JavaScript is killing the static Web — and IMHO that's a terrible thing. In part, I imagine Google like JavaScript pages because it's a barrier to the entry of another search competitor.
By the way, if Google executes the JavaScript in the pages it means that they could be mining some coins for those sites with coin-hive and the like? They probably check what they run and how long they run it, but people can be very smart if the goal is making money.
Why would someone do that? I'm reminded of this exchange from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
> “But the plans were on display…”
> “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
> “That’s the display department.”
> “With a flashlight.”
> “Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
> “So had the stairs.”
> “But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
> “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”
[1] - https://scrapy.org
A meta tag to autodetect the lack of JS and auto-redirect could be interesting feature...
(The idea being the JS deletes the tag from the page)