3️⃣ steps to debug JavaScript SEO issues

Published 9 months ago • 1 min read

JavaScript is a great option to make website pages more interactive and less boring.

But it’s also a good way to kill a website’s SEO if implemented incorrectly.

TV gif. Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson on Law and Order SVU leans forward on her desk and looks forward with a disappointed expression. She hides her face with both of her hands, looking down towards the desk. — Tired Oh No GIF by Law & Order

That’s why, as a technical SEO, you need to be comfortable debugging JavaScript issues.

Here’s how you do it in 3 steps 👇👇👇

Step 1: Disable JavaScript in the browser using Web Developer Chrome extension

The easiest way to do it is to disable JavaScript in your browser. I use the Web Developer Chrome extension for that. You just need to open settings, click ‘Disable JavaScript’ and reload the page:

Step 2: Check how much a website relies on JavaScript to serve the content

In this example, you can see that no content is available without JavaScript.

Note that this method just gives you an overview of how much JavaScript influences content delivery. It does not tell you if Google will index it or not.

Step 3: Check if Googlebot is served the right content and tags

The tools you can use for that:

Google Search Console Inspect URL
Google Rich Results test tool
SEO Pro extension

🚀 Psst... Did you know...

The Tech SEO Pro course has a dedicated JavaScript SEO module that will help you to learn how to make sure the JavaScript used on a website is SEO-friendly.

I'll show you a 3-step framework of JavaScript debugging (so you’ll know exactly how to do it in different settings and with any frameworks)

Check out Tech SEO Pro now>>

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3 steps to debug JavaScript SEO issues

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