What Is Next.js and Why Use It?

New frameworks emerge in web development every year, but Next.js has managed to stay at the top for the past 4 years. Developed by Vercel, this framework takes React to the next level, making websites faster, more SEO-friendly, and easier to build.

Next.js vs. React: What's the Difference?

React is a library, Next.js is a framework. React gives you the tools; Next.js sets up the entire infrastructure.

| Feature | React | Next.js | |---------|-------|---------| | Rendering | Client-side only | SSR, SSG, ISR | | SEO | Poor (JS dependent) | Excellent | | Routing | Manual (react-router) | File-based, automatic | | Performance | Requires optimization | Optimized by default | | API | Separate backend needed | Built-in API Routes | | Image optimization | Manual | next/image automatic | | Deployment | Complex | One-click with Vercel |

Why Next.js?

1. SEO Performance

When Google crawls your page, it doesn't wait for JavaScript to render. With pure React sites, Google may see an empty page. With Next.js:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) — HTML generated on server per request
• Static Site Generation (SSG) — HTML generated at build time
• Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) — Static pages updated at intervals

This way, Google sees the full content and ranks your site higher.

2. Performance

Next.js performs many optimizations by default:

✅ Automatic code splitting
✅ Image optimization (WebP, lazy loading)
✅ Automatic prefetching (preloads on link hover)
✅ Minification and tree shaking
✅ Edge caching

These optimizations make achieving a Lighthouse score of 90+ very easy.

3. File-Based Routing

In React, you need to install and configure react-router. In Next.js, just create files:

src/app/
├── page.tsx          → /
├── blog/
│   ├── page.tsx      → /blog
│   └── [slug]/
│       └── page.tsx  → /blog/article-name
├── about/
│   └── page.tsx      → /about
└── contact/
    └── page.tsx      → /contact

4. Full-Stack Capability

Next.js isn't just frontend. You can write backend code with API Routes:

// src/app/api/contact/route.ts
export async function POST(request) {
  const data = await request.json();
  // Send email, save to database...
  return Response.json({ success: true });
}

This eliminates the need for a separate backend server for simple projects.

5. Internationalization (i18n) Support

Adding multi-language support with next-intl or next-i18next is straightforward:

• Language prefix in URLs: /tr/blog, /en/blog
• Automatic language detection
• SEO-compliant hreflang tags

6. MDX Support

MDX (Markdown + JSX) support for blog posts and technical documentation:

# Title

This is regular markdown.

<CustomComponent prop="value" />

But you can also use React components!

Who Uses It?

World-renowned companies use Next.js:

• Netflix — Fast loading
• Twitch — Real-time content
• Nike — E-commerce
• Notion — Web application
• TikTok — Marketing pages

Which Projects Is It Suitable For?

✅ Corporate websites
✅ Blog and content sites
✅ E-commerce
✅ SaaS dashboards
✅ Portfolio sites
✅ Landing pages
✅ Multi-language sites

❌ Real-time games
❌ Very simple static pages (Astro is better)

Getting a Site Built with Next.js

A professional Next.js site includes:

• Modern design — Custom styles with CSS/Tailwind
• SEO optimization — Meta tags, sitemap, structured data
• Performance — Lighthouse 95+ score
• Responsive — Perfect on all devices
• Analytics — Google Analytics integration
• CMS integration — Easy content management

Conclusion

Next.js is the gold standard of web development in 2026. Unmatched in SEO, performance, and developer experience. Whether you want a corporate site, e-commerce, or blog — Next.js is the right choice.

If you'd like to get a professional website built with Next.js, feel free to reach out: info@cagribilgehan.com. You can explore my projects and experience at cagribilgehan.com