Find out how to Use Chrome to View a Web site as Googlebot

Introduction to Googlebot spoofing

On this article, I am going to describe how and why to make use of Google Chrome (or Chrome Canary) to view a web site as Googlebot.

We’ll arrange an internet browser particularly for Googlebot searching. Utilizing a user-agent browser extension is usually shut sufficient for Web optimization audits, however further steps are wanted to get as shut as potential to emulating Googlebot.

Skip to “Find out how to arrange your Googlebot browser”.

Why ought to I view a web site as Googlebot?

For a few years, us technical SEOs had it simple when auditing web sites, with HTML and CSS being net design’s cornerstone languages. JavaScript was usually used for elaborations (reminiscent of small animations on a webpage).

More and more, although, complete web sites are being constructed with JavaScript.

Initially, net servers despatched full web sites (absolutely rendered HTML) to net browsers. As of late, many web sites are rendered client-side (within the net browser itself) – whether or not that is Chrome, Safari, or no matter browser a search bot makes use of – which means the consumer’s browser and system should do the work to render a webpage.

Web optimization-wise, some search bots don’t render JavaScript, so gained’t see webpages constructed utilizing it. Particularly when in comparison with HTML and CSS, JavaScript may be very costly to render. It makes use of way more of a tool’s processing energy — losing the system’s battery life— and way more of Google’s, Bing’s, or any search engine’s server useful resource.

Even Googlebot has difficulties rendering JavaScript and delays rendering of JavaScript past its preliminary URL discovery – generally for days or perhaps weeks, relying on the web site. After I see “Found – presently not listed” for a number of URLs in Google Search Console’s Protection (or Pages) part, the web site is as a rule JavaScript-rendered.

Making an attempt to get round potential Web optimization points, some web sites use dynamic rendering, so every web page has two variations:

Usually, I discover that this setup overcomplicates web sites and creates extra technical Web optimization points than a server-side rendered or conventional HTML web site. A mini rant right here: there are exceptions, however usually, I feel client-side rendered web sites are a foul thought. Web sites must be designed to work on the bottom widespread denominator of a tool, with progressive enhancement (by JavaScript) used to enhance the expertise for individuals, utilizing units that may deal with extras. That is one thing I’ll examine additional, however my anecdotal proof suggests client-side rendered web sites are usually harder to make use of for individuals who depend on accessibility units reminiscent of a display reader. There are cases the place technical Web optimization and usefulness crossover.

Technical Web optimization is about making web sites as simple as potential for search engines like google and yahoo to crawl, render, and index (for essentially the most related key phrases and subjects). Prefer it or lump it, the way forward for technical Web optimization, at the very least for now, consists of a number of JavaScript and totally different webpage renders for bots and customers.

Viewing a web site as Googlebot means we will see discrepancies between what an individual sees and what a search bot sees. What Googlebot sees doesn’t should be an identical to what an individual utilizing a browser sees, however essential navigation and the content material you need the web page to rank for must be the identical.

That’s the place this text is available in. For a correct technical Web optimization audit, we have to see what the most typical search engine sees. In most English language-speaking international locations, at the very least, that is Google.

Why use Chrome (or Chrome Canary) to view web sites as Googlebot?

Can we see precisely what Googlebot sees?

No.

Googlebot itself makes use of a (headless) model of the Chrome browser to render webpages. Even with the settings urged on this article, we will by no means be precisely positive of what Googlebot sees. For instance, no settings permit for the way Googlebot processes JavaScript web sites. Typically JavaScript breaks, so Googlebot may see one thing totally different than what was supposed.

The purpose is to emulate Googlebot’s mobile-first indexing as carefully as potential.

When auditing, I take advantage of my Googlebot browser alongside Screaming Frog Web optimization Spider’s Googlebot spoofing and rendering, and Google’s personal instruments reminiscent of URL Inspection in Search Console (which will be automated utilizing Web optimization Spider), and the render screenshot and code from the Cell Pleasant Check.

