Question 1

What is Next.js and why use it for a UK web app?

Accepted Answer

Next.js is a React framework that renders pages on the server, so search engines and social previews get real HTML instead of an empty shell. For UK teams that matters most on anything publicly discoverable: marketing sites, commerce, documentation, and the logged-out surfaces of a SaaS product. You also get one codebase covering the frontend and its API, which removes a whole category of coordination overhead. We deploy it on AWS eu-west-2 (London) where residency matters.

Question 2

Should we use Next.js or plain React?

Accepted Answer

Use Next.js when pages need to be indexed, shared, or fast on a first visit. Stay on plain React with Vite when the product sits entirely behind a login and nothing needs crawling, because then server rendering adds infrastructure and operational cost for no return. We will tell you which case you are actually in during discovery rather than defaulting to the larger framework, since we build and maintain both.

Question 3

When is SvelteKit a better choice than Next.js?

Accepted Answer

SvelteKit ships smaller bundles and is genuinely simpler to reason about, so it wins on content-heavy sites and small teams who value a compact codebase. Next.js wins when you need the React ecosystem: a specific component library, a large existing React codebase, or the ability to hire quickly from a deep pool. We build in both and have no incentive to push either, so for most UK teams the honest tiebreaker is hiring and existing code rather than benchmarks.

Question 4

Can you migrate our Pages Router or Create React App codebase?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it does not have to be a big-bang rewrite. The Pages Router and App Router can run side by side, so we typically move one route group at a time, starting somewhere low-traffic to establish the patterns, then work through the rest while your feature delivery continues. Data fetching and authentication are the genuinely risky parts, so we sequence those deliberately and early rather than leaving them to the end.

Question 5

How do you actually improve Core Web Vitals?

Accepted Answer

We measure before changing anything, because most Next.js performance problems turn out to be payload size and data waterfalls rather than framework issues. Typical work is trimming client bundles, moving work into server components, fixing image and font loading, and removing render-blocking third-party scripts. We then put performance budgets in CI so a future pull request cannot quietly undo the work, which is the part most engagements skip.

Question 6

Do we have to host on Vercel, or can our data stay in United Kingdom?

Accepted Answer

You do not have to use Vercel. It is the smoothest path and we use it often, but Next.js self-hosts on Node or in Docker, which is what we do when data residency, an existing AWS commitment, or procurement policy points that way. For UK clients that usually means AWS eu-west-2 (London). We will lay out exactly what you give up self-hosting, mostly some edge and image-optimisation convenience, so the decision is made on facts rather than defaults.

Question 7

How do you handle UK GDPR and accessibility obligations?

Accepted Answer

We build to the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with the ICO as regulator, and to WCAG 2.2 for accessibility. In practice that means data-minimising the schema, keeping an audit trail on personal data access, and testing with keyboard and screen readers rather than only an automated scanner. One honest caveat: hosting in AWS eu-west-2 (London) helps with residency questions but it is not compliance on its own. You still need a lawful basis, working subject-access and deletion paths, and a transfer assessment for anything leaving the UK.

Question 8

What drives the cost of a Next.js project?

Accepted Answer

Mostly scope: how many distinct screens, how many external systems you integrate with, and whether an existing codebase has to be migrated rather than replaced. Authentication, roles, and reporting reliably take longer than teams estimate. We run a paid discovery sprint first and give a fixed written estimate off the back of it, invoiced in GBP via Stripe or GoCardless. We do not quote from a feature list before we have seen the code.

Next.js Development Services for UK Teams

Why UK Teams Choose Us for Next.js

Standups During UK Hours

UK GDPR and Accessibility Aware

GBP Billing via Stripe or GoCardless Direct Debit

Senior Ownership, Not a Ticket Mill