Next.js Developer for MERN Stack Website Refactoring

Job Post: Freelance Developer Needed to Refactor Website and Implement Next.js

About the Website (Current Setup):

Built with MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js).

Frontend is React-only (CSR - Client Side Rendering), which limits SEO performance.

Backend API already connected and functional.

Current UI uses basic React components + some CSS framework (non-optimized).

Hosted on a standard server environment (no SSR/SSG layer).

What Needs to Be Done:

Refactor the Website Structure

Optimize project structure for scalability and maintainability.

Clean up unused code/components.

Implement best practices for performance (lazy loading, code splitting, etc.).

Integrate Next.js

Migrate the current React frontend into Next.js framework.

Enable SSR (Server-Side Rendering) or SSG (Static Site Generation) for SEO-critical pages (e.g., Universities, Programs, Countries).

Keep some parts of the site (like dashboard/internal tools) as CSR where needed.

SEO Enhancements

Dynamic meta tags (title, description, Open Graph) per page.

Generate sitemap.xml and robots.txt automatically.

Add structured data (JSON-LD) for better Google rich results.

Performance Optimization

Optimize images and assets (lazy loading, responsive images).

Ensure Core Web Vitals are improved (LCP, CLS, FID).

Configure caching and CDN integration if needed.

Deliverables:

A fully working Next.js-based frontend connected to the existing backend.

Documentation of changes (how to manage pages, SEO configs, deployments).

Clean, maintainable code with clear structure.

Preferred Skills:

Strong experience with React & Next.js.

Good understanding of SEO for JavaScript frameworks.

Familiarity with MERN stack.

Experience with deployment on Vercel / Netlify / Cloudflare Pages is a plus.