Google has removed the “design for accessibility” section from within the Understand the JavaScript SEO basics documentation. Google said this was removed because the information was “out of date and not as helpful as it used to be.”
The old text said that using JavaScript for page content “may be hard for Google to see.” But Google now says that has not been true for many years, thus why Google removed the section.
The old section. The old section read:
“Design for accessibility: Create pages for users, not just search engines. When you’re designing your site, think about the needs of your users, including those who may not be using a JavaScript-capable browser (for example, people who use screen readers or less advanced mobile devices). One of the easiest ways to test your site’s accessibility is to preview it in your browser with JavaScript turned off, or to view it in a text-only browser such as Lynx. Viewing a site as text-only can also help you identify other content which may be hard for Google to see, such as text embedded in images.”
Why it was removed. Google explained:
- “The information was out of date and not as helpful as it used to be. Google Search has been rendering JavaScript for multiple years now, so using JavaScript to load content is not “making it harder for Google Search”.”
- “Most assistive technologies are able to work with JavaScript now as well.”
Why we care. While Google Search can handle JavaScript super well, it is still important for you to double check what Google Search sees by using the URL inspection tool within Google Search Console.
Keep in mind, Google can handle JavaScript very well, Microsoft Bing likely can as well. But many of the new AI engines might not be able to render JavaScript as well as Google or Bing.
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