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How to Fix Taboola Widget Rendering Issues in Next.js & React SPAs

 You’ve integrated the Taboola script, verified your placement IDs, and tested the build. On the initial page load, the widget appears perfectly. But the moment a user navigates to a new route via Client-Side Routing (Next.js Link or React Router), the widget vanishes. Refreshing the page brings it back, but that destroys the Single Page Application (SPA) experience.

This inconsistency costs revenue. In high-traffic content sites, failing to render ads on subsequent page views can cut impressions by over 40%.

The issue isn't your account or the ad inventory; it is a race condition between the React Virtual DOM and the legacy architecture of third-party ad scripts. This guide provides a production-grade, TypeScript-safe solution to reliably render Taboola widgets in Next.js 14+ and React environments.

The Root Cause: DOM Hydration vs. Global Scripts

To solve this, we must understand the mismatch between React's lifecycle and Taboola's execution model.

1. The "Static" Expectation

Legacy scripts like Taboola were designed for the Multi-Page Application (MPA) era. They operate on a simple assumption:

  1. The HTML is parsed.
  2. The specific <div id="taboola-below-article-thumbnails"> exists in the DOM.
  3. The script executes, finds that ID, and injects the iframe.

2. The SPA Reality

In Next.js, when a user clicks a link, the browser does not reload. Instead:

  1. JavaScript swaps the page content (React Component).
  2. The old container div is removed.
  3. A new container div is mounted.

However, the main Taboola loader script (loader.js) only runs once on the initial document load. It does not automatically know that the DOM has changed. Furthermore, if you attempt to push commands to window._taboola before React has committed the specific div to the actual browser DOM, Taboola scans the page, finds nothing, and aborts.

We must manually synchronize the React lifecycle (specifically the commit phase) with the Taboola command queue.

The Solution: A Reusable TaboolaWidget Component

We will create a robust, reusable component that handles the race condition using useEffect to ensure the DOM is ready before the script executes.

Step 1: Extending the Window Interface (TypeScript)

First, ensure TypeScript recognizes the Taboola global variable.

// types/global.d.ts or at the top of your component file
export {};

declare global {
  interface Window {
    _taboola: any[];
  }
}

Step 2: Global Script Loading

Do not load the script inside the component. Load it once in your root layout (e.g., app/layout.tsx in Next.js App Router). Use strategy="lazyOnload" to prevent the ad script from blocking your specific application code or Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).

// app/layout.tsx
import Script from 'next/script';

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>
        {children}
        <Script
          id="taboola-loader"
          strategy="lazyOnload"
          src="//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/YOUR_ACCOUNT_NAME/loader.js"
        />
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

Step 3: The Widget Component

This component waits for the mount phase, then pushes the render command. It handles the specific requirement of constructing the container ID dynamically if necessary, though hardcoding per placement is often safer for mapping.

// components/TaboolaWidget.tsx
'use client';

import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
import { usePathname } from 'next/navigation';

interface TaboolaWidgetProps {
  mode: string;
  placement: string;
  targetType: string;
  containerId: string;
  articleType?: 'auto' | 'thumbnails-a' | 'mix'; // Add others based on your inventory
}

const TaboolaWidget = ({
  mode,
  placement,
  targetType,
  containerId,
}: TaboolaWidgetProps) => {
  const pathname = usePathname();
  const hasLoaded = useRef(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    // 1. Initialize the queue if it doesn't exist
    window._taboola = window._taboola || [];

    // 2. Push the specific widget command
    // This runs AFTER the div is rendered in the DOM thanks to useEffect
    window._taboola.push({
      mode: mode,
      container: containerId,
      placement: placement,
      target_type: targetType,
    });

    // 3. Mark as loaded to prevent double-pushes in strict mode if necessary
    // Note: Taboola usually deduplicates internally, but this is good practice.
    hasLoaded.current = true;

  }, [pathname, mode, placement, targetType, containerId]); 
  // Dependency on pathname ensures re-execution on route changes

  return (
    <div 
      id={containerId} 
      // Ensure the div has min-height to reduce Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
      className="min-h-[300px] w-full"
    />
  );
};

export default TaboolaWidget;

Deep Dive: Why This Implementation Works

The useEffect Hook

By placing the window._taboola.push logic inside useEffect, we guarantee execution happens after the render phase. In the browser event loop, React mounts the <div id={containerId} /> first. Only then does the effect fire. This guarantees that when Taboola's script processes the queue, it finds the ID it needs.

Route Change Handling via pathname

In the dependency array [pathname, ...], we explicitly tell React to re-run this logic whenever the URL path changes.

Even if Next.js performs a "soft navigation" (retaining the layout but swapping the page), the component will re-assert the widget command. This is critical for SPAs where the browser window object persists across navigations.

CLS Optimization

Notice the className="min-h-[300px]" in the return statement. Ad widgets are notorious for causing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). By reserving vertical space before the ad loads, you improve your Google Core Web Vitals score, which indirectly benefits your SEO and programmatic ad yield.

Handling the "Page View" Event

Taboola requires two distinct actions:

  1. Rendering the specific widget (handled above).
  2. Notifying the system that a new "page view" has occurred so it can track analytics and refresh inventory context.

In your global layout or a dedicated analytics component, you must also push a notify command on route changes.

// components/TaboolaPageView.tsx
'use client';

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { usePathname } from 'next/navigation';

export const TaboolaPageView = () => {
  const pathname = usePathname();

  useEffect(() => {
    window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
    window._taboola.push({ notify: 'newPageLoad' });
    window._taboola.push({ article: 'auto' }); // Or distinct resource type
  }, [pathname]);

  return null;
};

Common Pitfalls and Edge Cases

1. React Strict Mode (Development Only)

In React 18+, Strict Mode mounts, unmounts, and remounts components in development to stress-test effects. You might see Taboola warnings in your console during local development ("Placement already rendered"). This is expected and harmless; it will not happen in your production build.

2. Multiple Widgets per Page

If you have a sidebar widget and a bottom-of-article widget, ensure they have unique containerId props. Reusing an ID will result in only the first widget rendering, or race conditions where the wrong ad loads in the wrong slot.

3. Infinite Scroll

If you are implementing infinite scroll, standard useEffect logic works, provided the new content blocks are distinct components. However, you must ensure your containerId is unique for every loaded article (e.g., taboola-below-article-${articleId}).

Conclusion

Fixing Taboola rendering in Next.js requires shifting from a "static script" mindset to a "lifecycle hook" mindset. By creating a dedicated component that respects the DOM hydration process, you ensure high viewability and consistent revenue across your Single Page Application.

Implement the TaboolaWidget component above, ensure your IDs are unique, and your ad inventory will flow correctly regardless of how the user navigates your site.

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