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How Google can read your Publish post

Learn how Google reads your Publish post, and how to check your post is ready for search engines.

Written by Ashton Smith

When you publish a Publish post, it shows on your website using JavaScript (code that loads your post). Your post's text, photos and image descriptions are all part of the page that Google can read.

Google and other search engines decide for themselves which pages and photos to show in search results, so we can't promise where or when your post will show.

Can Google read posts that use JavaScript?

Google can read pages that use JavaScript. But if your website blocks search engines, or a page doesn't load properly, Google may not see your whole post. Other search engines may also read JavaScript differently.

How do I check my post is ready for search engines?

To check your post, follow these steps.

  1. Open the live page on your website (not your website editor).

  2. Check your whole post shows, including all your text and photos.

  3. Check your page title, meta description and image descriptions are filled in.

  4. If you want to see what Google sees, check the page link in Google Search Console, or ask your website developer to.

Note: If you publish to WordPress with embed code, add your post title, meta title and meta description in WordPress yourself. The plugin fills these in for you. To compare the two, see Publishing to WordPress: plugin or embed code?

Will my photos show in Google Images?

Your photos can show in Google Images, but Google decides which photos to show and how. Clear image descriptions help Google understand your photos, but can't guarantee they'll show.

For tips on writing good titles and descriptions, see Write useful SEO content in Publish.

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