How is Next.js better

React.js is a popular JavaScript library for creating user interfaces in the realm of web development. React.js provides a robust and adaptable solution to build dynamic websites, but it might not be the greatest option for search engine optimization (SEO). This is where Next.js, a framework based on React.js, comes into play. It provides extra capabilities to make your website more SEO-friendly. In this blog post, we will explore the basics of Next.js and React.js, why Next.js is better for SEO, and provide some code snippets to help you understand the concepts better. Let us start now!

Understanding React.js and Next.js

Facebook created the JavaScript library React.js, which enables programmers to build reusable UI components and control the state of their apps. It makes it possible to create single-page applications (SPAs) where content may be updated without requiring a complete page reload, improving user experience.

On the other hand, Next.js is a framework built on top of React.js that includes capabilities like automatic code splitting, server-side rendering, and static site generation. These characteristics make Next.js a better choice for SEO purposes.

The Importance of Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for SEO

Because it supports server-side rendering, Next.js is more SEO-friendly than React.js. In a conventional React.js application, the content is loaded using JavaScript after the browser gets an empty HTML file and renders it on the client-side. While this strategy gives users a quick and engaging experience, it might be detrimental to SEO.

Content generated on the client-side may be challenging for search engine crawlers like Googlebot to index. Although Google has made progress with crawling sites with a lot of JavaScript, it is still not as efficient as crawling static HTML. By pre-rendering the content on the server and transmitting a fully filled-out HTML file to the client, server-side rendering resolves this problem.

import { GetServerSideProps } from 'next'

export const getServerSideProps: GetServerSideProps = async () => {
  const data = await fetchDataFromAPI()

  return {
    props: {
      data,
    },
  }
}

export default function Home({ data }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Server-Side Rendered Page</h1>
      {data.map((item) => (
        <p key={item.id}>{item.title}</p>
      ))}
    </div>
  )
}

The Power of Static Site Generation (SSG) in Next.js

Another feature that sets Next.js apart from React.js in terms of SEO is static site generation. SSG allows you to generate HTML files at build time, which can then be served by a CDN, resulting in faster load times and improved SEO.

import { GetStaticProps } from 'next'

export const getStaticProps: GetStaticProps = async () => {
  const data = await fetchDataFromAPI()

  return {
    props: {
      data,
    },
    revalidate: 60, // Re-generate the page every 60 seconds
  }
}

export default function Home({ data }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Static Generated Page</h1>
      {data.map((item) => (
        <p key={item.id}>{item.title}</p>
      ))}
    </div>
  )
}

Automatic Code Splitting and Improved Performance

Next.js also provides automatic code splitting, which means that only the JavaScript code necessary for the current page is loaded, reducing the overall bundle size and improving load times. This leads to better performance, which is an important factor in SEO rankings.

In a standard React.js application, you would need to manually configure code splitting using libraries like React Loadable. However, Next.js handles this process automatically, making it easier for developers to optimize their websites.

Improved SEO with Next.js Image Component

Next.js offers an optimized component, which automatically handles tasks like resizing, optimizing, and serving images in modern formats like WebP. This ensures that images are served efficiently, improving page load times and, consequently, SEO rankings

import Image from 'next/image'

function UserProfile({ user }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <Image
        src={user.profilePicture}
        alt={user.name}
        width={200}
        height={200}
      />
      <h2>{user.name}</h2>
    </div>
  )
}

export default UserProfile

Custom Document and Custom App in Next.js

Next.js allows you to customize the HTML document and the application's root component using custom _document.js and _app.js files. This flexibility enables you to implement SEO-related improvements such as custom meta tags or structured data markup more efficiently.

// pages/_document.js
import Document, { Html, Head, Main, NextScript } from 'next/document'

class MyDocument extends Document {
  render() {
    return (
      <Html lang="en">
        <Head>
          <meta name="description" content="A Next.js application for SEO" />
          {/* Add other meta tags or structured data here */}
        </Head>
        <body>
          <Main />
          <NextScript />
        </body>
      </Html>
    )
  }
}

export default MyDocument

API Routes and Data Fetching

Next.js provides built-in support for API routes, which allows you to create server-side APIs within your application. This feature simplifies the process of fetching data from external sources or your own back-end, ensuring a consistent and efficient data-fetching experience.

/ pages/api/data.js
import data from '../../data/data.json'

export default function handler(req, res) {
  res.status(200).json(data)
}

With Next.js, you can use various data fetching methods like getStaticProps, getServerSideProps, or getInitialProps to fetch data for your pages, depending on your application's requirements.

Next.js Plugins and Community

The Next.js ecosystem offers a variety of plugins and integrations, making it easier for developers to add functionality and features to their applications. Many of these plugins are specifically designed to improve SEO, such as next-seo, which simplifies adding meta tags, structured data, and other SEO enhancements.

Additionally, the active and supportive Next.js community can be an invaluable resource for developers seeking guidance and best practices for building SEO-friendly web applications.

TL;DR

Next.js is a framework built on top of React.js, offering additional features to improve SEO.
Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in Next.js ensures content is easily crawlable by search engines.
Static Site Generation (SSG) in Next.js enables faster load times and improved SEO.
Next.js automatically handles code splitting for better performance.
Enhanced linking in Next.js provides better user experience and lower bounce rates.
Next.js Image Component optimizes image handling for improved performance and SEO.
Custom Document and Custom App in Next.js facilitate SEO-related improvements.
Built-in API routes in Next.js simplify the process of fetching data.
The Next.js ecosystem offers plugins and integrations to add functionality and enhance SEO.

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