Server-side rendering (SSR) ensures AI crawlers receive complete HTML content on every request. Without SSR, pages that rely on client-side JavaScript are invisible to GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, and other AI crawlers. Choosing the right rendering strategy is one of the most impactful technical GEO decisions.
Rendering Methods Compared
| Method | AI crawlers see content? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Static Site Generation (SSG) | ✅ Yes — pre-built HTML | Blogs, docs, marketing pages |
| Server-Side Rendering (SSR) | ✅ Yes — rendered on request | Dynamic content, personalized pages |
| Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) | ✅ Yes — periodically rebuilt | Frequently updated content |
| Client-Side Rendering (CSR) | ❌ No — requires JavaScript | Dashboards, apps (not for content) |
Why CSR Fails for GEO
Client-side rendered pages send an empty HTML shell to the browser: (We explore this further in Content Hub Strategy for Search & AI.)
<!-- What AI crawlers receive -->
<html>
<body>
<div id="root"></div>
<script src="/app.js"></script>
</body>
</html>AI crawlers don’t execute JavaScript. They see an empty page with no content to index or cite. No matter how good your content is, CSR makes it invisible.
SSG: Best for Content Sites
Static Site Generation pre-builds every page into complete HTML at build time. AI crawlers receive the full page content instantly. This relates closely to what we cover in Why JavaScript Kills Your AI Visibility.
Advantages:
- Fastest possible page load (pre-built files)
- Zero server processing per request
- Perfect for blogs, documentation, and marketing pages
- Works with CDNs for global distribution
Best frameworks:
- Astro — Built for content sites, zero JS by default
- Next.js with
generateStaticParams - Hugo — Fastest build times for large sites
- Eleventy — Simple, flexible static generation
When to use: Content that changes infrequently (blog posts, guides, product pages). Rebuild on content update.
SSR: Best for Dynamic Content
Server-Side Rendering generates HTML on each request. AI crawlers receive fresh, complete content every time they visit.
Advantages:
- Content is always current
- Works for personalized content (render the default/public version for crawlers)
- Handles dynamic data (prices, availability, user counts)
Best frameworks:
- Next.js with server components
- Remix — Full SSR by default
- Nuxt.js — Vue equivalent of Next.js
- SvelteKit — Svelte’s SSR framework
When to use: Content that changes frequently or depends on external data sources.
ISR: The Middle Ground
Incremental Static Regeneration pre-builds pages but periodically rebuilds them in the background. AI crawlers always see complete HTML, and content stays reasonably fresh.
Advantages:
- Static speed with dynamic freshness
- No rebuild required for the entire site
- Pages regenerate on a schedule
When to use: Large sites with frequently changing content where full SSR overhead is unnecessary. For more on this, see our guide to How to Write Answer Units — Paragraphs AI Can Quote.
How to Check Your Rendering
Method 1: View Source
Right-click → View Page Source. If your content is in the HTML, AI crawlers can see it. If you only see <div id="root"></div>, you have a CSR problem. Our robots.txt for AI Crawlers — Complete Setup Guide guide covers this in detail.
Method 2: Disable JavaScript
In browser DevTools → Settings → Disable JavaScript → Reload. If content disappears, AI crawlers can’t see it either.
Method 3: curl
curl -s https://yoursite.com/page | grep "your content keywords"If your content appears in the curl output, it’s server-rendered.
Migration Strategy
If your site currently uses CSR, migrate content pages to SSR/SSG:
- Identify content pages — Blog posts, product pages, service pages, landing pages
- Keep CSR for app pages — Dashboards, settings, admin panels don’t need AI visibility
- Use hybrid rendering — Most frameworks support mixing SSG and CSR in one project
- Prioritize high-value pages — Migrate your most important content pages first
- Verify with curl — After migration, confirm HTML content is present without JavaScript
FAQ
Is SSG always better than SSR for GEO?
For content that rarely changes (blog posts, guides), SSG is ideal — faster and more reliable. For frequently changing content (pricing, availability), SSR ensures AI always sees current data. Choose based on your content update frequency. As we discuss in Future of Search: What to Expect in 2026-2027, this is a critical factor.
Can I use CSR for some pages and SSR for others?
Yes. This hybrid approach is common and recommended. Use SSG/SSR for content pages that need AI visibility, and CSR for interactive application pages that don’t.
Does SSR slow down my site?
SSR adds server processing time per request, but modern frameworks and caching minimize this. The AI visibility benefit far outweighs minor speed trade-offs. SSG has zero speed penalty since pages are pre-built.