Why I Choose Next.js for Client Projects
The Short Answer
Next.js gives me the best balance of developer experience, performance, and flexibility for the types of projects my clients need. It's not always the right choice, but it's right most of the time.
What Makes It Work for Client Projects
SEO Out of the Box
Most of my clients need their websites to rank. Next.js's server-side rendering and static generation mean search engines see fully rendered HTML - not a blank page waiting for JavaScript to load. The Metadata API makes it trivial to set up proper title tags, Open Graph images, and structured data.
The App Router
The App Router changed how I think about building sites. Server Components mean I can fetch data, query databases, and render pages without shipping that logic to the client. The result: smaller JavaScript bundles and faster page loads.
Flexibility
Some pages on a client site need to be static (About, Services). Others need fresh data (Blog, Dashboard). Next.js lets me mix rendering strategies on a per-page basis - SSG for marketing pages, SSR for dynamic content, ISR for content that changes occasionally.
API Routes
For many client projects, I don't need a separate backend. Next.js API routes handle form submissions, webhook endpoints, and CRUD operations cleanly within the same codebase. One repo, one deployment, one mental model.
When I'd Pick Something Else
The Bottom Line
Next.js isn't magic, but it's the best general-purpose framework I've found for the work I do. It handles the common cases well and gets out of the way for the uncommon ones.