Definition
Single Page Applications (SPAs), built with frameworks like React, Vue.js, or Angular, load a single HTML page and dynamically update content via JavaScript. This poses major SEO challenges because search engines must execute JavaScript to see the content. Solutions include Server-Side Rendering (SSR with Next.js, Nuxt.js), Static Site Generation (SSG), Dynamic Rendering (serving a pre-rendered version to bots), and Pre-rendering. Google has improved its JavaScript rendering, but indexing delays persist. SPAs must also properly handle routing (History API vs hash routing), dynamic meta tags, and content lazy loading.
Key Points
- SSR (Next.js, Nuxt.js, Angular Universal) is the recommended solution for SPA SEO
- Avoid hash routing (#) in favor of the History API for clean URLs
- Meta tags must be dynamically updated on each route change
Practical Examples
SPA to SSR migration
A media site built as a React SPA migrates to Next.js (SSR) and sees its indexed page count jump from 200 to 15,000 in three months, with a 300% increase in organic traffic.
Dynamic rendering for SPAs
An Angular SPA uses Rendertron as a dynamic rendering solution to serve static HTML to Googlebot, while awaiting a full migration to Angular Universal (SSR).
Frequently Asked Questions
Google can execute JavaScript and index a SPA, but with limitations: rendering is queued (second-wave indexing), which can take days or weeks. SSR guarantees immediate and reliable indexation.
Next.js (React), Nuxt.js (Vue), and Angular Universal all offer excellent SSR capabilities. The choice depends on your tech stack. Next.js is currently the most popular due to its flexibility (SSR, SSG, ISR).
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07