How to build a fast Next.js website: complete guide

Next.js is one of the most popular frameworks for building modern web applications. In this article, I'll show you how to create a fast, SEO-optimized Next.js website from scratch.

Why Next.js?

Next.js provides many advantages:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) — improves SEO and first load time
• Static Site Generation (SSG) — for maximum performance
• Automatic optimization — images, fonts, code
• Built-in routing — file system as routing
• API Routes — create backend without separate server

Getting started

Installation

Копировать
1npx create-next-app@latest my-website --typescript --tailwind --app
2cd my-website

Project structure

src/
├── app/
│   ├── layout.tsx      # Root layout
│   ├── page.tsx         # Home page
│   ├── about/
│   │   └── page.tsx     # About page
│   └── api/
│       └── route.ts     # API endpoints
├── components/          # React components
├── lib/                 # Utilities
└── public/              # Static files

Performance optimization

1. Using Image component

Next.js automatically optimizes images:

Копировать
1import Image from 'next/image';
2
3export default function Hero() {
4  return (
5    <Image
6      src="/hero.jpg"
7      alt="Hero image"
8      width={1200}
9      height={600}
10      priority
11      placeholder="blur"
12    />
13  );
14}

2. Code splitting

Dynamic imports for code splitting:

Копировать
1import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';
2
3const HeavyComponent = dynamic(() => import('./HeavyComponent'), {
4  loading: () => <div>Loading...</div>,
5  ssr: false,
6});

3. Static generation for static pages

Копировать
1export async function generateStaticParams() {
2  return [
3    { slug: 'post-1' },
4    { slug: 'post-2' },
5  ];
6}
7
8export default async function Post({ params }: { params: { slug: string } }) {
9  const post = await getPost(params.slug);
10  return <article>{post.content}</article>;
11}

SEO optimization

Meta tags

Копировать
1import type { Metadata } from 'next';
2
3export const metadata: Metadata = {
4  title: 'My Website | Home',
5  description: 'Website description for search engines',
6  openGraph: {
7    title: 'My Website',
8    description: 'Description',
9    images: ['/og-image.jpg'],
10  },
11};

Structured data

Копировать
1export default function HomePage() {
2  const jsonLd = {
3    '@context': 'https://schema.org',
4    '@type': 'WebSite',
5    name: 'My Website',
6    url: 'https://mysite.com',
7  };
8
9  return (
10    <>
11      <script
12        type="application/ld+json"
13        dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: JSON.stringify(jsonLd) }}
14      />
15      {/* Content */}
16    </>
17  );
18}

Production deployment

Vercel (recommended)

Копировать
1npm i -g vercel
2vercel

Vercel automatically optimizes Next.js apps and provides:

• CDN for static files
• Automatic SSL
• Preview deployments
• Analytics

Conclusion

Next.js is a powerful tool for building fast, SEO-optimized websites. By following these practices, you'll create a site that loads quickly and ranks well in search engines.

Key takeaways:

• Use SSG for static content
• Optimize images via Image component
• Set up proper meta tags
• Add structured data
• Use code splitting for large components