Little is said about what web rendering is during the loading process of any site. We understand that our page must respond extremely fast in order to keep our users awake, but do you know what it is and what are the consequences for SEO? In this article we are going to uncover the secrets behind the scenes of any web page.
What is web rendering?
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Rendering a web page is the process by which a web browser interprets the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code of a web page and converts it into what we actually see on the screen.
When you visit a webpage, your web browser retrieves the HTML code that creates the page layout and content, the CSS files that define how the page is to look, and the JavaScript scripts that deliver interactivity and functionality. These files are understood and executed by the browser, and they use them to render a visual picture of the page.
once a user has accessed our website, there are a number of processes that take place which on the surface are not visible to the user and are internal micro processes between the server, web files and browsers.
This is why rendering has such a profound impact on performance and on SEO ranking.
Types of web rendering:
While the overall method is the same, it can be done in the following ways server-side, or on the customer side in static or in a dynamic way depending on each web architecture.
Client-side rendering CSR :
In such an instance, the browser downloads a bare minimum web page or a skeleton of it which generally holds just the core structure (HTML) and style sheets (CSS) and the necessary JavaScript code to download and show the rest of the content. The browser runs this JavaScript code and executes it to create the full graphical structure of the web page.
This form of rendering prefers TTFB, one of the Core Webs Vitals, for reasons which are pretty self-evident, as the server response will be lesser since it doesn’t rely entirely on it.
SSR server-side rendering:
In this approach, the server is responsible for generating the HTML form of an entire web page and sending it to the browser. In this approach, the browser is given a web page that has already been rendered and is ready to be displayed. This type of rendering is very advantageous to performance since it is not dependent on the client resources and this may be advantageous to crawling and page indexing.
But it should be noted that it is a less dynamic system because if the server is not adequately powerful, it may create response time issues. There are also hybrid systems that use both versions. Best is to plan for potential bottlenecks on your site and act accordingly.
How well does Javascript render?
Javascript is a computer language utilized to introduce dynamism and execute very critical functions on a site.
Some of the things Javascript does on the web are:
The HTML is parsed and the browser builds the DOM structure that will be manipulated subsequently by Javascript.
With the help of techniques like getElementById or querySelectorJavascript alters the elements by styling them.
Integrate interactivity features such as button clicks, form submission, etc.
It makes requests to the server asynchronously.
It introduces visual effects like animations, introduces libraries, and introduces dynamism to CSS.
Does rendering play a role in the SEO of my website?
If the rendering is slow, it will delay the performance and Google will be unable to crawl and index that url. Other than these problems, we also have:
Possible increase in the bounce or departure rate of visitors.
Priority file locks: the user cannot access the objects or actions cannot be performed.
Impact on conversions.
Fewer dwell times. What does Google say regarding Javascript rendering?
According to June 2023 prices referenced by Martin Split (Google developer), processing with JavaScript is significantly more accessible compared to a couple of years prior. This largely stems from the reality that Google is increasingly well-equipped to perceive the micro-processes which occur and is exceedingly sensitive to WRS.
The WRS (Web Rendering Service) is what happens after processing the HTML and resources, but before building the DOM tree that is what Google will actually spider as the “final” page. It is true that it happens or does not happen depending on whether there is Javascript code or not, but when it does, it gets interesting.
Briefly: Google crawls the end DOM, but, if the crawl to get there is too slow, it will in turn impact the crawling of the web. This is what we need to finally investigate with the various performance tools to determine where the rendering breaks.
Large blocks from robots.txt which impact rendering:
Tread carefully with our trusty ally, the robots.txt. Simple as this file is, it is incredibly potent when utilized for authorizing or prohibiting crawling directives. If blockages for high-priority files like CSS and JS are present within, they can have a direct impact on rendering and, therefore, performance.
It is very common to have robots files automatically created by WordPress, Prestashop or Magento, but the fact is that we must adapt them to our context, as our SEO expert, Natascha Fher, suggests, talking about the loss of performance due to blockages in robots.
Thanks to the view Waterfall We have been able to verify the large amount of time that some resources spent blocked. These files were nothing more and nothing less than images in Webp format (the one recommended by Google).
This was happening because the image-converting plugin was storing the images in a WordPress directory that was being blocked in the robots.txt. In addition to the images, many CSS and Javascript style files, which are high-priority for web rendering, were also being impacted by this problem.
We verified what the files were and with the client, we established that they were an important component of the load. Folders like “wp-content” or “wp-includes” in WordPress’s case, are of high importance because they contain a lot of data.
While nothing is a high priority, we would recommend you not wholesale block this directory. and make sure that, with any new rollout, robot policies are not preventing search engines from accessing content you would like to see.
Last SEO tips to enhance the performance of your website:
Here are 4 tips you can apply to avoid rendering problems on your website:
Check different urls of your domain:
With tools such as GTmetrix and Page Speed. If you own e-commerce recommended you to analyze the main url, a category and a product.
Utilizes rendering tools:
For instance, Fetch & Render to see what the robots read when they visit your site in the first few seconds of loading. This will enable you to see which files are impacted and whether they are from a plugin or external.
Update your robots.txt for each change:
In case you have noticed blocking of large files or have made alterations in your site, make sure you go through robots.txt file to see what kind of instructions you can add or remove. In case you do not know which priority files are, here is a condensed list of usual situations:
Major documents:
-CSS cache plugins, speed, etc.
-JS design plugins such as Elementor.
-New forms and images like website.
Don’t compromise on quality resources: Early on in any project, there are typically basic development and server services contracted, but as the web matures, increasingly, it is necessary to grow, refresh and change to adapt to new circumstances. We hope this article has been useful in providing you with an understanding of what SEO rendering is and how to go about finding issues and how to fix them.
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