SPA vs SSR vs SSG: which is best for business (plain English)
This question shows up as “SPA vs SSR vs SSG”, “React SEO”, “server-side rendering vs static”, and usually means: “How do I get a fast site that ranks — without overpaying?”
Let’s translate it into business decisions.
Definitions (3 sentences)
- SPA (Single Page App): HTML is minimal, most UI renders in the browser after JS loads. Great for dashboards; SEO needs extra work.
- SSR (Server-Side Rendering): the server generates HTML per request. Better first paint and indexing for dynamic pages.
- SSG (Static Site Generation): pages are prebuilt to HTML at build time. Fastest for content pages, cheap to host, very SEO-friendly.
What to choose (quick rules)
| Your project | Best default | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Landing pages / content / SEO acquisition | SSG or SSR | indexing + speed |
| SaaS dashboard behind login | SPA | SEO irrelevant; fastest dev loop |
| E‑commerce / marketplace | SSR (often) + SSG where possible | lots of SEO pages + dynamic data |
| Internal tools | SPA | simplest |
| Hybrid (marketing + product) | SSG/SSR + SPA area | each part optimized |
SEO impact (the honest part)
If your acquisition depends on Google, your site needs:
- stable HTML per page (title/meta/og)
- fast first render
- clean internal linking
SPA can rank, but it’s easier to make mistakes (metadata, indexing, performance) — especially for long-form content.
Cost & complexity
- SSG: simplest ops, fastest pages, but content must be build-friendly
- SSR: more moving parts, but handles dynamic SEO pages well
- SPA: simplest for complex UI, but SEO requires deliberate work
There’s no “best”. There’s only “best for your constraints”.
FAQ
What’s best for landing pages?
SSG (static) is usually the fastest and cheapest for SEO.
What’s best for SaaS dashboards?
SPA, because SEO doesn’t matter behind login and UI is complex.
Can I combine approaches?
Yes — that’s often the optimal solution: SSG/SSR for marketing, SPA for the product area.
If you want, I can share a simple SPA/SSR/SSG decision checklist for your product and SEO goals so performance and maintenance stay predictable.