Next.js SEO automation
Autonomous SEO for Next.js + Vercel
Your Next.js site lives in Git. So does effectly.ai's SEO work. Via a fine-grained GitHub token, effectly.ai clones your repo, creates a branch, commits metadata.ts changes, sitemap.ts updates, schema JSON-LD files, and robots.txt improvements — then opens a PR. Your CI runs Lighthouse and schema validation. If all checks pass, it auto-merges. Production is never touched until code review is complete.
Next.js SEO automation · Vercel SEO automation · Next.js metadata automation · automated SEO Next.js · Next.js schema markup automation · Git-based SEO
How it works
01
Grant repo access
Create a fine-grained GitHub Personal Access Token with `contents:write` on your Next.js repo only. No org-level access. effectly.ai never sees your other repos.
02
Code-aware audit
AI agents read your Next.js App Router structure, find pages missing `metadata` exports, identify `generateMetadata` gaps, check `sitemap.ts` coverage, validate schema files, and flag performance issues.
03
PR-based writes
effectly.ai creates a branch, commits changes with descriptive messages, opens a PR with before/after diffs and expected score delta. Your CI pipeline (Vercel Preview → Lighthouse → Schema Validation) runs automatically. Auto-merge on all-green, or human review.
What effectly.ai writes
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| metadata.ts | title, description, openGraph, twitter exports per route |
| generateMetadata | Dynamic metadata functions for parameterized routes |
| sitemap.ts | New URL entries, priority adjustments, changefreq updates |
| robots.ts | Crawl directives, sitemap references |
| Schema files | schema.ts or JSON-LD components per route |
| Hreflang config | alternates.languages in metadata exports |
| Structured data components | Reusable JsonLd components for Article, FAQ, Product |
| next.config.js | Redirect rules, header configs (non-destructive only) |
PR diff: app/blog/metadata.ts
Before
export const metadata = {
title: "Blog",
};After
export const metadata = {
title: "Blog — Acme | B2B SEO that ships",
description:
"Native metadata, sitemap, and schema from Git. PR-reviewed.",
openGraph: {
title: "Blog — Acme",
description: "Native metadata from effectly.ai PRs.",
},
};Manual workflow vs. Git + CI
Manual Next.js SEO workflow
- Developer manually updates metadata.ts per page
- Schema markup forgotten on new routes
- sitemap.ts out of sync after content updates
- No automated Lighthouse regression testing
effectly.ai via Git + CI
- PRs opened automatically with metadata changes
- Schema files generated per route — never forgotten
- sitemap.ts stays in sync with every route
- Vercel Preview + Lighthouse CI validates before merge
Technical details
Auth method
Fine-grained GitHub Personal Access Token, `contents:write` on target repo only.
Permission scope
No org access. Cannot see other repos. Cannot modify GitHub Actions, branch protection, or collaborators.
Flow
Clone → branch (`seo/[date]-[description]`) → commit → PR → CI → auto-merge (if configured).
What Claude reads
All source files in repo (App Router structure, metadata exports, config files, schema files).
What Claude writes
metadata.ts, generateMetadata functions, sitemap.ts, robots.ts, schema files, next.config.js (redirects only), new page files.
Safety
Production is never modified directly. Every change goes through PR → CI → merge. Vercel Preview Deployment validates before production deploy.
Rollback
Git revert. One-click from effectly.ai dashboard triggers a revert commit → PR → auto-merge.
FAQ
Does effectly.ai understand the Next.js App Router?
Yes. effectly.ai reads your `app/` directory structure, understands route groups, layout nesting, and the difference between `metadata` objects and `generateMetadata` functions. It generates the correct pattern for each route.
Can effectly.ai work with the Pages Router?
Yes. For Pages Router projects, effectly.ai writes to `next-seo` config or generates `<Head>` component updates. App Router is the primary target, but Pages Router is supported.
What happens if the PR breaks my build?
The PR runs your existing CI pipeline (Vercel Preview, tests, Lighthouse). If any check fails, the PR stays open for your review — it never auto-merges on a failed build. effectly.ai's dashboard shows the failure reason and can attempt a fix in a follow-up commit.
Can effectly.ai create new pages, or only modify existing ones?
Both. effectly.ai can create new route directories with `page.tsx`, `metadata.ts`, and `schema.ts` files for content gap opportunities. New page creation always requires human approval, even in autopilot mode.
Does this work with monorepos?
Yes. Point the GitHub token at the specific repo and specify the app directory path (e.g., `apps/web/`) during setup. effectly.ai scopes all operations to that directory.
Is this the safest integration model?
Yes. Git + CI is the safest model effectly.ai offers. Production is never touched directly. Every change has a full audit trail in Git. Your CI validates before deploy. Rollback is a `git revert`. This is the model enterprise engineering teams prefer.