Does ChatGPT render JavaScript?

No. As of July 2026, GPTBot and OAI-SearchBot fetch raw HTML only. Content that loads client-side may not be visible to them.

Can my site rank in Google but not appear in AI answers?

Yes. Google can render JavaScript, but many AI crawlers rely on the raw HTML they receive from the server. A JavaScript-dependent site can perform well in Google and still be difficult for ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude to read.

Is server-side rendering required for GEO?

Not always. The requirement is that your content exists in the raw HTML. Server-side rendering, prerendering, and hybrid setups all meet that condition.