Even Google’s personal publicly accessible instruments aren’t 100% correct in displaying what Googlebot sees. However together with the Googlebot browser and Web optimization Spider, they will level in direction of points and assist with troubleshooting.

Why use a separate browser to view web sites as Googlebot?

1. Comfort

Having a devoted browser saves time. With out counting on or ready for different instruments, I get an thought of how Googlebot sees a web site in seconds.

Whereas auditing a web site that served totally different content material to browsers and Googlebot, and the place points included inconsistent server responses, I wanted to change between the default browser user-agent and Googlebot extra typically than ordinary. However fixed user-agent switching utilizing a Chrome browser extension was inefficient.

Some Googlebot-specific Chrome settings don’t save or transport between browser tabs or periods. Some settings have an effect on all open browser tabs. E.g., disabling JavaScript might cease web sites in background tabs that depend on JavaScript from working (reminiscent of job administration, social media, or e-mail functions).

Other than having a coder who can code a headless Chrome resolution, the “Googlebot browser” setup is a simple approach to spoof Googlebot.

2. Improved accuracy

Browser extensions can affect how web sites look and carry out. This method retains the variety of extensions within the Googlebot browser to a minimal.

3. Forgetfulness

It’s simple to overlook to change Googlebot spoofing off between searching periods, which might result in web sites not working as anticipated. I’ve even been blocked from web sites for spoofing Googlebot, and needed to e-mail them with my IP to take away the block.

For which Web optimization audits are a Googlebot browser helpful?

The most typical use-case for Web optimization audits is probably going web sites utilizing client-side rendering or dynamic rendering. You’ll be able to simply examine what Googlebot sees to what a basic web site customer sees.

Even with web sites that do not use dynamic rendering, you by no means know what you may discover by spoofing Googlebot. After over eight years auditing e-commerce web sites, I’m nonetheless shocked by points I haven’t come throughout earlier than.

Instance Googlebot comparisons for technical Web optimization and content material audits:

• Is the primary navigation totally different?

• Is Googlebot seeing the content material you need listed?

• If a web site depends on JavaScript rendering, will new content material be listed promptly, or so late that its affect is diminished (e.g. for forthcoming occasions or new product listings)?

• Do URLs return totally different server responses? For instance, incorrect URLs can return 200 OK for Googlebot however 404 Not Discovered for basic web site guests.

• Is the web page format totally different to what the overall web site customer sees? For instance, I typically see hyperlinks as blue textual content on a black background when spoofing Googlebot. Whereas machines can learn such textual content, we wish to current one thing that appears user-friendly to Googlebot. If it might’t render your client-side web site, how will it know? (Notice: a web site may show as anticipated in Google’s cache, however that isn’t the identical as what Googlebot sees.)

• Do web sites redirect primarily based on location? Googlebot principally crawls from US-based IPs.

It relies upon how in-depth you wish to go, however Chrome itself has many helpful options for technical Web optimization audits. I generally examine its Console and Community tab information for a basic customer vs. a Googlebot go to (e.g. Googlebot may be blocked from information which can be important for web page format or are required to show sure content material).

Find out how to arrange your Googlebot browser

As soon as arrange (which takes a couple of half hour), the Googlebot browser resolution makes it simple to shortly view webpages as Googlebot.

Step 1: Obtain and set up Chrome or Canary

If Chrome isn’t your default browser, use it as your Googlebot browser.

If Chrome is your default browser, obtain and set up Chrome Canary. Canary is a improvement model of Chrome the place Google checks new options, and it may be put in and run individually to Chrome’s default model.

Named after the yellow canaries used to detect toxic gases in mines, with its yellow icon, Canary is simple to identify within the Home windows Taskbar:

As Canary is a improvement model of Chrome, Google warns that Canary “will be unstable.” However I am but to have points utilizing it as my Googlebot browser.

Step 2: Set up browser extensions

I put in 5 browser extensions and a bookmarklet on my Googlebot browser. I am going to listing the extensions, then advise on settings and why I take advantage of them.

