Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website or web application so it can rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Search engine bots like Google bots and Yahoo bots are always in the hunt to search for web pages and if your web page isn't SEO optimized, then it's not going to show on the web.
Vue is a popular JavaScript framework for building web applications, and it is important to consider SEO when building Vue applications.
Why are Vue applications not SEO friendly by default?
There is a difference between how we see a web page and how a search engine crawler sees it.
When we see a web page, we see the finished HTML, in which the HTML has been rendered, and the Javascript too.
But, Search engine crawlers don't see all of that.
Vue applications are not SEO-friendly by default because they are typically built as single-page applications (SPAs), which means that the content is dynamically generated using JavaScript.
Search engines can crawl and index HTML content, but they may have difficulty with JavaScript-generated content.
Search engine crawlers often don't execute any Javascript at all, so they are unable to see the content that your Vue application is generating.
Because there is no content at the time, the crawler does not get anything, especially the keywords you are trying to rank for.
Let's make our Vue application SEO friendly
Here are some tips for optimizing Vue applications for SEO.
Use server-side rendering (SSR)
Server-side rendering (SSR) is the process of rendering the Vue application on the server and sending the resulting HTML to the client.
This can improve the application's visibility to search engines, as search engines can crawl the HTML and index the content.
There are several SSR frameworks available for Vue, such as Nuxt.js and Gridsome.
These frameworks provide an easy way to implement SSR in Vue applications.
Add metadata
Metadata such as page titles, descriptions, and keywords can help search engines understand the content of the page.
Vue applications can use the vue-meta library to add metadata to pages.
vue-meta allows for the definition of meta tags in the Vue component, which can then be rendered in the resulting HTML.
This makes it easy to add metadata to Vue applications without having to manually update the HTML.
Use clean URLs
Search engines prefer URLs that are clean and easy to read. Vue Router allows for the creation of clean URLs, which can improve the application's SEO.
Vue Router provides a way to define the URLs for each page in the Vue application.
By using clean URLs, search engines can better understand the content of the page and improve the application's visibility in SERPs.
Optimize images
Images can affect the load time of a page, which can impact the application's SEO.
It is important to optimize images by reducing their file size and using appropriate file formats.
Vue applications can use tools such as image optimization libraries and lazy loading to improve the load time of images.
By reducing the file size of images and using appropriate file formats, Vue applications can improve their SEO and provide a better user experience.
Use semantic HTML
Semantic HTML tags such as <header>, <nav>, and <footer> can help search engines understand the structure and content of the page.
By using semantic HTML tags, Vue applications can provide a clearer structure for search engines to crawl and index. This can improve the application's visibility in SERPs and provide a better user experience.
Improve page load time
Search engines take into account the load time of a page when ranking it. Vue applications can improve their load time by using lazy loading, code splitting, and caching.
Vue applications can use tools such as Webpack and Vue Router to implement lazy loading and code splitting. This can improve the load time of the application and improve its SEO.
Caching can also be used to improve the load time of the application. By caching frequently used assets, Vue applications can reduce the amount of time it takes to load the application and improve its SEO.
Conclusion
By using server-side rendering, adding metadata, using clean URLs, optimizing images, using semantic HTML, and improving page load time, Vue developers can improve the visibility of their applications in search engine results pages and provide a better user experience.
While SEO can be complex, following these tips can help Vue developers get started with optimizing their applications for search engines.
