Screaming Frog Product Review

Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler is an exceptional tool for website analysis and optimization. I am familiar with how the tool works and the user feedback it has garnered.

Here is my review of the product:

What is Screaming Frog SEO Spider?

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop-based website crawler that helps in analyzing on-page SEO factors of a website. It crawls through a website’s links, images, CSS, script files, and other elements, and generates a comprehensive report of various SEO aspects.

The Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a reliable, easy-to-use tool for analyzing a website’s SEO performance. It is an indispensable tool for SEO professionals, marketers, and webmasters who want to understand how their website performs from a technical standpoint.

One of the most impressive features of the tool is its speed. It can quickly crawl websites with thousands of pages, identifying issues such as broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta descriptions. It also provides insight into the website’s structure, including the hierarchy of pages and the internal linking structure.

Another standout feature of the Screaming Frog SEO Spider is its ability to provide comprehensive reports. The tool generates reports in various formats, including CSV, XLS, and Google Drive. These reports can be customized to suit individual needs, making it easy to share data with clients, team members, and stakeholders.

The Screaming Frog SEO Spider is also incredibly user-friendly. The tool has a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate and use. It’s simple to set up and requires no technical expertise to get started.

How does Screaming Frog work?

Screaming Frog crawls your website, collects information about each page, including titles, meta descriptions, headings, images, and other SEO-related elements. It then allows you to filter and analyze this data to identify any issues that may be impacting your SEO.

What are the benefits of using Screaming Frog?

Screaming Frog can help you identify issues such as broken links, missing meta descriptions, duplicate content, and more. By fixing these issues, you can improve your website’s visibility in search engines and attract more organic traffic.

About Screaming Frog Background

The Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler offers a comprehensive set of features that allow users to identify and fix technical SEO issues, optimize websites for search engines, and improve website’s overall performance.

Here are some facts and figures about the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler:

1. Screaming Frog was founded in 2010 and is based in Henley-on-Thames, UK by founder and CEO, Dan Sharp.
2. The Screaming Frog SEO Spider was launched in 2011 and has since become one of the most popular website crawlers in the market.
3. The tool offers a free version that allows users to crawl up to 500 URLs, with limited features. The paid version starts at £149 per year and offers unlimited crawls and more advanced features.
4. The Screaming Frog SEO Spider can crawl websites with up to 500,000 URLs, making it suitable for websites of all sizes.
5. The tool supports crawling of websites in over 30 languages, making it a versatile option for international websites.
6. The Screaming Frog SEO Spider has been used by over 5 million people worldwide, including SEO professionals, marketers, webmasters, and developers.
7. The tool has received numerous awards, including the Best SEO Software Suite at the UK Search Awards in 2018 and the Best SEO Tool at the European Search Awards in 2019.
8. Screaming Frog also offers other SEO tools, including Log File Analyser and SEO Spider for Mac.

Top Features:

The Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler is a versatile tool that offers a wide range of features to help users analyze and optimize their websites for SEO. Here are some of its top features:

1. Website Crawling: The Screaming Frog SEO Spider crawls websites to identify technical SEO issues, such as broken links, missing tags, duplicate content, and more. It can crawl up to 500,000 URLs in a single crawl.
2. Customizable Reports: The tool allows users to generate customizable reports that highlight website issues, crawl data, and other metrics. Reports can be exported in various formats, including CSV, Excel, and PDF.
3. SEO Analysis: The Screaming Frog SEO Spider offers a range of SEO analysis tools, including SERP snippet emulation, page titles and meta descriptions analysis, and more.
4. Visualization: The tool offers visualization features that allow users to view website structures, such as internal linking and URL hierarchy, in an interactive way.
5. Integration: The Screaming Frog SEO Spider integrates with various third-party tools, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Ahrefs.
6. Website Rendering: The tool offers website rendering features that allow users to view their websites as search engines do, including JavaScript rendering.
7. Configuration: The Screaming Frog SEO Spider offers extensive configuration options that allow users to customize their crawling settings, including URL exclusions, user-agent, and more.
8. Multilingual Support: The tool supports crawling websites in over 30 languages, making it suitable for international websites.

Pros and Cons of Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Pros:

1. Comprehensive website analysis: The Screaming Frog SEO Spider provides a complete analysis of a website’s SEO performance, including information on broken links, duplicate content, missing meta descriptions, and more.
2. Fast crawling: The tool is incredibly fast at crawling websites, even those with thousands of pages.
3. Customizable reports: The tool generates customizable reports that can be exported in various formats, including CSV, XLS, and Google Drive.
4. User-friendly interface: The tool has a clean and easy-to-use interface that makes it simple for anyone to use, regardless of their technical expertise.
5. Affordable pricing: The Screaming Frog SEO Spider is reasonably priced, making it accessible to individuals and small businesses.

Cons:

1. Limited free version: The free version of the tool has limited features, making it challenging to get a complete analysis of a website’s SEO performance.
2. Requires some technical knowledge: While the interface is user-friendly, some technical knowledge is required to understand and interpret the data provided by the tool fully.
3. Only available for Windows and Mac: The tool is not available for Linux or mobile devices, limiting its accessibility for users who prefer those platforms.
4. No live crawling: The tool only crawls static pages and does not support live crawling, which means it may not identify all website issues in real-time.

