You have a fast, modern website built with React. It looks great. Yet it barely appears in Google, and links shared on LinkedIn or WhatsApp show a blank preview. A very common cause is how the page is rendered. We know this one well, because it is exactly why we rebuilt our own website.
The problem: content that only exists in the browser
Many React websites are built as single-page applications (SPAs) with client-side rendering. The server sends an almost empty HTML file with a script tag. The browser downloads the JavaScript, runs it, and only then builds the page you see.
For a visitor with a modern browser, that works. For machines that read your site, it causes problems:
- Search engines see less, later. Google can run JavaScript, but it renders pages in a separate step after crawling, which can be delayed, and rendering problems can mean content is missed.
- Many other crawlers don't run JavaScript at all. Social media preview bots, some search engines and many AI tools read only the initial HTML, so they see an empty page.
- Metadata is often wrong. Page titles and descriptions set by JavaScript may not be what crawlers record, so every page can look identical.
- Slower first paint. Visitors on slower phones wait for JavaScript before seeing anything, which hurts Core Web Vitals.
Our own story
Our previous website was a React single-page app. Every service, project and testimonial was rendered in the browser, so search engines received an almost empty page. When we redesigned the site, fixing that was a key goal: the new isoftstudios.com is built with Next.js and prerendered as static HTML, so every page arrives with its full content, its own title and description, and structured data that search engines can read immediately.
How to check your own site in two minutes
- View the page source (not the inspector): right-click, then "View page source". If your main text is missing and you mostly see script tags, your content is client-rendered.
- Disable JavaScript in your browser and reload. If the page is blank, crawlers that don't run scripts see the same.
- Use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool to see the HTML Google rendered and whether the page is indexed.
- Share a link in a private chat. If the preview has no title, description or image, your metadata isn't in the HTML.
The fix: render on the server or at build time
Frameworks like Next.js let you keep React while delivering complete HTML:
| Approach | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Static generation (SSG) | Pages are built into HTML at deploy time | Marketing sites, blogs, service pages, documentation |
| Server-side rendering (SSR) | HTML is generated per request | Personalised or frequently changing pages |
| Client-side rendering (CSR) | Browser builds the page with JavaScript | Logged-in dashboards where SEO doesn't matter |
For most company websites, static generation is the sweet spot: fast, cheap to host, secure, and fully readable by every crawler. Interactive parts (menus, forms, sliders) still work, because React hydrates on top of the HTML.
A technical SEO checklist for business websites
- Unique title and meta description on every page, written for the search you want to rank for.
- Real headings: one H1 per page, with H2s that match what people search.
- Canonical URLs so duplicate addresses don't compete with each other.
- Sitemap and robots.txt submitted in Google Search Console.
- Structured data (Organization, Service, Article, FAQ, Breadcrumbs) so search engines understand your content.
- Open Graph images for rich previews when links are shared.
- Fast pages and good Core Web Vitals: optimised images, minimal JavaScript, no layout shift.
- Internal links between related services, case studies and articles.
- Accessible markup: alt text, labels and keyboard support help users and crawlers alike.
Should you rebuild or migrate?
If your site is client-rendered and organic search matters to your business, migrating to Next.js is usually worth it. Content and design can often be carried over; the change is mostly in how pages are rendered and delivered. Logged-in app areas can stay client-rendered where SEO doesn't matter.
We design and build fast, SEO-friendly websites and web apps with React and Next.js. Book a free consultation for a quick review of your site, or explore our web development services.