Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
Server-Side Rendering (SSR) is a web rendering technique where the HTML of a webpage is generated on the server and sent to the browser as a fully formed document. This contrasts with Client-Side Rendering (CSR), where the browser builds the page using JavaScript after receiving a minimal HTML shell.
Why SSR is Critical for SEO
SSR ensures that when a Googlebot (or AI crawler) hits your page, it sees complete content immediately without waiting for JavaScript to execute. This is crucial for international SEO: if your language-switching logic happens client-side, bots might index blank pages or see only the default language. Next.js, Nuxt, and similar frameworks offer SSR by default, making them ideal for multilingual sites. The tradeoff is slightly slower initial page generation (server must build HTML), but the SEO and initial load speed benefits far outweigh this for content-driven sites.
Client-Side Rendering (CSR) vs. Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
Real-World Impact
Multilingual React app uses CSR for language switching
Googlebot indexes blank pages, misses translations
Zero organic traffic from international markets
Migrate to Next.js with SSR, languages pre-rendered
Bots see complete translated content immediately
International organic traffic +420% in 3 months