# SEO Configuration for the Next.js Supabase Starter Kit

> Configure sitemaps, metadata, structured data, and search engine optimization for your Makerkit SaaS application.

*Canonical: https://makerkit.dev/docs/next-supabase-turbo/development/seo*

---

SEO in Makerkit starts with Next.js Metadata API for page-level optimization, an auto-generated sitemap at `/sitemap.xml`, and proper robots.txt configuration. The kit handles technical SEO out of the box, so you can focus on content quality and backlink strategy.

{% sequence title="SEO Configuration" description="Set up search engine optimization for your SaaS" %}

[Configure page metadata](#page-metadata)

[Customize the sitemap](#sitemap-configuration)

[Add structured data](#structured-data)

[Submit to Google Search Console](#google-search-console)

{% /sequence %}

## Page Metadata

### Next.js Metadata API

Use the Next.js Metadata API to set page-level SEO:

```tsx {% title="apps/web/app/[locale]/(marketing)/pricing/page.tsx" %}
import type { Metadata } from 'next';

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: 'Pricing | Your SaaS Name',
  description: 'Simple, transparent pricing. Start free, upgrade when you need more.',
  openGraph: {
    title: 'Pricing | Your SaaS Name',
    description: 'Simple, transparent pricing for teams of all sizes.',
    images: ['/images/og/pricing.png'],
    type: 'website',
  },
  twitter: {
    card: 'summary_large_image',
    title: 'Pricing | Your SaaS Name',
    description: 'Simple, transparent pricing for teams of all sizes.',
    images: ['/images/og/pricing.png'],
  },
};

export default function PricingPage() {
  // ...
}
```

### Dynamic Metadata

For pages with dynamic content, use `generateMetadata`:

```tsx {% title="apps/web/app/[locale]/(marketing)/blog/[slug]/page.tsx" %}
import type { Metadata } from 'next';

import { createCmsClient } from '@kit/cms';

interface Props {
  params: Promise<{ slug: string }>;
}

export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
  const { slug } = await params;
  const cms = await createCmsClient();
  const post = await cms.getContentBySlug({ slug, collection: 'posts' });

  return {
    title: `${post.title} | Your SaaS Blog`,
    description: post.description,
    openGraph: {
      title: post.title,
      description: post.description,
      images: [post.image],
      type: 'article',
      publishedTime: post.publishedAt,
    },
  };
}
```

### Global Metadata

Set default metadata in your root layout at `apps/web/app/layout.tsx`:

```tsx {% title="apps/web/app/layout.tsx" %}
import type { Metadata } from 'next';

import appConfig from '~/config/app.config';

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: {
    default: appConfig.name,
    template: `%s | ${appConfig.name}`,
  },
  description: appConfig.description,
  metadataBase: new URL(appConfig.url),
  openGraph: {
    type: 'website',
    locale: 'en_US',
    siteName: appConfig.name,
  },
  robots: {
    index: true,
    follow: true,
  },
};
```

## Sitemap Configuration

Makerkit auto-generates a sitemap at `/sitemap.xml`. The configuration lives in `apps/web/app/sitemap.xml/route.ts`.

### Adding Static Pages

Add new pages to the `getPaths` function:

```tsx {% title="apps/web/app/sitemap.xml/route.ts" %}
import appConfig from '~/config/app.config';

function getPaths() {
  const paths = [
    '/',
    '/pricing',
    '/faq',
    '/blog',
    '/docs',
    '/contact',
    '/about',          // Add new pages
    '/features',
    '/privacy-policy',
    '/terms-of-service',
    '/cookie-policy',
  ];

  return paths.map((path) => ({
    loc: new URL(path, appConfig.url).href,
    lastmod: new Date().toISOString(),
  }));
}
```

### Dynamic Content

Blog posts and documentation pages are automatically added to the sitemap. The CMS integration handles this:

```tsx
// Blog posts are added automatically
const posts = await cms.getContentItems({ collection: 'posts' });

posts.forEach((post) => {
  sitemap.push({
    loc: new URL(`/blog/${post.slug}`, appConfig.url).href,
    lastmod: post.updatedAt || post.publishedAt,
  });
});
```

### Excluding Pages

Exclude pages from the sitemap by not including them in `getPaths()`. For pages that should not be indexed at all, use the `robots` metadata:

```tsx
export const metadata: Metadata = {
  robots: {
    index: false,
    follow: false,
  },
};
```

## Structured Data

Add JSON-LD structured data for rich search results. See the [Next.js JSON-LD guide](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/guides/json-ld) for the recommended approach.

