When people work on the technical side, they are more likely to use the screaming frog tool regularly. Numerous elements play a crucial part in a website’s search engine ranking, such as backlinks and keywords. But the structure of the web page in search engine bots is a significant aspect of a better user experience. In addition, Google Indexing API helps the website rank on the first page of Google in SERPs. When bots analyse your web page and its content, there are more chances that your content shows up in search results. However, an unindexed site has about zero percent changes to get into search outcomes.
Similarly, in order to rank on Google’s first page, SEO experts use different tools to ensure search engine bots index and crawl the website. So, the screaming frog tool is one of the techniques that assist SEO experts in auditing their websites. Furthermore, it helps SEO experts in getting insights into their website performance. However, this software is tricky to use but gives the most effective results that are worth it.
If you want to know how to use the screaming frog tool, this article can help. And so, our in-depth guidance regarding the screaming frog tool can help you explore more with your website.
What is the screaming frog tool?
According to SEO experts, the screaming frog SEO spider tool is the swiftest and most advanced SEO site audit technique. It uses to crawl both large and small websites, where it would be extremely laborious to check every page manually. In addition, it allows SEO experts to quickly and simply miss a redirect, duplicate page, or Meta refresh problem. Besides this, this tool will enable you to crawl any website, such as e-commerce web pages. Furthermore, this SEO technique takes it up a notch by creating edible statistics and offering related on-site data. It will also assist you in understanding which section of your website requires more work.
What SEO tasks can you perform with the help of the screaming frog tool?
- Site architecture analysis
- Metadata analysis
- Review robots.txt and different directives
- Broken link searches
- XML sitemap generation
- Duplicate content searches
- Permanent and temporary redirect searches
However, these benefits are not limited, and you can explore more with the screaming frog tool.
How to set or install the screaming frog tool for a business website?
Steps to start with;
Installing the software
First, you have to download or install the software on your system or laptop. Simply, you should download the software before performing any site crawls by screaming frog SEO tool. However, you can directly install the software from the screaming frog’s website. This software will work on Linux, Windows, and Mac. So, here are the tips for installing the software in your system
Mac or iOS
- Open Finder and go to the download section
- Click on the install option
- Click on the screaming frog button and drag it to the apps folder or make a new one
- Open Finder again and open “screamingfrogSEOspider.”
- Click on the eject button to complete the installation process
Windows
- https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
- Go to downloads and click on screaming on “screaming frog installer.”
- Click on the install option
- To continue the installation process, click on the Account Control button
- Now choose the alternative option for installation type and install
- Close the application
Linux
Linux users can use the command line function or Ubuntu user interface to install the software
1. Command line function
- Copy and paste this link “sudo apt-get install ~/Download/screamingfrogseospider_10.4_all.deb” in an open terminal.
- Enter your password
- Inset “Y” to continue the installation
- Accept the ttf-mscorefonts-install End User License Agreement (EULA)
2. Ubuntu User Interface
- Open the software deb.file
- Click on the install button and enter the password
- Now accept the ttf-mscorefonts-install license prior to installing the software
- Finish installation
However, you install the screaming frog tool’s free version, so you can only crawl 500 URLs. And so, you will need a license to crawl over 500 websites. However, you purchase it on the software’s website. Although if you want to use screaming frog’s premium or paid version, you can select the license menu. Here, you have to click on the “enter license” and insert the license key. Now you will see a dialog box that will display the license validity plus the expiry date.
What is a user interface in the screaming frog SEO spider tool?
Although you can learn more about it on YouTube, if you can learn through blogs or articles, then continue. So, after downloading the software to your computer or laptop, you need to study the screaming frog tool setting, menu, and options.
File
Here you can save a crawl as the file. This section will also allow you to review the last six crawls you created if you did not keep them. In addition, in this section, you can set the default setting for your tool.
Configuration
In this section, you can customize the crawl setting. In addition, this section will help you set and adjust configuration options. Several options are there that you can use through this section, which are;
API access: it will help you to integrate Google Analytics into site crawls
Spider: it will help you in picking data for reporting and content for crawling
Exclude and include: you can exclude or include particular URLs present in the crawl.
Bulk export
This section will assist you in exporting numerous URLs, and the software will accept links with certain site compounds. These elements could be images, response codes, anchor text, directives, and inlinks.
Reports
This section generates and establishes on-site data reports and installable crawl overviews. Also, you can use this material in your SEO audits, which is suitable for your website.
Sitemaps
You can develop your site’s sitemap through the menu. Also, you can learn more about how to start sitemaps on the website in the software.
