What does edge SEO mean?

Improve website speed and flexibility by making SEO updates at the network’s edge to streamline the process.

Typically, in traditional SEO practices, alterations such as updating meta tags, redirects, or adjusting content are done on the original server, sending these changes to users through content delivery networks (CDNs).

This procedure may move slowly and be tedious, especially for big websites or those catering to worldwide audiences. Edge SEO involves making these modifications closer to the user, at the network’s edge, enabling immediate updates and decreasing latency.

This strategy also assists in addressing difficulties presented by intricate server infrastructures, where implementing alterations on the server side may be time-consuming or technically challenging.

Before the formal introduction of the term “edge SEO,” the idea had already begun to form in the minds of innovative SEOs and developers. I consider myself lucky to have been recognized as the originator of the phrase during the Tech SEO Boost conference in 2018.

What does edge SEO refer to?

Edge SEO consists of applying technical SEO suggestions and code via a server-less application like Cloud Flare Workers, which is set up on a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

This method enables modifications to the website without making changes to the site’s foundational code. It functions by altering the communication between the user or Google bot, and adjusting requests and responses.

What is the influence of edge SEO on page load speed?

Edge SEO may cause some delay in page load speed, but the effect is minor. From tests on actual websites, it is found that the average increase in latency is about 10 milliseconds (ms).

In some situations, while we conduct tests, there is a possibility that the latency could rise to 50 ms.

This situation usually happens because of factors like the type of platform being utilized or the length of the packets sent back by the server.

Websites that host big files, uncompressed media, or large images, particularly those with overall slow performance, might see a small increase in this delay.

However, the overall effect on the speed of the page is usually minimal in the majority of cases.

If you utilize Cloud Flare as your content delivery network, you might already be employing minification, Brotli, and other tools for speeding up your website.

What modification can be made through edge SEO?

Edge SEO provides numerous adjustments, offering multiple chances to enhance a website or swiftly resolve problems, even when the standard development process is sluggish.

Implementation redirection

You have the option to create different types of redirects, like 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary), to properly manage SEO when changing pages. This is crucial for platforms that have limitations on redirects, like Sales Force Commerce Cloud or SAP Hubris.

Changes to the HTTP headers

Modifications can be implemented in the HTTP header responses, such as adding or modifying the X-Robots-Tag, which manages the crawling and indexing of specific pages by search engines.

Changes to robots.txt

Edge SEO enables you to edit or generate a robots.txt file, regardless of platform limitations like Shopify, to have more control over which sections of your site are scanned by search engines.

JavaScript pre-rendering refers to rendering JavaScript code before the page is loaded.

Implementing pre-rendering solutions for JavaScript-heavy websites can assist with SEO by delivering fully rendered pages to search engines.

Gathering server logs

Edge SEO allows for gathering server log files, even from platforms that typically do not grant access to log files, to analyze and enhance your strategy using real interactions from users and bots.

Injecting content and overwriting data

Fresh information can be added to pages and current content (such as meta titles, descriptions, and body text) can be replaced without changing the underlying code.

Implementation of schema markup

Utilizing schema markup allows you to enhance search engines’ comprehension and presentation of your content with rich search results.

Management of Hreflang tags

Edge SEO allows for the control and handling of hreflang tags, even if the content is spread across various platforms or ccTLDs. This guarantees precise language and regional focus throughout a website.

Which Content Delivery Networks provide this feature?

Many content delivery networks provide this feature in their free, fermium, and premium packages.

Not all providers have identical functionality, but according to our research, the essential features fulfil the primary technical SEO requirements.

• Cloud flare Workers service.
• Utilizing Lambda Edge with AWS Cloud front.
• Quickly process at the edge with Compute Edge.
• Edge Workers by Akamai.
• Azure in combination with Azure Functions.
• BunnyCDN featuring Edge Scripts.

Netlify provides serverless functions that operate in reaction to HTTP requests, and these can be utilized alongside their CDN features. Similarly, Vercel also provides various serverless functions for dynamic content.

Practicing ethical edge SEO techniques.

Edge SEO offers a useful method to make adjustments, whether it’s a quick solution to help the development team or a lasting enhancement to enhance user satisfaction.

It’s crucial to not work alone. While this approach enables you to avoid direct alterations to the codebase, it should not circumvent the involvement of the development/engineering team.

Make sure that your development team is engaged and knowledgeable about the changes being implemented via the CDN, following their deployment and testing protocols.

Effective communication is essential because following traditional development methods may accidentally introduce errors or cause confusing problems during testing, which could affect the overall functionality of the website.

What makes edge SEO important?

Some may view advanced SEO techniques as a fad or a nonessential tool with little significance.

Yet, it could greatly improve the SEO skills of numerous SEO professionals and internal digital teams.

These teams frequently face practical obstacles arising from custom platforms, older technology stacks, or unique setups that make implementation more difficult.

Dealing with technical difficulties in edge SEO.

Edge SEO is a new strategy for optimizing websites that allows for instant changes and updates without needing to change the code base.

Utilizing CDNs and server-less applications can help in addressing difficult SEO issues more effectively, consequently improving user experience and website performance.

Edge SEO enables businesses to remain nimble and adaptable to effectively meet the demands of both users and search engines.