SEO Next.js Starter

SEO Next.js Starter is an open-source GitHub template by wangrunlin that scaffolds a Next.js application pre-configured for search-engine optimization, performance, and one-click Vercel deployment.

What is the SEO Next.js Starter?

The SEO Next.js Starter is a starter template for building SEO-optimized web applications on Next.js, created by GitHub user wangrunlin and released under the MIT license. It produces a Next.js project with server-side rendering, static site generation, dynamic routing, built-in CSS and Sass support, and API routes, all configured out of the box. The template is designed to be deployed to Vercel with a single click, and a live preview is available at seo-nextjs-starter.vercel.app.

Key Features

• Server-side rendering (SSR) — Pre-renders pages on the server for better search engine indexing and faster initial page loads.
• Static site generation (SSG) — Generates static HTML at build time, which improves performance and reduces server load.
• Dynamic routing — Supports flexible page structures such as parameterized routes for detail pages.
• Built-in CSS and Sass support — Style components with global CSS, CSS modules, or Sass without additional tooling.
• API routes — Create backend endpoints within the same Next.js project for handling data and forms.
• Metadata management — Configure robots.ts, sitemap.ts, and layout metadata in layout.tsx to control search engine crawling and social previews.
• Open Graph image generation — Uses the @vercel/og library to generate dynamic social media images from HTML and CSS.
• Environment-based configuration — Set site name, title, description, URL, and an optional Google Analytics ID via environment variables like NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_NAME and NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_ID.

Who should use the SEO Next.js Starter?

• Web developers — Build a new Next.js application without spending time on SEO boilerplate; clone the repo, run pnpm install, set environment variables, and start coding.
• Startup teams — Ship an SEO-ready marketing or content site quickly, using the template's built-in metadata and sitemap setup to get indexed fast.
• Tool-site owners — Projects like Toolbox Hub and Stair Calculator are built on this template, so it suits online tools that rely on organic search traffic.

Use cases

• Tool and utility websites: Create a collection of free online tools (e.g., a toolbox, a stair calculator) with SEO metadata and Open Graph images to attract organic traffic.
• Content and marketing sites: Use SSR, SSG, and dynamic routing to publish blog posts or pages optimized for search engines.
• Rapid prototyping: Deploy a Vercel-hosted Next.js app with SEO defaults in minutes by clicking the "Deploy with Vercel" button.

How does the SEO Next.js Starter work?

The template is set up via a GitHub "Use this template" button, then configured locally. After cloning, run pnpm install to install dependencies, create a .env file from .env.example (or edit src/config.ts), and launch the development server with pnpm dev. For production, deploy to Vercel with one click so environment variables are applied from the Vercel dashboard.

FAQ

Is the SEO Next.js Starter free?

Yes, the project is open source under the MIT license, so you can freely use, modify, and distribute it. No payment or pricing tiers are listed.

What environment variables are required?

The .env.example file shows NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_NAME, NEXT_PUBLIC_TITLE, NEXT_PUBLIC_DESCRIPTION, and NEXT_PUBLIC_URL. An optional NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_ID enables Google Analytics. You can also edit src/config.ts directly instead of using environment variables.

How do I deploy the template?

Use the "Deploy with Vercel" button included in the README, which sends you to the Vercel template page. Alternatively, you can connect the repository to Vercel and set the environment variables in the project settings under "Environment Variables".