For emulating Googlebot (the hyperlinks are the identical whether or not you utilize Chrome or Canary):

Not required to emulate Googlebot, however my different favorites for technical Web optimization auditing of JavaScript web sites:

Consumer-Agent Switcher extension

Consumer-Agent Switcher does what it says on the tin: switches the browser’s user-agent. Chrome and Canary have a user-agent setting, nevertheless it solely applies to the tab you’re utilizing and resets when you shut the browser.

I take the Googlebot user-agent string from Chrome’s browser settings, which on the time of writing would be the newest model of Chrome (notice that under, I’m taking the user-agent from Chrome and never Canary).

To get the user-agent, entry Chrome DevTools (by urgent F12 or utilizing the hamburger menu to the top-right of the browser window, then navigating to Extra instruments > Developer instruments). See the screenshot under or observe these steps:

1. Go to the Community tab

2. From the top-right Community hamburger menu: Extra instruments > Community circumstances

3. Click on the Community circumstances tab that seems decrease down the window

4. Untick “Use browser default”

5. Choose “Googlebot Smartphone” from the listing, then copy and paste the user-agent from the sector under the listing into the Consumer-Agent Switcher extension listing (one other screenshot under). Do not forget to change Chrome again to its default user-agent if it is your essential browser.

   • At this stage, when you’re utilizing Chrome (and never Canary) as your Googlebot browser, chances are you’ll as effectively tick “Disable cache” (extra on that later).

To entry Consumer-Agent Switcher’s listing, right-click its icon within the browser toolbar and click on Choices (see screenshot under). “Indicator Flag” is textual content that seems within the browser toolbar to point out which user-agent has been chosen — I selected GS to imply “Googlebot Smartphone:”

I added Googlebot Desktop and the bingbots to my listing, too.

Why spoof Googlebot’s consumer agent?

Internet servers detect what’s searching a web site from a user-agent string. For instance, the user-agent for a Home windows 10 system utilizing the Chrome browser on the time of writing is:

Mozilla/5.0 (Home windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/102.0.5005.115 Safari/537.36

In the event you’re interested by why different browsers appear to be named within the Chrome user-agent string, learn Historical past of the user-agent string.

Internet Developer extension

Internet Developer is a must have browser extension for technical SEOs. In my Googlebot browser, I swap between disabling and enabling JavaScript to see what Googlebot may see with and with out JavaScript.

Why disable JavaScript?

Quick reply: Googlebot doesn’t execute any/all JavaScript when it first crawls a URL. We wish to see a webpage earlier than any JavaScript is executed.

Lengthy reply: that might be a complete different article.

Windscribe (or one other VPN)

Windscribe (or your alternative of VPN) is used to spoof Googlebot’s US location. I take advantage of a professional Windscribe account, however the free account permits as much as 2GB information switch a month and consists of US places.

I don’t assume the particular US location issues, however I fake Gotham is an actual place (in a time when Batman and co. have eradicated all villains):

Guarantee settings that will affect how webpages show are disabled — Windscribe’s extension blocks adverts by default. The 2 icons to the top-right ought to present a zero.

For the Googlebot browser situation, I want a VPN browser extension to an utility, as a result of the extension is restricted to my Googlebot browser.

Why spoof Googlebot’s location?

Googlebot principally crawls web sites from US IPs, and there are lots of causes for spoofing Googlebot’s major location.

Some web sites block or present totally different content material primarily based on geolocation. If a web site blocks US IPs, for instance, Googlebot might by no means see the web site and due to this fact can not index it.

One other instance: some web sites redirect to totally different web sites or URLs primarily based on location. If an organization had a web site for purchasers in Asia and a web site for purchasers in America, and redirected all US IPs to the US web site, Googlebot would by no means see the Asian model of the web site.

Different Chrome extensions helpful for auditing JavaScript web sites

With Hyperlink Redirect Hint, I see at a look what server response a URL returns.

The View Rendered Supply extension allows simple comparability of uncooked HTML (what the net server delivers to the browser) and rendered HTML (the code rendered on the client-side browser).

