Server Rendered Content

TL;DR

Your primary content is not reliably present in the initial HTML response, which can reduce indexing and make LLM extraction fail. Ensure the key content is server-rendered (SSR/SSG/prerendered) and not dependent on client-side JavaScript to appear. Run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan to verify the improvement.

Why this matters

Access and crawlability are prerequisites. If crawlers can’t fetch or parse your content, rankings and citations become unreliable, and LLMs may fail to extract answers.

Where this shows up in Oversearch

In Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer and run a scan for the affected page. Then open Benchmark Breakdown to see evidence, and use the View guide link to jump back here when needed.

Why is my content missing when I view page source?

Your page relies on client-side JavaScript to render the main content, so the initial HTML the server sends is empty or minimal.

Search-engine crawlers and AI systems fetch the raw HTML first. If your key text, headings, or answers only appear after JavaScript executes, those crawlers may never see them. This leads to missed indexing and zero LLM citations.

• Open your page in a browser, right-click and choose View Page Source (not Inspect).
• Search for a distinctive sentence from your main content.
• If it is missing, the content is client-rendered only.
• Compare with a curl -sL <url> response to double-check.
• Test in Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool for the rendered vs. raw HTML diff.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to see exactly what content was detected in the initial HTML.

Do AI crawlers read client-side rendered content?

Most AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript. They rely on the raw HTML response, just like a simple HTTP fetch.

Unlike Googlebot, which has a rendering pipeline, AI systems such as ChatGPT’s browse mode, Perplexity, and other LLM-backed tools typically parse the initial HTML. If your content loads only via JavaScript, these systems will see a blank page and cannot cite you.

• Assume AI crawlers behave like curl — no JS execution.
• Ensure every critical paragraph, heading, and answer is in the server-delivered HTML.
• Use SSR, SSG, or prerendering to guarantee content is present on first load.
• Verify with curl -sL <url> | grep "your key phrase".

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to confirm your content is detectable without JavaScript.

What’s the difference between SSR, SSG, and prerendering?

SSR (Server-Side Rendering) generates HTML on every request. SSG (Static Site Generation) builds HTML at deploy time. Prerendering generates HTML for specific routes ahead of time and serves it as static files.

All three ensure content is in the initial HTML response, but they differ in when the HTML is created. SSG is fastest for pages that rarely change. SSR is best for dynamic or personalized content. Prerendering is a middle ground — good for SPAs that need crawler-friendly HTML without a full SSR rewrite.

• SSG: best for blogs, docs, marketing pages — HTML built at deploy.
• SSR: best for dashboards, search results, personalized pages — HTML built per request.
• Prerendering: best for SPAs — a headless browser generates HTML at build or on first request.
• Choose based on how often content changes and whether it is user-specific.
• Frameworks like Next.js, Nuxt, and SvelteKit support all three modes.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to verify that the chosen approach delivers content in the initial HTML.

How can I test whether my main content is in the initial HTML?

Run curl -sL <your-url> in a terminal and search the output for a unique sentence from your page’s main content.

If the sentence is missing, the content depends on JavaScript. This is the single fastest diagnostic because it mirrors what most crawlers and AI systems actually receive.

• Run curl -sL https://example.com/page | grep -i "your unique phrase".
• Alternatively, use View Page Source in Chrome (Ctrl+U / Cmd+U) and search.
• Use Google Search Console → URL Inspection → View Tested Page → HTML tab.
• Compare the raw HTML with what you see in the rendered browser view.
• Automate this check in CI to catch regressions after deploys.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to see the extracted content alongside the benchmark result.

What’s the simplest fix: SSR, prerender, or dynamic rendering?

Prerendering is usually the simplest fix if you have an existing SPA and want to avoid a major rewrite.

SSR requires framework support and changes to your build pipeline. Dynamic rendering (serving prerendered HTML to bots only) is discouraged by Google because it risks being seen as cloaking. Prerendering at build time or via a service is the lowest-effort path to getting content into the initial HTML.

• If you use Next.js, Nuxt, or SvelteKit, enable SSR or SSG for key routes — it is often a config change.
• If you have a vanilla React/Vue SPA, add a prerender step (e.g., prerender-spa-plugin, Rendertron, Prerender.io).
• Avoid dynamic rendering unless it is truly a stopgap.
• Prioritize pages that target search queries or should be cited by AI.

If you use Oversearch, open AI Page Optimizer → Benchmark Breakdown to confirm the benchmark passes after your change.

Common root causes

• Client-side rendering only (SPA) where key text appears after JS/hydration.
• Core content hidden behind interactions (tabs/accordions) or loaded after scroll.
• Rendering depends on blocked assets (JS/CSS blocked, timing issues, errors).
• Server returns minimal HTML and relies on runtime API calls for main content.

How to detect

• In Oversearch AI Page Optimizer, open the scan for this URL and review the Benchmark Breakdown evidence.
• Verify the signal outside Oversearch with at least one method: fetch the HTML with curl -L, check response headers, or use a crawler/URL inspection.
• Confirm you’re testing the exact canonical URL (final URL after redirects), not a variant.

How to fix

Start with the key questions above — confirm whether content is missing from initial HTML (see: Why is my content missing when I view page source?), choose the right rendering strategy (see: What’s the simplest fix: SSR, prerender, or dynamic rendering?), then follow the steps below.

1. Fetch the raw HTML (curl -L) and confirm whether the main text is present without JavaScript.
2. If missing, implement SSR/SSG/prerendering for the route (at least for the core content).
3. Move the key answer/definitions/headings into the initial HTML response.
4. Avoid relying on user interactions to reveal the core answer.
5. Run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan to verify the improvement.

Verify the fix

• Run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan for the same URL and confirm the benchmark is now passing.
• Confirm the page is 200 OK and the primary content is present in initial HTML.
• Validate with an external tool (crawler, URL inspection, Lighthouse) to avoid false positives.

Prevention

• Add automated checks for robots/noindex/canonical on deploy.
• Keep a single, documented preferred URL policy (host/protocol/trailing slash).
• After releases, spot-check Oversearch AI Page Optimizer on critical templates.

FAQ

Does Google index JavaScript-rendered pages?

Yes, Googlebot has a rendering pipeline that executes JavaScript, but it is delayed and resource-constrained. Pages may wait days or weeks to be rendered. Server-rendering removes that delay. When in doubt, serve content in the initial HTML.

How do I make an SPA indexable without rewriting the whole app?

Add a prerendering step that generates static HTML for each route at build time. Tools like Prerender.io or prerender-spa-plugin do this without touching your app code. When in doubt, start with your highest-traffic pages.

How do I prevent hydration errors from hiding content?

Hydration errors occur when server HTML and client HTML differ. Ensure your components produce identical output on server and client by avoiding browser-only APIs during initial render. When in doubt, wrap browser-only code in useEffect or onMounted hooks.

Will server rendering improve LLM citations and snippets?

Yes. LLM-backed search tools rely on the raw HTML. If your answers are server-rendered, they can be extracted and cited. Without it, the content is invisible to these systems. When in doubt, check with curl whether your key content is in the HTML.

How can I verify the fix after I change the page?

Run curl -sL on the URL and confirm your main content appears in the raw HTML. Then re-check in Google Search Console URL Inspection. When in doubt, run an Oversearch AI Page Optimizer scan and review Benchmark Breakdown.

Can I use dynamic rendering instead of SSR?

Dynamic rendering (serving prerendered HTML only to bots) is discouraged by Google because it risks being classified as cloaking. Use universal SSR or static prerendering instead so all visitors see the same HTML. When in doubt, serve the same server-rendered HTML to bots and users alike.