1. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) & Static Generation (SSG)
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Next.js pre-renders pages either at build time (SSG) or on each request (SSR).
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This means search engines get fully rendered HTML — great for SEO.
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Use
getStaticPropsandgetServerSidePropsto fetch data for pre-rendering.
2. Meta Tags and Head Management
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Use the built-in
<Head>component fromnext/headto add page-specific meta tags. -
Control title, description, Open Graph tags, canonical URLs, and more.
Example:
3. Image Optimization
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Use Next.js
<Image>component to serve optimized images. -
It supports lazy loading, resizing, and modern formats automatically.
Example:
4. Performance Optimization
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Automatic code splitting: Next.js splits code by page to reduce load times.
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Prefetching: Next.js prefetches linked pages in the background for fast navigation.
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Static files: Serve static assets from the
/publicfolder. -
Lazy loading: Images and components can be loaded on demand.
5. Analytics and Monitoring
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Add tools like Google Analytics or Vercel Analytics to monitor traffic.
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Use Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights to audit performance and SEO.
6. Sitemap and Robots.txt
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Generate and serve sitemap.xml to help search engines crawl your site.
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Add
robots.txtto control crawler behavior.
7. Accessibility (A11y)
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Use semantic HTML and ARIA attributes.
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Test with tools like axe or Lighthouse to ensure your site is accessible.
Summary Table
| SEO & Optimization Aspect | How to Implement in Next.js |
|---|---|
| Pre-rendering | Use getStaticProps / getServerSideProps |
| Meta tags | Use <Head> component |
| Image optimization | Use Next.js <Image> component |
| Performance | Benefit from automatic code splitting, prefetching |
| Sitemap/robots.txt | Generate sitemap.xml and add robots.txt |
| Accessibility | Use semantic markup, test with A11y tools |