Here are some most common things that people talk about Screaming Frog Product:

1. Efficiency and speed: Many users appreciate the fast crawling speed of Screaming Frog and its ability to handle large websites efficiently.
2. User-friendly interface: Screaming Frog has a clean and straightforward interface, making it easy to navigate and use for even non-technical users.
3. Comprehensive website analysis: The tool provides a comprehensive analysis of websites, including data on page titles, meta descriptions, broken links, duplicate content, and more, making it a valuable tool for SEO audits.
4. Customizable settings: Screaming Frog allows users to customize the crawl settings to fit their specific needs, including excluding certain pages or files from the crawl.
5. Third-party integration: Screaming Frog can integrate with other tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console, making it easier to analyze website data.
6. Cost: Some users find the paid version of Screaming Frog to be expensive, while others find it to be a worthwhile investment for the features and value it provides.

Overall, Screaming Frog is a popular and highly regarded tool in the SEO community, with many users praising its efficiency, comprehensive analysis capabilities, and user-friendly interface.

Most Popular Negative Reviews on Screaming Frog

While Screaming Frog is generally well-regarded in the SEO community, there are some negative reviews and criticisms of the tool. Here are a few common complaints:

1. Cost: Some users find the cost of Screaming Frog to be high compared to other similar tools in the market. However, the cost of Screaming Frog is competitive with other SEO tools that offer similar features.
2. Limited functionality: While Screaming Frog is an excellent tool for website crawling and analysis, it may not have as many features as other all-in-one SEO tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Some users find that they need to use additional tools in conjunction with Screaming Frog to get a comprehensive picture of their website’s SEO health.
3. Steep learning curve: While the Screaming Frog interface is generally user-friendly, some users may find it challenging to learn how to use the tool effectively. However, the company offers extensive documentation and tutorials to help users get started.
4. Technical issues: Some users have reported technical issues with the software, such as crashing or slow performance. However, the company has a responsive support team that can help troubleshoot any issues.

It’s important to note that many of these negative reviews are relatively minor complaints, and overall, Screaming Frog remains a highly regarded tool in the SEO community.

Screaming Frog Does Provide API

Yes, Screaming Frog SEO Spider does provide an API that allows you to extract data programmatically. The API is available in both the paid and free versions of the software, but the free version has some limitations on the amount of data that can be extracted.

With the API, you can extract various data points such as metadata, page titles, response codes, internal and external links, and much more. This can be useful for automating tasks such as monitoring website changes, performing site audits, and gathering competitive intelligence.

To use the API, you need to first generate an API key within the software and then use that key to authenticate your requests to the API. The API supports various output formats such as CSV, XML, and JSON.

You can find more information about the Screaming Frog SEO Spider API on their official website.

Pricing:

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a website crawling tool that helps identify technical SEO issues. The pricing starts at £149 per year for the Lite plan, up to £299 per year for the Full plan.

Most Popular Screaming Frog Product Updates

Screaming Frog regularly releases updates to its software to improve performance, add new features, and fix bugs. Here is a list of some of the recent updates to Screaming Frog:

1. Version 15.0 (September 2021): This update includes the ability to crawl JavaScript sites with Google’s rendering engine, improved image SEO analysis, and new customization options for the bulk export feature.
2. Version 14.0 (May 2021): This update includes improvements to the custom extraction feature, the ability to crawl websites with Cloudflare’s Rocket Loader, and enhanced security features.
3. Version 13.0 (December 2020): This update includes improvements to the crawl speed, support for Apple’s M1 chip, and the ability to extract data from JavaScript-heavy sites.
4. Version 12.0 (June 2020): This update includes improvements to the crawl speed, the ability to extract data from PDFs, and new custom extraction options.
5. Version 11.0 (January 2020): This update includes improvements to the crawl speed, the ability to extract data from HTML5 data attributes, and new options for the custom extraction feature.
6. Version 10.0 (June 2019): This update includes improvements to the crawl speed, the ability to crawl websites with AJAX-loaded content, and new custom extraction options.

Overall, Screaming Frog’s updates focus on improving the software’s performance, adding new features to meet the needs of users, and addressing any bugs or security issues. Users are encouraged to regularly update their Screaming Frog software to take advantage of these improvements.

How to learn a screaming frog tool?

Learning how to use Screaming Frog can be beneficial for SEO professionals and digital marketers. Here are some steps to help you learn the tool:

1. Read the documentation: Screaming Frog provides a comprehensive documentation section on their website, which includes tutorials and guides on how to use the tool. Click here to for user guide 
2. Watch tutorials: There are many video tutorials available on YouTube and other platforms that cover the basics of using Screaming Frog but screaming frog provides the best tutorials about the platform based on user understanding level like beginner, advance and expert level. Tutorials Link
3. Attend webinars: Screaming Frog occasionally hosts webinars that cover various aspects of the tool, including advanced features and use cases.
4. Experiment: The best way to learn Screaming Frog is by experimenting with it. Start with a small website and crawl it to see how the tool works. Try out different features and see what kind of data you can extract.
5. Join online communities: Joining online communities such as the Screaming Frog User Group on Facebook can help you connect with other users and learn from their experiences.
6. Take online courses: There are various online courses available that cover the use of Screaming Frog in-depth. Some examples include the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Mastery Course and the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tutorial on Udemy.

