{"id":2775,"date":"2022-04-09T18:03:52","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T18:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/?p=2775"},"modified":"2022-04-09T18:03:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T18:03:55","slug":"its-normal-for-cached-javascript-pages-to-appear-empty-according-to-google","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/its-normal-for-cached-javascript-pages-to-appear-empty-according-to-google\/2022\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s normal for cached JavaScript pages to appear empty, according to Google"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Google’s cache, JavaScript-based webpages may appear blank or incomplete, which is normal and not indicative of any issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the latest instalment of the Ask Googlebot video series on YouTube, Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller<\/a> states this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A user asks why their JavaScript pages aren’t showing up in Google’s cached view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe cached version of React pages shows a blank page. What parameters should be considered while coding the React pages with SSR to make them Googlebot friendly?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A cached page is a snapshot of the URL as it appeared the last time Googlebot crawled it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a cached page appears to be empty or lacking content, it’s natural to assume Googlebot encountered a problem while crawling it. However, this isn’t always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google\u2019s Cache Displays HTML Only<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google’s cache<\/a> only saves the HTML elements on a page, according to Mueller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not that Google is incapable of caching JavaScript; rather, browser restrictions prevent Google from doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caching JavaScript-based webpages is difficult, according to Mueller, because Google’s cache only displays HTML.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not in terms of technology, but rather in terms of security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Brand Mentions, according to Google\u2019s John Mueller<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Web browsers have limitations on how content can be accessed, and requests for JavaScript files from other websites (such as Google’s cache) may be blocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoogle Search sometimes keeps a copy of the HTML page that was fetched from a server and shows that to users in the form of a cached page. That is, however, really just the HTML page.<\/p>

For JavaScript-based websites, it gets a little bit complicated here. Because of browser security, there are restrictions on how content can be accessed from a page.<\/p>

For example, if a page needs a JavaScript file from your server, browsers may block that request when it comes from other websites. In our case, the other website would be Google\u2019s cache.<\/p>

In practice, this means JavaScript-based websites often show an empty or an incomplete page when they\u2019re shown from Google\u2019s cache. This is normal and not a sign of a problem.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While an empty page in Google’s cache may be discouraging, how the page is indexed is what matters most for search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be sure, Google can handle JavaScript on its own and will attempt to index the page as it appears to users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mueller continues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn particular, for indexing, Google will process the JavaScript separately and try to index what a user would see when they visit your website directly. This rendered version of a page is visible in Google Search Console\u2019s testing tools if you want to double check.<\/p>

For the most part, Google can render and index content on JavaScript-based websites fine. So, in short, it\u2019s normal that the cache view of a JavaScript website is empty or incomplete. That\u2019s not an indication of a problem, it\u2019s just a technical restriction in browsers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to get a more accurate picture of how Google sees your pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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