### Organization Schema

Add to your home page or layout:

```tsx {% title="apps/web/app/[locale]/(marketing)/page.tsx" %}
// JSON-LD structured data using a script tag

export default function HomePage() {
  return (
    <>
      <script
        type="application/ld+json"
        dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
          __html: JSON.stringify({
          '@context': 'https://schema.org',
          '@type': 'Organization',
          name: 'Your SaaS Name',
          url: 'https://yoursaas.com',
          logo: 'https://yoursaas.com/logo.png',
          sameAs: [
            'https://twitter.com/yoursaas',
            'https://github.com/yoursaas',
          ],
          }),
        }}
      />
      {/* Page content */}
    </>
  );
}
```

### Product Schema

Add to your pricing page:

```tsx {% title="apps/web/app/[locale]/(marketing)/pricing/page.tsx" %}
<script
  type="application/ld+json"
  dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
    __html: JSON.stringify({
      '@context': 'https://schema.org',
      '@type': 'SoftwareApplication',
      name: 'Your SaaS Name',
      applicationCategory: 'BusinessApplication',
      offers: {
        '@type': 'AggregateOffer',
        lowPrice: '0',
        highPrice: '99',
        priceCurrency: 'USD',
        offerCount: 3,
      },
    }),
  }}
/>
```

### FAQ Schema

Use the Markdoc FAQ node for automatic FAQ schema:

```markdown
{% faq
   title="Frequently Asked Questions"
   items=[
     {"question": "How do I get started?", "answer": "Sign up for a free account..."},
     {"question": "Can I cancel anytime?", "answer": "Yes, you can cancel..."}
   ]
/%}
```

### Article Schema

Add to blog posts:

```tsx
<script
  type="application/ld+json"
  dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
    __html: JSON.stringify({
      '@context': 'https://schema.org',
      '@type': 'Article',
      headline: post.title,
      description: post.description,
      image: post.image,
      datePublished: post.publishedAt,
      dateModified: post.updatedAt,
      author: {
        '@type': 'Person',
        name: post.author,
      },
    }),
  }}
/>
```

## Robots.txt

The robots.txt is generated dynamically at `apps/web/app/robots.ts`:

```typescript {% title="apps/web/app/robots.ts" %}
import type { MetadataRoute } from 'next';

export default function robots(): MetadataRoute.Robots {
  return {
    rules: {
      userAgent: '*',
      allow: '/',
      disallow: ['/home/', '/admin/', '/api/'],
    },
    sitemap: 'https://yoursaas.com/sitemap.xml',
  };
}
```

Update the sitemap URL to your production domain.

## Google Search Console

### Verification

1. Go to [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console)
2. Add your property (URL prefix method)
3. Choose verification method:
   - **HTML tag**: Add to your root layout's metadata
   - **HTML file**: Upload to `public/`

```tsx
// HTML tag verification
export const metadata: Metadata = {
  verification: {
    google: 'your-verification-code',
  },
};
```

### Submit Sitemap

After verification:

1. Navigate to **Sitemaps** in Search Console
2. Enter `sitemap.xml` in the input field
3. Click **Submit**

Google will crawl and index your sitemap within a few days.

### Monitor Indexing

Check Search Console regularly for:

- **Coverage**: Pages indexed vs. excluded
- **Enhancements**: Structured data validation
- **Core Web Vitals**: Performance metrics
- **Mobile Usability**: Mobile-friendly issues

## SEO Best Practices

### Content Quality

Content quality matters more than technical SEO. Focus on:

- **Helpful content**: Solve problems your customers search for
- **Unique value**: Offer insights competitors don't have
- **Regular updates**: Keep content fresh and accurate
- **Comprehensive coverage**: Answer related questions

### Keyword Strategy

| Element | Recommendation |
|---------|----------------|
| Title | Primary keyword near the beginning |
| Description | Include keyword naturally, focus on click-through |
| H1 | One per page, include primary keyword |
| URL | Short, descriptive, include keyword |
| Content | Use variations naturally, don't stuff |

### Image Optimization

```tsx
import Image from 'next/image';

<Image
  src="/images/feature-screenshot.webp"
  alt="Dashboard showing project analytics with team activity"
  width={1200}
  height={630}
  priority={isAboveFold}
/>
```

- Use WebP format for better compression
- Include descriptive alt text with keywords
- Use descriptive filenames (`project-dashboard.webp` not `img1.webp`)
- Size images appropriately for their display size

### Internal Linking

Link between related content:

```tsx
// In your blog post about authentication
<p>
  Learn more about{' '}
  <Link href="/docs/authentication/setup">
    setting up authentication
  </Link>{' '}
  in our documentation.
</p>
```

### Page Speed

Makerkit is optimized for performance out of the box:

- Next.js automatic code splitting
- Image optimization with `next/image`
- Font optimization with `next/font`
- Static generation for marketing pages

Check your scores with [PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/).

## Backlinks

Backlinks remain the strongest ranking factor. Strategies that work:

| Strategy | Effort | Impact |
|----------|--------|--------|
| Create linkable content (guides, tools, research) | High | High |
| Guest posting on relevant blogs | Medium | Medium |
| Product directories (Product Hunt, etc.) | Low | Medium |
| Open source contributions | Medium | Medium |
| Podcast appearances | Medium | Medium |

Focus on quality over quantity. One link from a high-authority site beats dozens of low-quality links.

## Timeline Expectations

SEO takes time. Typical timelines:

| Milestone | Timeline |
|-----------|----------|
| Initial indexing | 1-2 weeks |
| Rankings for low-competition terms | 1-3 months |
| Rankings for medium-competition terms | 3-6 months |
| Rankings for high-competition terms | 6-12+ months |

Keep creating content and building backlinks. Results compound over time.

## Related Resources

- [Marketing Pages](/docs/next-supabase-turbo/development/marketing-pages) for building optimized landing pages
- [CMS Setup](/docs/next-supabase-turbo/content/cms) for content marketing
- [App Configuration](/docs/next-supabase-turbo/configuration/application-configuration) for base URL and metadata settings