My client-side code is a unique single-page app created using knockout.js. It has its own routing system, which poses a challenge when the Google crawler bot attempts to access links that are not directly requesting new pages from the backend but are rather part of the client-side routing. In such cases, the server (built with node.js and express.js) returns a 404 error because it is unaware of the client's routing system. The following is an excerpt of my current server code:
router.get('*', function(req, res, next) {
res.sendFile(path.resolve('../dist/index.html'));
});
To address this issue, I plan to align the server's routing structure with that of the client and pass routes to the client's routing system as search parameters:
router.get('/about', function(req, res, next) {
res.sendFile(path.resolve('../dist/index.html?tab=about'));
});
Then, on the client-side, I can intercept it in JavaScript and navigate to the correct route accordingly. However, a new problem arises - Googlebot does not execute JavaScript. To overcome this limitation, I intend to utilize the prerender.io middleware.
1) Is this approach suitable for single-page apps with dynamically generated content and considerations for SEO?
2) How can I effectively pass search parameters from Express.js to enhance the client-side routing experience?