Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are super fast, work offline, and feel like real mobile apps. They’re designed to give users a smooth experience. But did you know that some progressive web apps never show up on Google?
So, even if your app is amazing, it might be totally invisible to people searching for something like it online.
Most of the time, it’s not because your app is bad or your content is weak. The real issue could be that Google’s bots can’t actually see what’s on your site.
If you’ve built a beautiful PWA but aren’t getting traffic, don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s usually a few DIY SEO basics that got missed. The good news is, it’s totally fixable.
Let’s break down why your app might not be ranking and what you can do to fix it today.
1. Mobile-friendly doesn’t mean it’s SEO-friendly
PWAs are built for mobile, but it doesn’t mean they follow mobile SEO rules.
If your app hides content behind popups, uses tiny fonts, or blocks certain files from loading, Google notices. These little things can make your site look “untrustworthy” to web crawlers.
One of the ways to implement PWA SEO is to make sure your mobile experience supports proper rendering and indexing.
Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it looks at your mobile version before anything else. So any issues here can impact your rankings in organic search results.
What to do:
- Avoid full-screen popups or interstitials
- Make sure scripts and styles load properly on mobile
- Use big, readable fonts and clickable buttons
You can run your site through Google’s Lighthouse to catch any problems early before they affect your performance in organic search results.
2. Web crawlers can’t “see” what’s there
One of the biggest reasons progressive web applications don’t rank is that web crawlers, like Googlebot, can’t “see” the content.
PWAs often use client-side rendering, which means your pages get built in the browser with JavaScript after the initial page load. That’s great for users but not for search bots.
If a bot lands on your site and sees a blank page or just the shell of a layout, it leaves. It won’t wait around to see if the content eventually shows up. So your site ends up ignored even though it’s working perfectly fine for people.
At this stage, it’s important to address how your app is rendered and presented to crawlers. The structure of your app plays a major role in how well it ranks.
If web crawlers can’t access your content easily, they’ll likely move on, and your pages won’t get indexed.
Here’s what you can do:
- Use server-side rendering to serve fully formed HTML pages
- Pre-render key pages like your homepage and landing pages
- Test how Googlebot views your site using the URL Inspection Tool in your GSC account
This simple step makes a huge difference in how your content is indexed and ranked.
3. JavaScript could negatively affect SEO
JavaScript can also negatively affect SEO when used the wrong way.
Some PWAs rely heavily on JavaScript to generate page titles, metadata, and structured data. But search engines don’t always wait for that JavaScript to run.
If the critical tags load too late or never show up for bots, your site can’t be indexed properly. Google might miss key details, or worse, think your page is empty.
Here’s what you can do:
- Move titles and meta tags into the HTML instead of generating them with scripts
- Add structured data directly to your server response
- Use SEO tools, Lighthouse or Screaming Frog to see what search engines actually see
This makes your pages easier to understand and more likely to rank where they should.
4. Not using meta tags
Web crawlers often rely on meta tags, like title and description, and structured data to understand your content. If your progressive web application skips those, web crawlers might not be able to understand the content on your page. This could potentially lead to poor rankings or irrelevant search placements, if your page gets indexed at all.
Every page on your website must be optimized if you want it to rank in organic search results.
Here’s what you can do:
- Write a unique title tag for each page that reflects the topic
- Create a brief and clear meta description that encourages clicks
- Adding schema markup that matches your content type (e.g., article, product, FAQ, etc.)
I don’t suggest relying on AI SEO tools and automation to generate meta tags. Instead, write them yourself and keep them clear and helpful.
5. Not using a sitemap and robots.txt file
Think of a sitemap as a guidebook and the robots.txt file as the gatekeeper. Without them, search engine bots don’t know which pages to visit (so they go everywhere) or what to avoid. If you’re missing one or both, bots can easily miss entire sections of your app.
This is a common oversight with PWAs because the focus is usually on speed and design.
