. These tools show you exactly what Google’s crawler sees, including any JavaScript errors.

Step 2: Track JavaScript errors on your site

Set up error tracking to catch problems before they affect your search rankings. Add this simple code to your website to log JavaScript errors. You can work with a developer to help with this task if you’re not comfortable with the technical aspects.

window.addEventListener('error', function(e) {
    var errorDetails = [
        e.message,
        'URL: ' + e.filename,
        'Line: ' + e.lineno + ', Column: ' + e.colno,
        'Stack: ' + (e.error && e.error.stack || '(no stack trace)')
    ].join('\n');
    
    // Send error details to your logging service
    var client = new XMLHttpRequest();
    client.open('POST', 'https://your-logging-service.com/errors');
    client.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8');
    client.send(errorDetails);
});

Step 3: Fix common JavaScript problems

Handle error pages correctly

When someone visits a page that doesn’t exist on your site, make sure Google knows it’s an error. For single-page applications, do one of these:

• Redirect visitors to a proper 404 error page
• Add a “noindex” tag to tell Google not to include the error page in search results

Don’t require user permissions

Google’s crawler can’t allow camera access, location sharing, or other permissions. Make sure your content works without these features.

Avoid using URL fragments

Instead of URLs like example.com/#/products, use proper URLs like example.com/products. Google handles these much better.

Don’t rely on stored data

Google’s crawler doesn’t keep information between page visits. Each page needs to work independently without relying on stored login data or previous visits.

Use content fingerprinting

Give your JavaScript and CSS files unique names (like main.2bb85551.js) so Google always gets the newest version instead of cached old files.

Provide fallback options

Not all browsers support every feature. Check if features are available before using them, and provide alternatives when they’re not.

Use regular web connections

Google only uses standard HTTP connections. If your site relies on WebSockets or other special connections, provide an HTTP backup option.

Test your web components

If you use web components, make sure they display correctly in Google’s testing tools.

Why these problems happen

Google’s crawler works differently from regular browsers in several important ways. It visits each page independently, doesn’t store information between visits, and may not support all the latest web features. It also caches resources aggressively to work efficiently, which sometimes means it uses outdated files.

Understanding these differences helps explain why content that works perfectly for regular visitors might not appear in Google search results. The crawler prioritizes loading essential content and may skip resources it doesn’t consider necessary.

Conclusion

JavaScript issues can prevent your website content from appearing in Google search results, but most problems have straightforward solutions. Start by testing how Google sees your site using their free tools, then work through the common fixes outlined above.

After making changes, test your pages again with Google’s tools to confirm the problems are resolved. If you continue having issues, consider asking for help in Google’s Search Central community where other website owners and experts share solutions.