Google Crawling & Rendering: Know How Different Bots Handle JavaScript Rendering & Site Verification

As website owners and developers, it’s important to understand the different types of crawlers that exist, and how they operate. Crawlers are automated software programs that “crawl” or “spider” through websites to collect information and data. While some crawlers are simple and just collect basic information, others are more complex and perform tasks such as rendering the content of a page.

When it comes to rendering, not all crawlers are created equal. Some crawlers, such as those used for site verification, do not need to render content at all. However, other crawlers, like the ones used for desktop and mobile search, do need to render content in order to properly index pages.

In fact, rendering content has been a priority for Google for quite some time. The company started rendering content long before it even began working on mobile-first indexing. While rendering content at scale can be challenging, it’s just as difficult to render content for a desktop viewport as it is for a mobile viewport.

Despite the importance of rendering, it’s not always easy to find information on this topic. However, there are resources available to help clear up this confusion. Google’s documentation on crawling and indexing provides an overview of the different types of Google crawlers, including those that require rendering. This documentation also explains how to optimize your site for search and how to ensure that your content is being rendered properly.

In summary, understanding the different types of crawlers and their specific requirements is an important aspect of website development and optimization. While not all crawlers require rendering, it is an important factor for those that do. By familiarizing yourself with the different types of crawlers and their requirements, you can better optimize your site for search and ensure that your content is being indexed and displayed properly.