---
title: "What is pre-rendering and why is it relevant for tracking?"
slug: "what-is-pre-rendering-and-why-is-it-relevant-for-tracking"
updated: 2025-03-05T11:10:01Z
published: 2025-03-05T11:10:01Z
canonical: "docs.mapp.com/what-is-pre-rendering-and-why-is-it-relevant-for-tracking"
---

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

# What is pre-rendering and why is it relevant for tracking?

Pre-rendering is a technique where a webpage is loaded in the background before the user actively opens it. This happens, for example:

- When a search engine automatically loads a page in the background before the user clicks on it.
- When the Google Chrome browser prepares the page in the background as the user types a URL.

These automatic loading processes can lead to **page impressions being counted**, even though the user never actually interacted with the page. Since pre-rendering does not only affect page impressions but also impacts **visits and visitor metrics**, it is important to determine whether these requests should be included in tracking or not.

### How does Mapp Intelligence handle pre-rendering by default?

Mapp Intelligence detects pre-rendering and **suppresses such requests by default**. This means:

- Pages that are only loaded in the background but not actively visited by the user are not counted as page impressions.
- Visits and visitor counts are also not affected by pre-rendering, ensuring that only real user interactions are tracked.
- This also applies if a user opens a page in a new tab but never actually switches to it.

### Can I still track pre-rendering requests?

Yes, it is possible to change the default behavior and include pre-rendering requests in the tracking. If enabled, **the entire tracking process starts earlier**, meaning that pre-rendered pages will not only count as page impressions but will also influence visits and visitor counts.

### When should I enable pre-rendering tracking?

Enabling pre-rendering tracking can be useful if:

- Your goal is to **capture all page impressions**, including those that were only preloaded.
- You want to analyze how often pages are affected by pre-rendering.
- You need to understand the full impact of pre-rendering on visits and visitor tracking.
- You previously used an analytics tool that **included pre-rendering in its tracking**, and you want to maintain **consistent data logic**.

However, keep in mind that this can lead to higher numbers in all tracked metrics, even if the user never actually interacted with the page.

### When should I leave pre-rendering tracking disabled?

It is better to keep pre-rendering tracking disabled if:

- You only want to **capture truly visited pages**.
- You want accurate data on visits and visitor interactions without artificial inflation due to pre-rendering.

### How can I adjust the behavior in Mapp Intelligence?

If you want to enable or disable pre-rendering tracking, you can configure this in the tracking settings. For more details, refer to the [Tracking Integration](/v1/docs/tracking-integration) section, where you can find all technical documentation and further instructions on how to implement these settings.