> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.platelunchcollective.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Server-Side Rendering

> Server-side rendering is an approach where the server builds the full HTML of a page, content included, before sending it to the browser.

*Technical implementation* · *Technical SEO*

## Definition

Server-side rendering is an approach where the server builds the full HTML of a page, content included, before sending it to the browser. The meaningful text is present in the initial response, without waiting for JavaScript to run.

## Why It Matters for AI Search

Retrieval systems read what the server sends. Server-side rendering puts the content in the raw HTML, so a crawler or model that does not execute JavaScript still sees the words that matter. For AI search, where many fetchers take the source and move on, this is often the difference between a page that can be indexed and cited and one that reads as empty. It is the safe default when the goal is machine legibility.

## Related Terms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Client-side rendering" href="/ai-search-glossary/client-side-rendering">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Prerendering" href="/ai-search-glossary/prerendering">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Indexability" href="/ai-search-glossary/indexability">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Technical SEO" href="/ai-search-glossary/technical-seo">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Core Web Vitals" href="/ai-search-glossary/core-web-vitals">See also</Card>
</CardGroup>

## Relevant Plate Lunch Collective Services

[AI SEO](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/ai-seo)  [Context Map](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/context-map)