Rendering Strategies for AI Visibility
How you render your pages determines whether AI crawlers can see your content. Here's a practical comparison of strategies, with our recommendation.
In this guide
- Static Site Generation (SSG) advantages
- When to use Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
- Real-world examples including WordPress
- Choosing the right strategy for your org
Our Recommendation
Static Site Generation (SSG) is the best choice for AI visibility. Pre-rendered HTML is fast, reliable, and guaranteed to be visible to all crawlers. Move toward SSG wherever possible.
Strategy Comparison
Static Site Generation (SSG)
HTML is generated once at build/deploy time. Every visitor (and crawler) receives the same pre-rendered HTML.
Advantages
- ✓ 100% AI crawler visibility
- ✓ Fastest possible load times
- ✓ Easy to cache/CDN
- ✓ No server compute per request
- ✓ Highly reliable
Downsides
- ✗ Content not real-time
- ✗ Rebuild needed for updates
- ✗ Build time scales with pages
- ✗ Not for user-specific content
Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
HTML is generated on each request. The server renders the page fresh every time.
Advantages
- ✓ AI crawler visibility (full HTML)
- ✓ Real-time/dynamic content
- ✓ Personalization possible
- ✓ No rebuild for updates
Downsides
- ✗ Server load per request
- ✗ Slower than static (TTFB)
- ✗ Infrastructure complexity
- ✗ Can fail under traffic spikes
Client-Side Rendering (CSR)
HTML is minimal; JavaScript builds the page in the browser. Crawlers see an empty shell.
Advantages
- ✓ Rich interactivity
- ✓ Fast subsequent navigation
- ✓ Simple deployment (static JS)
Downsides
- ✗ Invisible to AI crawlers
- ✗ Slow initial load (JS parsing)
- ✗ Bad for SEO
- ✗ Accessibility challenges
Real-World Example: WordPress
WordPress is a great example of hybrid rendering. Understanding how it works shows why it's AI-friendly:
How WordPress Renders
Server receives request
PHP on the server processes the URL
Database query
WordPress fetches posts, pages, menus from MySQL
Server renders complete HTML
Theme templates + content = full HTML page (SSR)
JavaScript enhances (optional)
Sliders, forms, interactivity added on top (CSR layer)
Crawlers get full HTML at step 3. JavaScript in step 4 is enhancement, not requirement
WordPress with Caching (SSG-like)
Plugins like WP Super Cache generate static HTML files, making WordPress behave like SSG. Best of both worlds.
WordPress with Heavy JS Themes
Some modern themes use React/Vue for everything, breaking the SSR benefit. Check your theme's output.
Choosing Your Strategy
Pick the approach that fits your organization's capabilities:
| If you have... | Consider | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Static content (blogs, docs) | SSG | Astro, Hugo, Jekyll, Next.js static |
| WordPress site | SSR + Caching | WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache |
| E-commerce with live prices | SSR | Next.js, Nuxt, Shopify |
| React/Vue SPA | Add SSR or prerender | Next.js, Nuxt, Prerender.io |
| Legacy CSR app | Dynamic rendering | Rendertron, Puppeteer |
Migration Path
If you're stuck with CSR, here's a realistic path to better AI visibility:
Audit critical pages
Identify which pages need AI visibility (landing pages, product pages, blog posts).
Add prerendering for crawlers
Use Prerender.io or similar to serve static HTML to bots while keeping CSR for users.
Migrate to SSR framework
When possible, move to Next.js, Nuxt, or similar that supports SSR out of the box.
Convert to SSG where possible
Move stable content (blogs, docs) to fully static generation for best performance.
Key Takeaway
Static generation gives AI crawlers exactly what they need.
Pre-rendered HTML is fast, reliable, and 100% visible. Move toward SSG for content pages. Use SSR only when you need real-time data. Avoid CSR for anything you want AI to find.
Sources
- Rendering on the Web | web.dev: Google's guide to rendering strategies
- Rendering | Next.js: SSR and SSG implementation
- Server Response Time | Chrome: TTFB optimization