A Modern Guide To Javascript SEO

Paul Matthews — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 13:45:32 +0000

Is Javascript A Problem For SEO?

Google has mentioned multiple times how their bot is perfectly able to crawl, render and index any form of content included in Javascript but this simply isn't the case. Many SEOs all over the world have mentioned how their pages which contained jQuery-based, Vanilla and even React scripts were ranking far below HTML and CSS-based ones. Recently, SEO and Javascript have become quite important in the world of CMS SEO, given the predominance of DOM-methods animations used in architectures like Wordpress, Magento and Shopify.

Should I Remove All The Javascript, Then?

Absolutely not. Javascript is a delicate subject for SEO but it could easily be optimised. The only guideline when it comes to removing Javascript from your site would be related to deleting DOM Methods-related animations from the pieces of content which are keyword focused. If these keywords are included within a native application, for example, you should look into SSR Server Side Rendering processes like prerender.io, as most of the times pieces of content included within Googlebot's rendering queues are due to the fact that the frameworks are rendered client-side.

Moving JS To CSS

With Javascript, especially within architectures like Wordpress, there are multiple times in which its usage is connected to minor tasks like opening an accordion, for example. By simply removing JS from it, what could happen is, in fact, a considerable loss of content within such process. For this very reason, using CSS properties and pure CSS accordions could be extremely helpful and will also save you some time, speeding up your landing page.

JS SEO and Mobile

Many app developers in the UK have stated how impactful JS SEO has been when launching keyword-oriented applications, or apps which are merely focusing on content-related features. Google's mobile index first demands your content to be separated from JS even on its mobile version.

Simple Coding, Major Results: JSON-LD and Microdata For Your Website

Paul Matthews — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:56:51 +0000

What Is Structured Data

When it comes to SEO, many are the ones who keep on forgetting about the fact that Google crawls a website by using an algorithm and the quality of the content is not strictly related to human perception, but everything fluctuates around multiple numerical connections and mentions. To better understand this, links are, in fact, the main ranking reason that Google sees in terms of both quality and relevance.
Structured data follows a schema markup and combines it with JSON-LD scripts in order to be correctly crawled by the infamous Googlebot.

What should I do With My Structured Data?

Applying structured data is quite easy, since it creates a script which is separated from all the other functions and is, in fact, considered as a basic form of coding, which could be installed in both coded sites and CMS-based ones, by using the schema app. Given the fact that there are tons of markups available within the Schema Community and more are being developed right now since it's an open source matter, it's important to use the ones which are most commonly used, such as the Organization, Website and Products one.

The Benefits

Structured data is the main source of information for what concerns rich snippets within the SERP. Not only this is terribly important from a UX point of view but is drastically covered in many marketing case studies, as we can see for certain iOS app development companies which heavily rely on SEO and organic traffic.
On top of that, the overall markup strategy could definitely boost the organic traffic, since the fetching process will be simplified.

To Conclude

Having structured data installed on your site could definitely improve the crawling process for your site and, if done properly, will also confirm your brand's mention online (by using the "sameas" attribute, for example).

DEV Community: Paul Matthews