Set device storage and memory
Site crawls apply to both small and large websites. However, crawling big websites takes more storage and processing power. So, you can leave space in your device to crawl websites effectively. For this reason, the screaming frog tool contains RAM storage and a database. The software’s database storage mode is excellent for users with SSDs. Most importantly, there are some steps by following you can use this mode, such as
- Tap on the configuration menu
- Click on the System option
- Tap on storage
- Select the database storage mode
However, users without SSDs can adjust with the help of RAM storage with a default setting of 2GB RAM for 64-bit computers and 1GB RAM for 32-bit devices. However, the lower RAM prevents crashes when the site crawls with the screaming frog SEO spider tool.
Configuration setting
As a result of the default setting, the software follows guidance set by the screaming frog tool for websites. Besides this, you can change these settings and gather information using the software’s technique. Although you will be beneficial by using these techniques, your crawls will take minimum processing power and time. But if you do not like the default setting, you can change it anytime from the configuration menu.
Custom columns and windows
The customized setting of the screaming frog tool will help you change columns and windows to simplify access. Therefore, when you run the tool, three windows will appear. Now, go to the right side and access SEO filters and elements. Besides this, you can get this window directly in the main menu that shows website information. You can adjust window sizes and drag them to your desired side in the software. In addition, it will also help you customize columns according to your need. These settings will allow you to access the data at your fingertips. Also, you may not need to confuse about where and how to handle things. For example, if you want to check the columns for your requirement, you can click on the column, and the tool will automatically arrange orders according to your needs.
How to use the screaming frog tool for SEO activities?
The screaming frog software allows users to search, customize, and filter their crawls. SEO experts state that the software has benefited from evaluating website errors and enhancements to tailoring the website view. In addition, from website crawls to the generation of sitemaps, specific ways to do SEO activities in the software.
Performing link audits
- Within the configuration menu, Check “crawl all subdomains.”
- If not required, you can leave some options unchecked, including images, flash, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Start crawl and wait to finish it
- Click on the advanced report menu and export outcomes to a CSV file
- Now click on “All Links.”
Crawling a website
- Tap on the configuration menu
- Select the spider option
- Click on the “Crawl all subdomains.”
- Commence crawling and wait until it finishes
- Click on the “internal” tab
- Tailor outcomes by HTML
- Now export data
Performing content audits
- Do a complete crawl of the site
- Go to the internal tab
- Use HTML filter
- Arrange the word count column from low to high
- Go to the image tab and search for “missing alt text” images
- Now go to the page title tab and filter Meta titles (if needed, locate duplicate Meta titles)
- In the URL tab, identify duplication issues (includes duplicate Meta descriptions and pages with distinct titles)
- Now pick pages with non-standard URLs (fix them)
- Go to the directives tab and identify pages or links with directives
- Finish it up
Creating an XML sitemap
- Perform the full site and subdomain crawls
- Go to the advanced export menu
- Click XML sitemap (an editable sitemap open)
- Click on the “read online.”
- Tap on the “open as an SML table.”
- Edit sitemap online
- Save sitemap in the XML format
- Now upload it to Google
Some of the helpful features of the screaming frog tool in SEO
When you explore the screaming frog tool, you will be able to access more valuable features for site crawl. Some valuable and beneficial components of the software exist that you must know.
Crawling support for web forms: the software can crawl web forms. You can simply access this feature by heading over to “configuration>authentication>forms,” which is at the beginning of a form crawl.
Crawling support for staging sites: the software will help you crawl staging websites along with live websites. However, you need to enter your login credentials to commence this feature.
Crawl analysis: this feature may assist you in calculating link scores effectively. In addition, some different filters perhaps need calculation once you crawl the website.
Compare and run many crawls: this feature will assist you in running screaming frogs through different windows. Besides this, you can crawl various websites at the same time.
All anchor text option: you can access this feature in the bulk export menu, containing all the website anchor text within the CSV file. Therefore, it will get you a text location and specific links.
Can you improve search rankings with in-depth SEO audits?
According to some market experts, SEO audits have significant benefits. Similarly, it will help you determine essential changes within your website’s numerous sections. Due to this reason, you may be able to rank significantly on the Google first page in SERPs. Furthermore, it will also help you surpass your rivals in the respective industry. Besides this, you can use SEO audit insights to improve UX and other website elements. However, you can do this with the assistance of a reliable and trustable partner.
Summary
Now you understand How to Use Screaming Frog Tool for your business website. However, you may choose a digital marketing agency to put your business ahead of your competitors. Many competitors surround you in the market. But you have to create your own identity. In such a case, you need expert assistance to adapt to every situation you face. To survive in the competitive market segment, you will require a Digital Marketing Agency.
Using the screaming frog SEO spider tool, you can make certain changes to your website. Moreover, it will also uplift the growth of your business website. If you want to collect additional information about the screaming frog tool, you can contact the experts of the SkySeoTech team.
Solve your queries associated with Digital Marketing Strategies by taking suggestions from the SkySeoTech team. Our market experts will help you resolve all your problems. Kindly contact us on the websites given below.