Most popular influencers on Screaming Frog:

Screaming Frog is primarily used by SEO professionals and digital marketers, and there are many individuals and companies who share their knowledge and experience with the tool on various platforms. Here are a few of the most popular influencers on Screaming Frog:

1. Dan Sharp: Dan Sharp is the founder of Screaming Frog and one of the leading voices in the SEO industry. He regularly shares insights and updates about the tool on Twitter and on the Screaming Frog blog.
2. Aleyda Solis: Aleyda Solis is an SEO consultant and international speaker who frequently uses Screaming Frog as part of her SEO audits. She shares insights and tutorials on the tool on her website and social media channels.
3. Barry Adams: Barry Adams is an SEO consultant and speaker who has been using Screaming Frog for over a decade. He frequently shares tips and insights about the tool on his website and social media channels.
4. Kevin Indig: Kevin Indig is the VP of SEO and Content at G2 and a frequent speaker on SEO topics. He has written extensively about using Screaming Frog for technical SEO audits and shares insights on his social media channels.
5. Hannah Thorpe: Hannah Thorpe is the Managing Director of the SEO agency White.net and an experienced SEO professional. She frequently shares insights on using Screaming Frog for technical SEO audits on her social media channels.

Overall, these influencers provide valuable insights and tips for using Screaming Frog effectively in SEO and digital marketing.

Top Competitors

There are several competitors of the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler in the market. Some of the top ones are:

1. Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool that offers website analysis, keyword research, backlink analysis, and more. It has a user-friendly interface and provides a comprehensive analysis of a website’s SEO performance. The pricing starts at $99 per month for the Lite plan, up to $999 per month for the Agency plan.
2. Moz Pro: Moz Pro is an all-in-one SEO tool that offers website analysis, keyword research, link building, and more. It provides in-depth insights into a website’s SEO performance and offers customizable reporting options. The pricing starts at $99 per month for the Standard plan, up to $599 per month for the Premium plan.
3. SEMrush: SEMrush is an SEO tool that offers website analysis, keyword research, competitor analysis, and more. It provides a detailed analysis of a website’s SEO performance and offers various tools for improving it. The pricing starts at $119.95 per month for the Pro plan, up to $449.95 per month for the Business plan.
4. DeepCrawl: DeepCrawl is a website crawler that offers website analysis, site structure analysis, content optimization, and more. It is designed to help improve a website’s SEO performance by identifying technical issues and offering solutions.

Each of these tools has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best one for a particular user depends on their specific needs and requirements. It is important to note that the features and capabilities of these tools vary, so it is essential to assess which tool best suits your specific SEO needs before making a purchasing decision.

Top Reviews on Other Sites

Here are some reviews of the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler on different platforms:

1. TrustRadius: On TrustRadius, the Screaming Frog SEO Spider has an overall rating of 8.9 out of 10, based on 122 reviews. Users praise the tool’s speed, accuracy, and user-friendly interface, while some criticize the limited features in the free version.
2. G2: On G2, the Screaming Frog SEO Spider has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5, based on 302 reviews. Users appreciate the tool’s comprehensive analysis of website issues, customizable reports, and fast crawling speed. Some users note that the tool requires some technical knowledge to use effectively.
3. Capterra: On Capterra, the Screaming Frog SEO Spider has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5, based on 238 reviews. Users praise the tool’s ability to identify website issues accurately, the customizable reporting options, and the affordability. Some users note that the tool can be overwhelming for beginners.
4. GetApp: On GetApp, the Screaming Frog SEO Spider has an overall rating of 4.65 out of 5, based on 254 reviews. Users appreciate the tool’s speed, accuracy, and ability to identify website issues, while some note that the tool can be complicated for beginners.
5. Software Advice: On Software Advice, the Screaming Frog SEO Spider has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5, based on 238 reviews. Users praise the tool’s comprehensive analysis of website issues, customizable reports, and affordability. Some users note that the tool may require some technical knowledge to use effectively.

Conclusion 

Overall, the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Website Crawler receives high ratings and positive reviews across various platforms, with users praising its comprehensive analysis of website issues, fast crawling speed, and customizable reporting options. Some users note that the tool may require some technical knowledge to use effectively, but it remains a popular choice among SEO professionals and website owners. In my personal opinion, you must give a try. It’s really very useful tool for detailed SEO audit purpose.

Rakesh Bhosale

Rakesh Bhosale is a seasoned digital marketing consultant with over 15 years of industry expertise. Specializing in lead generation, demand generation, branding, marketing automation, and digital transformation strategies, Rakesh’s comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience drive remarkable growth and establish strong online presences.