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Screaming Frog SEO Spider Overview

Jul 28, 2024

Screaming Frog SEO Spider Lecture Notes

What is an SEO Spider?

  • An SEO spider is essentially a web crawler that emulates Google’s crawling process.
  • Crawlers index different links on the web and help diagnose technical SEO issues.
  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider emulates the Google bot to provide insights for websites to optimize their SEO rankings.

Importance of SEO Spider

  • Helps in diagnosing technical SEO issues.
  • Ensures a solid foundation for SEO initiatives.
  • Provides tools to maximize organic traffic and improve rankings.

Overview of Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool

  • Website Access: Screaming Frog SEO Spider
  • Pricing:
    • Free version allows crawling of up to 500 URLs.
    • Paid version costs $260 per year.
  • Functions:
    • Finding broken links.
    • Analyzing SEO data and redirects.
    • Identifying duplicate content.

User Interface (UI) Walkthrough

  • The main interface includes:
    • A search box to input the website URL.
    • A big green start button to initiate the crawl.
  • The URL Viewpoint shows the interaction of various pages and their SEO data such as meta titles and headings (H1, H2).
  • Supports connection to Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Google PageSpeed data.

Crawling Process

  • Start crawling by inputting desired URL and clicking the start button.
  • Example sites used for demonstration include sample.com and refillfinder.com.
  • The URL overview tab shows HTML pages, security data (HTTP vs HTTPS), and response codes.

Response Codes & Errors

  • Different status codes are indicators of page issues:
    • 404: Page not found - causes confusion for Google crawlers.
    • 3xx: Redirects - need to clean up internal links leading to these pages.

SEO Data Examination

  • The overview provides insights into:
    • Page titles, meta descriptions, and headings.
    • Potential issues like missing H1s or long titles over 60 characters.
  • Easily export data to Google Sheets, CSV, or Excel.

Crawling Configuration

  • Configurable options include:
    • Crawling link site maps.
    • Rendering options for text or JavaScript.
    • Changing user agents to analyze how Google or other bots perceive the site.
  • Integration with APIs for enhanced data export from Google Search Console or Analytics.

Technical SEO Audit Steps

  1. Identifying Redirect Issues:
    • Filtering URLs with redirect codes (301) to find problematic links.
    • Investigating the source of the redirects.
  2. Reviewing Titles and Meta Descriptions:
    • Ensuring they are not too long and optimized for SEO.
  3. Conducting Full Link Audits:
    • Identifying broken or redirect links in navigation.

Features and Future Learning

  • Capabilities include visualizing internal link structures, identifying duplicate content, and custom data extraction.
  • Engaging with the community for feedback on features and support to enhance SEO audits.

Conclusion

  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a powerful tool for technical SEO audits and improvements.
  • Encouragement for further exploration and commenting for questions or additional topics.
  • Request for feedback and suggestions on future video topics.

Full transcript