The 90-second test: is this page actually server-rendered?

The 90-second test: is this page actually server-rendered?

A client paid an agency for 'full SSR.' I proved in 90 seconds that 7 of their 9 templates still rendered client-side. Here's the exact sequence — keep it as a checklist.

— DevTools → Command Menu → 'Disable JavaScript' → reload. Content gone? Not SSR.
— View Source (Ctrl+U), search for a unique sentence of body copy. Missing? CSR.
— Network tab → reload → click the document request → Response. That's literally what Googlebot's HTTP fetch gets. Read it.
— Compare that Response to Elements panel (post-hydration DOM). Big gap = CSR injection.

The reveal: the 'SSR' was only the homepage and pricing. Product, blog, docs, and category pages all shipped a shell — the agency SSR'd the templates the client tested manually.

We forced SSR on the four CSR templates and re-ran the checklist until Response matched DOM.

Result: rendered-HTML coverage went from 22% of templates to 100%, and pages with body copy in the raw fetch drove organic -0 → +16% in 9 weeks.