SEO Support for 100% On-Chain Websites Built on the Internet Computer
Build and run dapps entirely on-chain while being discoverable on search engines with SEO.
For a blockchain developer, one of the core principles behind building a Web3 dapp is decentralization. But the limitations of traditional blockchains like Ethereum have forced developers to compromise this principle by relying on centralized servers and providers for much of their architecture. This can involve cloud storage for storing NFTs and other assets, as well as hosting dapp frontends on Web2 platforms, as is commonly done.
There are various logistical reasons for this dependence on Web2 providers, including facilitating SEO and online discoverability for dapps, but it undermines the premise of decentralization: data privacy and protection, transparency and trustlessness. To initiate an era of true decentralization, dapps running 100% on-chain are essential — which requires a fast and scalable general-use blockchain like the Internet Computer.
With its latest protocol feature release, the Internet Computer now enables developers to build and run their dapps entirely on-chain while being discoverable on traditional search engines with SEO.
Read David Dal Busco’s guide to configuring IC-based dapps for social previews and SEO:
The Internet Computer blockchain is a world computer that hosts dapp frontends and backends and serves web content, with Web3 social platforms, exchanges, games, and other innovative projects running completely on-chain. They operate with zero reliance on centralized cloud providers like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud, and extend to their users the associated advantages of increased data security and privacy, as well as minimal deplatforming risk.
Now on-chain platforms like OpenChat, DSCVR, InfinitySwap, distrikt, Papyrs, and many more are all optimized for search. Though their frontends are built on an advanced blockchain rather than traditional IT, this is no longer an obstacle to discoverability and large-scale adoption. On-chain dapps running on the Internet Computer are now:
Discoverable (SEO compatible) on traditional search engines like Google
With the latest feature release, the Internet Computer now supports traditional web crawlers, and dapps running 100% on-chain can be indexed by search engines. Previously, search engines would load content from IC-hosted smart contracts and fail due to the service worker, but now it functions as efficiently as a Web2 frontend when it comes to SEO.
Visible on social media previews, even with on-chain URLs
Distributing and advertising dapps on social media networks like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can be critical for discoverability, and a simple but important aspect is to have a social preview of the website nicely embedded. Creating a preview from a blockchain web address is not easy, but the Internet Computer’s new feature allows social previews to appear as seamlessly as they do for traditional websites.
Hosted on real and not “raw” blockchain URLs
Being 100% on-chain can come with URLs that are not simple looking. While the blockchain URLs are extremely transparent and provide details like canister ID, it is not possible for users to easily remember them. To overcome this, ICP has a feature where any traditional URL can be used by dapps and redirected to the on-chain site, all while the SEO functionality remains active. A great example of this is the Web3 social platform DSCVR, which uses the URL dscvr.one while operating 100% on-chain. (See this guide for enabling custom domains on the Internet Computer.)
“All this has been possible by adapting the IC’s boundary nodes, which are now able to distinguish crawlers from end users. It’s a bit like a switchboard between the user’s browser, boundary nodes, and IC nodes, where the flow of responses and verifications has been modified. But for the end user, the experience is seamless and the same as any Web2 experience.” — Or Ricon, staff software engineer, DFINITY Foundation.
The delivery of this feature is perfect for Web3 developers to unshackle themselves from centralized Web2 providers, enabling them to build truly decentralized dapps entirely on-chain while leveraging traditional web platforms like Google and Facebook for visibility and marketing to bring new users to their dapps.
Start building on-chain frontends now! See the documentation here.
You can check your on-chain website URL to review SEO scores and verify that the crawlers are working properly at: https://www.seobility.net/en/seocheck/
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