How to optimize SPA websites
What are SPA applications
The only HTML document is used for a cover when developing a single-page application. Variable components are brought to a user via a particular technology: Ajax, HTML5, a template engine or a JavaScript framework.
In fact, after a browser request to the server, the latter does not need to create a completely new page. It returns only that part of the information to the browser that needs to be replaced according to the query. This happens quickly when the page is partially reloaded.
Advantages of SPA websites
- A page is not reloaded with every click; therefore, information on the page is not being changed completely;
- the information is loading faster thanks to the simplified structure;
- like on regular websites, each page can exist as a separate element with its own structure and functions, and a failure of one page will not affect the entire site.
Drawbacks of SPA websites
- Indexing by bots is different from the traditional feed in the HTML code;
- you need to study JavaScript thoroughly to create one;
- search engine optimization of the SPA website is more complicated than usual;
- the Java module should be switched on for the correct browser display.
To make bots crawl pages better, add the <meta name = "fragment" content = "!"> parameter. Google bots now render pages directly. In this case, you just need to use the correct URL format.
How robots of Google see SPA websites
Even a small error will result in the page not being crawled. One option is to create the so-called polyfill. This is a simplified version of the site for bots, not as functional as the user sees on the outside, but it contains the necessary information for ranking by search engines. Anyway, don't make your website too heavy.
To check the indexing of a specific page on Google, use the Site operator. To do this, enter the following in the search bar in incognito mode:
site: {site.com} «{fragment}»

<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Buy a laptop with backlight in Moscow</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Best laptops with backlight</h1>
<p>Welcome to our online store.</p>
<p>You can buy a laptop here. For example,
<a href="http://site.ru">this one</a>.</p>
</body>
</html>

If your site has hidden text under the cut, use the href parameter in the links and do not rely solely on the onClick. Without this parameter, the pages under the cut will most likely be skipped by the bot. Do not use the standard hashtag # in the URL, but simply replace it with the hashbang #!, and then the bot will read the page name.
Before: https://site.com/#url
After: https://site.com/#!url

Search engine optimization of SPA websites
For the optimization purposes, you also need to augment the 404 pages. According to the standard, 200 OK is resulting for non-existent pages single-page applications, and that is incorrect. Your task is to ensure that the 404 error is displayed in the page title.
To register your site in Google Analytics, use the Tag Manager and the History trigger, or transfer the data about each page manually through the Set command and replace the variable value with a new one.
How to make bots index your web pages

Conclusion
To optimize SPA websites, you must apply the standard SEO tools and additionally ensure that URLs are shaped so that bots can understand them.
Currently, only Google and Ask.com are able to index SPA websites in their original appearance. For the rest of the search engines, HTML copies of the pages are required. Ideally, the user utilizes JavaScript functionality, and the bots read simplified and clear duplicates.
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