How to do SEO for Dynamic Websites?

Dynamic websites are websites that change their content based on the user’s behaviour, interaction, or preferences. They offer a personalised and engaging user experience, which can improve conversion rates and customer loyalty. However, dynamic websites also pose some challenges for SEO, as they may make it harder for search engines to crawl, index, and rank them. In this blog post, we will explore how to do SEO for dynamic websites and what best practices to follow to ensure your website’s online visibility and performance.

What are the challenges of SEO for dynamic websites?

Dynamic websites can create some issues for SEO, such as:

• Duplicate content: Dynamic websites may generate multiple URLs for the same page, depending on the user’s input or actions. This can result in duplicate content, which can confuse search engines and dilute your ranking signals.
• URL parameters: Dynamic websites often use URL parameters to modify the content or functionality of a page. For example, a URL like https://example.com/products?category=shoes&color=red this may show only red shoes from the products category. However, URL parameters can make your URLs longer, more complex, and less descriptive, which can affect your SEO and user experience.
• Crawling and indexing issues: Dynamic websites may use JavaScript, AJAX, or other technologies to create interactive and dynamic content. However, these technologies can also make it difficult for search engines to crawl and index your pages, as they may require additional resources or time to render the content. Moreover, some dynamic content may not be accessible to search engines at all, such as content that is generated by user input or actions.
• Page speed: Dynamic websites may require more server requests, scripts, or images to load the content, which can slow down your page speed. Page speed is an important ranking factor for SEO, as it affects your user experience and bounce rate.

How to do SEO for dynamic websites?

To overcome the challenges of SEO for dynamic websites, you need to follow some best practices, such as:

• Create static content
  

  Static content is content that does not change based on the user or the context. Static content is easier for search engines to crawl and index, and it can also provide valuable information to your users. You should try to create static content for your dynamic pages, such as a title, a meta description, a header, and a footer. You can also add static content to your dynamic elements, such as a caption, an alt text, or a summary.

• Reduce the number of URL parameters
  

  URL parameters can make your URLs longer, more complex, and less descriptive, which can affect your SEO and user experience. You should try to reduce the number of URL parameters on your dynamic pages, and use them only when necessary. You can also use URL rewriting techniques to make your URLs more SEO-friendly, such as using hyphens instead of underscores, using keywords instead of numbers, and removing unnecessary parameters.

• Add canonical tags to dynamic pages
  

  Canonical tags are HTML elements that tell search engines which version of a page is the preferred one to index and rank. Canonical tags can help you avoid duplicate content issues, as they can indicate to search engines which URL is the original or authoritative one. You should add canonical tags to your dynamic pages, especially if they have multiple URLs or variations. You can also use canonical tags to consolidate your ranking signals and direct your link juice to the preferred URL.

• Reduce the number of dynamic elements on a page
  

  Dynamic elements are elements that change their content or functionality based on the user or the context. Dynamic elements can enhance your user experience, but they can also make it harder for search engines to crawl and index your pages. You should try to reduce the number of dynamic elements on your pages and use them only when necessary. You can also use lazy loading techniques to defer the loading of dynamic elements until they are needed by the user, which can improve your page speed and SEO.

• Optimise page speed of dynamic pages
  

  Page speed is an important ranking factor for SEO, as it affects your user experience and bounce rate. Dynamic pages may require more server requests, scripts, or images to load the content, which can slow down your page speed. You should optimize your page speed of dynamic pages, by using techniques such as minifying your code, compressing your images, caching your content, and using a content delivery network (CDN).

• Use structured data
  

  Structured data is a standardised format that helps search engines understand the content and context of your pages. Structured data can also enhance your search results with rich snippets, such as ratings, reviews, prices, or images. Structured data can help you improve your SEO for dynamic websites, as it can provide additional information to search engines and users. You should use structured data on your dynamic pages, by using schema.org markup or JSON-LD format.

Conclusion

Dynamic websites can offer a personalised and engaging user experience, which can improve conversion rates and customer loyalty. However, dynamic websites also pose some challenges for SEO, as they may make it harder for search engines to crawl, index, and rank them. To do SEO for dynamic websites, you need to follow some best practices, such as creating static content, reducing the number of URL parameters, adding canonical tags, reducing the number of dynamic elements, optimizing page speed, and using structured data. By following these best practices, you can ensure your website’s online visibility and performance. Want to know more about SEO? Click here to learn more.