Next.js and React: A Winning Combination for SEO in 2024

Published: 17 May 2024

Introduction

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is more critical than ever for the success of your website, especially as search engines evolve and begin to focus more on user experience signals. With Next.js and React, you have the ability to deliver highly dynamic, interactive applications while still optimizing for SEO, a combination that was previously difficult to achieve.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the latest SEO-specific techniques that you can leverage with Next.js and React in 2024. We’ll cover how to handle structured data, improve Core Web Vitals, and take advantage of the latest updates to server-side rendering (SSR) to give your site a competitive edge in the search rankings.

1. Next.js & React for SEO in 2024: An Overview

Next.js, as a React-based framework, has rapidly gained popularity for its focus on performance and SEO optimization. The power of server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), and the hybrid approach of Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) means that you can have the best of both worlds — fast, dynamic applications that are fully indexable by search engines.

With the continued evolution of both Next.js and React, new techniques and features have been introduced that further enhance SEO optimization, making it easier for developers to deliver high-performing, SEO-friendly websites.

2. Improving Core Web Vitals with Next.js in 2024

Core Web Vitals are a set of performance metrics that Google uses to measure user experience on a website. These metrics include:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance.
First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability.

In 2024, improving these metrics is more important than ever for SEO rankings, as they directly affect your site’s visibility in search engine results.

Optimizing LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

LCP measures how long it takes for the largest content element (e.g., an image or large block of text) to load on the screen. To optimize LCP, consider the following in Next.js:

Lazy loading images: With the <Image /> component in Next.js, images can be lazy-loaded to improve load times. The priority attribute can be used to pre-load critical images, improving LCP.

  import Image from 'next/image';

  const Hero = () => (
    <div>
      <Image
        src="/hero-image.jpg"
        alt="Hero image"
        width={1200}
        height={800}
        priority // Preload the image for faster LCP
      />
    </div>
  );

Optimize server-side rendering (SSR): For dynamic pages, consider using SSR to render content on the server, ensuring users receive a fully rendered page right away.

Optimizing FID (First Input Delay)

FID measures the time it takes for the browser to respond to user interactions (e.g., clicks, taps). To reduce FID:

Defer non-essential JavaScript: By deferring the loading of JavaScript that isn’t needed immediately (e.g., analytics, non-critical scripts), you can minimize the blocking time and improve FID.

  <script defer src="analytics.js"></script>

Use next/script for optimized script loading: Next.js offers an optimized way to load scripts with the <Script /> component, where you can control when to load a script (e.g., after the page load or when it’s needed).

Optimizing CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

CLS measures how much the layout shifts during page load. To minimize CLS:

Set fixed dimensions for images and videos: This ensures that the browser knows the size of media before it’s loaded, preventing layout shifts as content is fetched.

  <Image src="/image.jpg" width={500} height={300} alt="Optimized image" />

Avoid inline styles that cause reflow: Ensure that your layout remains stable by using proper CSS rules and avoiding JavaScript-driven layout changes that can cause shifts during load.

3. Structured Data for SEO in Next.js

Structured data, which uses JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data), helps search engines understand the context of your content. In 2024, structured data is essential for achieving rich snippets, enhancing visibility in search results, and improving SEO.

How to Implement Structured Data in Next.js

Next.js makes it easy to include structured data in your application using the <Head /> component. Here’s an example of how to add JSON-LD structured data for a blog post:

import Head from 'next/head';

const BlogPost = ({ post }) => (
  <>
    <Head>
      <script
        type="application/ld+json"
        dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
          __html: JSON.stringify({
            "@context": "https://schema.org",
            "@type": "BlogPosting",
            headline: post.title,
            description: post.excerpt,
            author: {
              "@type": "Person",
              name: post.author,
            },
            datePublished: post.date,
            url: post.url,
          }),
        }}
      ></script>
    </Head>
    <div>
      <h1>{post.title}</h1>
      <p>{post.excerpt}</p>
    </div>
  </>
);

export default BlogPost;

By using JSON-LD structured data, you can mark up your pages with rich information like article details, authorship, publication date, and much more, all of which can boost your content’s visibility in search results.

Types of Structured Data to Use:

Articles for blog posts, news articles, or product updates.
Breadcrumbs to improve navigation and allow search engines to display your site’s structure in search results.
FAQ and How-to Markup to enhance visibility for FAQs and tutorial-based content.

4. Server-Side Rendering for SEO in 2024

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in Next.js is a great technique for SEO because it allows search engines to index fully rendered HTML pages, rather than relying on JavaScript to generate content after page load. In 2024, SSR remains a crucial part of any SEO strategy, particularly for dynamic pages that rely heavily on JavaScript.

Next.js supports SSR out of the box, and it’s very easy to implement. For example, to render a page on the server:

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
  const data = await res.json();

  return {
    props: { data },
  };
}

In the above example, getServerSideProps() fetches data at request time, ensuring the content is always fresh and ready for search engines to index.

Hybrid SSR with ISR

Next.js 13 introduced Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR), a hybrid approach that allows you to regenerate static pages on-demand without rebuilding the entire site. This is particularly useful for SEO, as it allows you to balance the benefits of static site generation (SSG) with the flexibility of server-side rendering.

export async function getStaticProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
  const data = await res.json();

  return {
    props: { data },
    revalidate: 60, // Rebuild the page every 60 seconds
  };
}

With ISR, you get the best of both worlds: fast, SEO-friendly static pages with dynamic data that gets updated periodically.

5. Conclusion

In 2024, Next.js and React continue to be a powerful combination for building SEO-friendly web applications. By taking advantage of features like Core Web Vitals optimization, structured data, server-side rendering (SSR), and Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR), you can build apps that are not only fast and engaging for users but also optimized for search engines.

By following the latest SEO best practices in Next.js and leveraging these cutting-edge techniques, your website will be well-positioned to improve its rankings and visibility, giving you an edge in the competitive digital landscape.