The Developer's Guide to Next.js SEO: What You Must Implement Before Launch
A technical checklist for developers. Sitemaps, Metadata, JSON-LD, and Open Graph images in Next.js 16.
You built a great product. You launched it. But Google is ignoring you.
Why? Because you forgot the technical SEO basics.
Search engines are just robots. If you don't speak their language (Meta tags, Sitemaps, JSON-LD), they can't understand your site.
Here is the essential technical SEO checklist for every Next.js 16 application.
1. Dynamic Metadata (The Basics)
In Next.js 16 (App Router), you should never hardcode titles in <head>. Use the generateMetadata API.
export async function generateMetadata({ params }) {
const post = await getPost(params.slug);
return {
title: post.title,
description: post.summary,
alternates: {
canonical: `/blog/${post.slug}`,
},
};
}This ensures every page has a unique title and canonical URL, preventing duplicate content penalties.
2. Open Graph Images (Social Cards)
When someone shares your link on Twitter or Slack, what do they see? If it's a blank square, nobody clicks.
You need og:image tags. Next.js makes this easy with opengraph-image.tsx, or you can generate them dynamically using ImageResponse.
3. The Sitemap (sitemap.ts)
Google needs a map. Your sitemap.xml should list every static page AND every dynamic page (like blog posts).
In Next.js, you can generate this programmatically:
// app/sitemap.ts
export default async function sitemap() {
const posts = await getAllPosts();
const blogs = posts.map((post) => ({
url: `https://yoursite.com/blog/${post.slug}`,
lastModified: post.date,
}));
return [...staticRoutes, ...blogs];
}4. Structured Data (JSON-LD)
This is the secret sauce. Structured Data tells Google exactly what your content is: "This is a Blog Post," "This is a Product," or "This is a FAQ."
It helps you get those rich snippets (star ratings, pricing) in search results.
<script
type="application/ld+json"
dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
__html: JSON.stringify({
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Sabo",
"applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication",
}),
}}
/>5. Sabo's "SEO-in-a-Box"
Implementing this for every project is tedious. It's error-prone.
That's why Sabo comes with an Enterprise-grade SEO setup out of the box.
- Dynamic Sitemaps: Automatically includes your marketing pages and blog posts.
- Robots.txt: Pre-configured for optimal crawling.
- JSON-LD Components: Easy helpers to add structured data.
- Smart Metadata: Automatic Open Graph and Twitter card generation.
You just focus on writing content. We handle the robots.
Conclusion
SEO isn't magic. It's engineering.
By ticking these technical boxes, you give your content the best possible chance to rank. Don't let bad code hide your good product.