If you’re diving into the world of SEO, you’ve probably heard of Screaming Frog — and if not, don’t worry. You’re about to learn how to use Screaming Frog to find and fix SEO issues on your website like a pro.
In this guide, as a SEO expert, I’ll walk you through how to use Screaming Frog, how to download Screaming Frog, how it helps improve on-page SEO, and even cover alternatives to Screaming Frog and Screaming Frog cost details. Whether you’re a beginner or just curious, everything you need is right here.
What Is Screaming Frog?
Let’s start with the basics. Screaming Frog is a powerful website crawler that helps you audit your site for technical and on-page SEO issues. It scans your entire site — checking for broken links, duplicate content, missing meta tags, poor internal linking, and more.
Think of it as your personal SEO assistant that looks under the hood of your website and tells you what’s working and what’s not.
How to Download Screaming Frog
Getting started with Screaming Frog is easy. Just follow these steps:
- Visit the official Screaming Frog website.
- Choose your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Ubuntu).
- Click on “Download” and follow the installation instructions.
And that’s it — now you’re ready to crawl your first website.
Screaming Frog Cost: Free vs Paid
Here’s what you need to know about the Screaming Frog cost:
- Free version: Crawl up to 500 URLs. Great for smaller websites or testing the tool.
- Paid version: £149/year (around $200 USD). Offers unlimited crawling and advanced features like JavaScript rendering, Google Analytics and Search Console integration, scheduling, and more.
If you’re serious about SEO or managing client sites, the paid version is a worthy investment.
Quick Screaming Frog Tutorial for Beginners
Now that you’ve got the tool, let’s dive into a quick Screaming Frog tutorial to help you get started.
Step-by-Step:
- Open Screaming Frog.
- Enter your website’s URL in the search bar.
- Click “Start” to begin crawling.
- Wait a few moments as Screaming Frog scans your site.
- Review the results in the different tabs like:
- Internal (your site’s pages)
- External (links to other sites)
- Response Codes (errors)
- Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
- H1 and H2 tags
- Images and Alt Text
- Internal (your site’s pages)
You can also export reports as Excel or CSV files for easier review and action.
How to Use Screaming Frog to Improve On-Page SEO
This is where things get really powerful. If you’re wondering how to use Screaming Frog to improve on-page SEO, these are the core features to focus on:
1. Identify Broken Links (404 Errors)
Use the Response Codes tab and filter by “Client Error (4xx)” to find all broken internal and external links. Fixing these helps keep users and search engines happy.
2. Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Head over to the Page Titles and Meta Descriptions tabs to find:
- Missing tags
- Duplicate content
- Titles/descriptions that are too short or long
Fix these issues to boost your visibility in search results and improve your click-through rates.
3. Detect Duplicate Content
Use the “Duplicate” filter in various tabs (Page Titles, Meta Descriptions, URLs) to locate duplicate or near-duplicate content. Consolidating or rewriting duplicate content can help prevent keyword cannibalization.
4. Analyze Headers (H1, H2)
Look at the H1 and H2 tabs to check:
- Missing header tags
- Multiple H1s on one page (not good for SEO)
- Header length and relevance
Optimizing your headers ensures better keyword targeting and content structure.
5. Find Oversized Images and Missing Alt Text
Go to the Images tab to check:
- Large images that might slow down your site
- Images missing alt text (important for SEO and accessibility)
Optimize and compress heavy images and add alt tags with relevant keywords.
6. Check Crawl Depth and Internal Linking
Check how deep certain pages are from your homepage and how well they’re linked internally. Pages that are buried deep with no internal links might not be indexed by Google.
The Site Structure and Orphaned URLs reports help with this.
Top Alternative to Screaming Frog (If You Want Options)
While Screaming Frog is a top tool, here are some solid alternatives to Screaming Frog you might consider:
- Sitebulb – Visually detailed reports, great for agencies.
- Ahrefs Site Audit – Easy to use and part of a powerful SEO suite.
- SEMrush Site Audit – Well-integrated with other SEMrush tools.
- JetOctopus – Cloud-based, great for large sites.
- DeepCrawl – Enterprise-level solution with robust features.
Each has its pros and cons, so if you’re exploring beyond Screaming Frog, give these a try.
Why Every SEO Should Learn How to Use Screaming Frog
Here’s why learning how to use Screaming Frog can level up your SEO game:
- It shows you the technical health of your website in just minutes.
- Helps you spot problems before Google does.
- You don’t need to be a tech genius — just follow the tabs and start fixing issues.
- You can generate client reports and impress with data-backed insights.
Whether you’re a freelancer, in-house marketer, or blogger, mastering how to use Screaming Frog to improve on-page SEO is one of the best skills you can develop.
Final Thoughts
In summary, you’ve now learned how to download Screaming Frog, explored a simple Screaming Frog tutorial, and understood how to use Screaming Frog to improve on-page SEO. You also got clarity on the Screaming Frog cost—comparing the free and paid versions—and discovered a few strong alternatives to Screaming Frog. Whether you’re fixing broken links, checking your title tags, or optimizing images, Screaming Frog offers the tools and insights you need to take control of your site’s SEO. Now that you understand how to use Screaming Frog, it’s the perfect time to run your first full site crawl and start making meaningful improvements. Your website—and its search rankings—will thank you.
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