JavaScript rendering budget limits how much processing Google allocates to render JS-heavy pages. Optimize by minimizing JavaScript, using progressive enhancement, and ensuring critical content loads without JS.
Why a JavaScript Rendering Budget Matters
A JavaScript rendering budget is a critical factor for any website that relies on a JavaScript framework. Google has a finite amount of time and resources to crawl and render a site. If a search engine crawler visits your website and finds that every single page requires a significant amount of time and resources to render, it may simply not get to all of your pages. This can lead to a long delay in indexing new content and a failure to re-index important updates to existing pages. A well-optimized JavaScript site is one that uses its rendering budget efficiently, ensuring that all its important pages are rendered and indexed.
Across Different CMS Platforms
The management of a rendering budget depends on your CMS and how you build your site.
WordPress
WordPress’s default structure is a perfect example of how to optimize for a rendering budget. It uses standard HTML, so search engines can instantly crawl and index the content. If you’re building a custom front-end with a JavaScript framework on top of a WordPress backend, you must use a server-side rendering (SSR) approach to ensure you don’t waste your rendering budget.
Shopify
Shopify’s standard themes are server-side rendered, which means you typically don’t need to worry about a rendering budget. However, if you are using a headless commerce approach with a JavaScript framework, you must implement server-side rendering or a pre-rendering solution to ensure all your product pages are crawled and indexed.
Wix
Wix has a closed system, so you typically don’t have to worry about a JavaScript rendering budget. The platform’s system is designed to handle its dynamic content in a way that is compliant with search engine guidelines.
Webflow
Webflow generates clean, semantic HTML that is highly SEO-friendly. While you can add your own JavaScript, the core content is always rendered on the server, which prevents a JavaScript rendering budget from becoming a major issue.
Custom CMS
With a custom CMS, you have the most control and can build a system that is perfectly optimized for a search engine’s rendering budget by using a server-side rendering (SSR) approach. This is the most effective way to ensure that all your pages are rendered and indexed.
Across Different Industries
A JavaScript rendering budget is a concern for all industries that use dynamic content.
E-commerce
E-commerce sites often use a JavaScript framework for a fast and modern user experience. It is crucial to ensure that all your product and category pages are rendered and indexed, as a failure to do so can lead to a significant loss of organic traffic and sales.
Local Businesses
Local businesses with a smaller number of pages may not need to worry as much about a rendering budget. However, it is still a best practice to use a server-side rendering (SSR) approach to ensure all your key pages are indexed.
SaaS Companies
SaaS companies often use a JavaScript framework for their marketing pages and dashboards. It is crucial to ensure that their marketing pages are rendered and indexed, while their user dashboards can remain a client-side rendered application.
Blogs
Blogs built with a JavaScript framework can suffer from a limited rendering budget. It is critical for all articles to be rendered and indexed, which is a major factor in organic traffic.
Do’s and Don’ts of a Rendering Budget
Do’s
- Do use a server-side rendering (SSR) or pre-rendering solution. This is the gold standard for JavaScript SEO.
- Do use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console. This tool will show you how Google sees your pages and how long it takes to render them.
- Do use async and defer attributes. These attributes can help improve your page speed by loading your JavaScript files asynchronously.
Don’ts
- Don’t use a pure client-side rendering (CSR) approach. This is the number one mistake and can lead to a page having little to no visibility in search results.
- Don’t block search engines from crawling your JavaScript files. A search engine needs to access your JavaScript to properly render the page.
- Don’t use a JavaScript-only pagination. This can lead to a significant portion of your content being invisible to search engines.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- A lack of server-side rendering (SSR) or pre-rendering: This is the most common and devastating mistake.
- Having a slow rendering speed: A slow rendering speed can lead to a limited rendering budget.
- Failing to check for JavaScript errors: A single JavaScript error can prevent a search engine from rendering your page.
FAQs
How does a JavaScript rendering budget affect a website’s crawl budget?
A JavaScript rendering budget affects your crawl budget because a search engine has a finite amount of time and resources to crawl your site. If a search engine crawler spends too much time rendering your pages, it may not get to all of them, which can lead to a lower indexation rate.
What is the difference between a JavaScript rendering budget and page speed?
Page speed is the time it takes for a page to load for a user. A JavaScript rendering budget is the time it takes for a search engine to render a page. They are related, but not the same.
What are the key differences between JavaScript Rendering Budget and Crawl Budget?
A JavaScript rendering budget is the time it takes for a search engine to render a page. Crawl budget is the number of pages a search engine will crawl in a given period. A JavaScript rendering budget can lead to a lower crawl budget.
How can I test for a JavaScript rendering budget issue?
You can use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to see how long it takes for a search engine to render your page. You can also use a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights to see how long it takes for your pages to load.
What is the best way to prevent a JavaScript rendering budget issue?
The best way is to use a server-side rendering (SSR) or a pre-rendering solution. This ensures that a search engine crawler always receives a fully-formed HTML page.