Here’s what you can do:
- Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console so bots know what to index (I explain it more in my ebook)
- Create a robots.txt file that allows bots to access important resources
- Making sure JavaScript, CSS, and image files aren’t blocked from crawling
These steps help search engines better crawl, understand, and rank your app.
6. Slow server response time
PWAs are known for loading fast once they start. But what about the time it takes for your server to respond in the first place? That’s called Time to First Byte (TTFB), and it really matters.
If your server takes too long to load a page, Google could see your site as slow, even if everything loads quickly after that. Since page loading speed is part of Core Web Vitals metrics, which influence rankings on Google, we can assume that a low page loading speed can negatively affect your rankings.
Here’s what you can do:
- Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network), which is a geographically distributed network of servers to deliver web content to users
- Cache static assets so they don’t reload every time
- Optimize backend performance to reduce lag
You can check your TTFB using WebPageTest or Chrome DevTools. If it’s over 500ms, it’s time to make some changes.
7. Your routing setup could be breaking things
Many progressive web apps use JavaScript for routing. This makes pages load faster since the whole page doesn’t have to reload each time. But it can also confuse search engines. If your app’s routes don’t return proper HTML, search engine bots won’t be able to see or index your pages.
Sometimes, the app might even show error messages or blank pages, and you might not notice. That’s a big problem when it comes to SEO.
Here’s what you can do:
- Configure your server to return valid HTML for all routes
- Ensure every route is accessible directly via URL
- Use canonical tags to help search engines understand which version of your content is the main one.
The goal is to make sure every page loads correctly, whether someone clicks a link, uses a bookmark, or a bot tries to crawl it.
8. Internal links could be weak or missing
Internal links help search engines figure out how your site is organized. If your PWA doesn’t use proper linking or uses buttons instead of actual links, web crawlers could get lost and confused.
When search engines can’t easily find your content, they might skip over it entirely. And if your pages aren’t indexed, they won’t appear in search results.
Here’s what you can do:
- Use <a> tags to connect your important pages
- Include navigation menus and footers with helpful links
- Link related content inside blog posts or product descriptions
A good internal linking setup makes it easier for both users and search engines to explore your site.
9. No support for browsers without JavaScript
Not all search engines process JavaScript the same way.
If your progressive web app only shows content after JavaScript runs, some search engines might not see anything at all. This can lead to indexing problems and low visibility in search results.
It can also affect people using older devices or browsers that don’t fully support JavaScript.
Here’s what you can do:
- Including core content in the HTML, not just the scripts
- Testing your site with JavaScript disabled to see what loads
- Using server-rendered templates for important pages
10. You could be overlooking SEO issues
A lot of teams forget that SEO isn’t just something you do once and forget about. Websites can have problems, search engines update their algorithms, and sometimes pages stop being indexed. If no one is keeping an eye on things, your traffic can drop suddenly without you knowing why.
I recommend making SEO monitoring part of your regular routine, like daily or weekly, so you can keep track of how your website performs in organic search results.
Here’s what you can do:
- Check Google Search Console regularly to catch any indexing problems early
- Run technical SEO audits to find technical issues on your site
- Use SEO tools like Semrush to track your rankings and crawl data
Doing this helps you catch problems early instead of scrambling after your rankings fall.
You’ve already worked hard to build a web app. But none of that counts if nobody can find it. So now, it’s time to focus on getting your site noticed.
To sum up, here’s what to fix:
- Make sure your pages can be crawled by using server-side rendering
- Keep important SEO elements like titles and meta descriptions inside your HTML
- Add structured data so search engines understand your content better
- Submit sitemaps and robots.txt files
- Improve how fast your server responds
- Set up correct routing and canonical URLs
- Build strong internal links throughout your app
- Fix mobile usability issues that can impact organic performance
- Keep an eye on your website’s overall “health” regularly
You don’t have to be an expert. Just keep testing, fixing, and making things better.
Go through your app step by step and make sure search engines have everything they need to rank your site as high as it deserves.