I additionally added the NoJS Aspect-by-Aspect bookmarklet to my Googlebot browser. It compares a webpage with and with out JavaScript enabled, throughout the identical browser window.

Step 3: Configure browser settings to emulate Googlebot

Subsequent, we’ll configure the Googlebot browser settings consistent with what Googlebot doesn’t assist when crawling a web site.

What doesn’t Googlebot crawling assist?

• Service staff (as a result of individuals clicking to a web page from search outcomes might by no means have visited earlier than, so it doesn’t make sense to cache information for later visits).

• Permission requests (e.g. push notifications, webcam, geolocation). If content material depends on any of those, Googlebot won’t see that content material.

• Googlebot is stateless so doesn’t assist cookies, session storage, native storage, or IndexedDB. Information will be saved in these mechanisms however can be cleared earlier than Googlebot crawls the subsequent URL on a web site.

These bullet factors are summarized from an interview by Eric Enge with Google’s Martin Splitt:

Step 3a: DevTools settings

To open Developer Instruments in Chrome or Canary, press F12, or utilizing the hamburger menu to the top-right, navigate to Extra instruments > Developer instruments:

The Developer Instruments window is usually docked throughout the browser window, however I generally want it in a separate window. For that, change the “Dock aspect” within the second hamburger menu:

Disable cache

If utilizing regular Chrome as your Googlebot browser, you will have accomplished this already.

In any other case, by way of the DevTools hamburger menu, click on to Extra instruments > Community circumstances and tick the “Disable cache” choice:

Block service staff

To dam service staff, go to the Utility tab > Service Employees > tick “Bypass for community”:

Step 3b: Basic browser settings

In your Googlebot browser, navigate to Settings > Privateness and safety > Cookies (or go to chrome://settings/cookies immediately) and select the “Block all cookies (not advisable)” choice (is not it enjoyable to do one thing “not advisable?”):

Additionally within the “Privateness and safety” part, select “Website settings” (or go to chrome://settings/content material) and individually block Location, Digital camera, Microphone, Notifications, and Background sync (and certain something that seems there in future variations of Chrome):

Step 4: Emulate a cellular system

Lastly, as our purpose is to emulate Googlebot’s mobile-first crawling, emulate a cellular system inside your Googlebot browser.

In direction of the top-left of DevTools, click on the system toolbar toggle, then select a tool to emulate within the browser (you may add different units too):

No matter system you select, Googlebot doesn’t scroll on webpages, and as a substitute renders utilizing a window with a protracted vertical peak.

I like to recommend testing web sites in desktop view, too, and on precise cellular units when you have entry to them.

How about viewing a web site as bingbot?

To create a bingbot browser, use a current model of Microsoft Edge with the bingbot consumer agent.

Bingbot is just like Googlebot when it comes to what it does and doesn’t assist.

Yahoo! Search, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and different search engines like google and yahoo are both powered by or primarily based on Bing search, so Bing is liable for the next proportion of search than many individuals understand.

Abstract and shutting notes

So, there you may have your very personal Googlebot emulator.

Utilizing an present browser to emulate Googlebot is the simplest technique to shortly view webpages as Googlebot. It’s additionally free, assuming you already use a desktop system that may set up Chrome and/or Canary.

Different instruments exist to assist “see” what Google sees. I take pleasure in testing Google’s Imaginative and prescient API (for photos) and their Pure Language API.

Auditing JavaScript web sites — particularly once they’re dynamically rendered — will be advanced, and a Googlebot browser is a method of constructing the method easier. In the event you’d wish to study extra about auditing JavaScript web sites and the variations between commonplace HTML and JavaScript-rendered web sites, I like to recommend trying up articles and displays from Jamie Indigo, Joe Corridor and Jess Peck. Two of them contribute within the under video. It’s a very good introduction to JavaScript Web optimization and touches on factors I discussed above:

Questions? One thing I missed? Tweet me @AlexHarfordSEO. Thanks for studying!