How to Run a Screaming Frog SEO Audit (Step-by-Step Guide)
If you care about ranking higher on Google, fixing hidden website errors is a must. But how do you find those problems quickly and accurately? That’s where Screaming Frog SEO Spider comes in.
Think of it as your website’s X-ray, a smart tool that scans every corner of your site and tells you what’s broken, missing or holding your SEO back.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to run a Screaming Frog SEO audit step by step, how to understand the reports and how to use the results to improve your site performance.
At DigiPixInc, we use this process for every client audit to turn data into real growth and now, you’ll know exactly how to do it too.
What Is Screaming Frog?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop program that crawls websites just like Google’s bots do.
Explore how website crawls reveal broken links, duplicate content and hidden optimization gaps.
It collects vital data such as:
- Page titles and meta descriptions
- Response codes (404 errors, redirects, etc.)
- Heading structures (H1, H2 tags)
- Image sizes and alt text
- Canonical tags and internal linking
In short, it shows what’s working and what’s not behind the scenes of your website.
The free version allows you to crawl up to 500 URLs, while the paid version unlocks advanced features like JavaScript rendering, integrations with Google Analytics and custom extractions.
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Why Use Screaming Frog for SEO Audits?
Whether you run a small blog or manage an enterprise site, this tool helps you:
- Find broken links and redirect loops
- Detect duplicate or missing meta tags
- Identify thin content and low word counts
- Check image optimization and missing alt text
- Discover orphan pages (pages with no internal links)
Running regular audits keeps your website technically sound, which means faster crawling, better indexing and improved rankings.
Step 1: Setting Up Screaming Frog
- Download & Install
Visit Screaming Frog’s official site and install the tool. - Add Your Website URL
Open the program and enter your website’s URL in the search bar at the top. - Configure Your Crawl
Go to Configuration → Spider and choose what to include:
- Crawl subdomains (if your site uses them)
- Include or exclude images, CSS, or JavaScript
- Enable JavaScript rendering for modern, dynamic sites
Pro Tip: Save your configuration once done, so you can reuse it in future audits.
Step 2: Start Crawling Your Site
Click Start and Screaming Frog will begin scanning every page it can reach.
As it crawls, you’ll see data filling different tabs like Internal, External, Response Codes, Meta Tags and more.
Let it run until 100% complete then you’ll have a full snapshot of your website’s SEO health.
Step 3: Understand the Audit Results
After the crawl, it’s time to analyze what Screaming Frog found.
Here’s a simple breakdown of the most important sections and what they mean:
|
Section |
What It Shows |
What To Do |
|
Response Codes |
All URLs and their status (200 OK, 301, 404, etc.) |
Fix broken links and redirect loops |
|
Page Titles & Meta Descriptions |
Missing, duplicate, or too long/short titles |
Rewrite or shorten as needed |
|
Headings (H1/H2) |
Missing or duplicate headings |
Ensure one H1 per page and a clear structure |
|
Images |
Missing alt text or large file sizes |
Add descriptive alt text and compress images |
|
Content |
Word count of each page |
Expand thin content pages |
|
Canonicals |
Canonical tags for SEO consistency |
Ensure canonical URLs match preferred versions |
|
Internal Links |
Number of internal links per page |
Add links to key pages to improve crawlability |
A Screaming Frog SEO audit helps identify technical issues that impact ranking and performance.
Step 4: Prioritize Your Fixes
Not all SEO issues are equally important. Focus on high-impact ones first.
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|
Priority |
Type of Issue |
Reason |
|
High |
Broken pages, missing titles, 5xx server errors |
Affects user experience & ranking directly |
|
Medium |
Duplicate content, thin pages, redirect chains |
Causes crawl inefficiency |
|
Low |
Minor meta or alt text issues |
Good for fine-tuning overall SEO |
Use Screaming Frog to audit URLs, meta tags and on-page elements for better visibility in search results.
Fixing the high-priority issues first ensures the biggest boost in the shortest time.
Step 5: Export & Report
When you’re done reviewing, export your results:
- Click Bulk Export → All Issues
- Save as CSV or Excel
- Share with your team or clients
This helps you keep track of changes and measure improvements after fixes are implemented.
Pro Tip: Always re-run the crawl after fixing major issues to confirm everything is resolved.
Step 6: Go Beyond Basics
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, Screaming Frog can do much more:
- Compare crawls to see what changed between two audits
- Integrate with Google Analytics for real user behavior insights
- Use Custom Extraction to pull schema data, meta tags, or social Open Graph info
- Audit XML Sitemaps to check if all important pages are indexed
- Visualize Site Architecture to see how pages are linked together
These advanced tools help agencies like DigiPixInc fine-tune large websites and discover optimization opportunities most people miss.
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Step 7: Keep a Regular SEO Routine
Running one audit isn’t enough. SEO is a continuous process.
Here’s how often to do it:
- Monthly for large or frequently updated sites
- Quarterly for small to medium websites
- After major updates (like redesigns or migrations)
Each crawl becomes a checkpoint in your ongoing SEO strategy.
At DigiPixInc, we use Screaming Frog audits to build SEO strategies that deliver real, measurable results.
FAQs
Q1. How many pages can I crawl for free?
The free version lets you crawl up to 500 URLs. If your site is bigger, upgrade to the paid version.
Q2. Is Screaming Frog suitable for beginners?
Yes! It’s beginner-friendly once you understand the tabs. Start small, analyze one section at a time.
Q3. Can Screaming Frog crawl JavaScript websites?
Absolutely. Turn on JavaScript rendering under settings to make sure all dynamic content is scanned.
Q4. How long does an audit take?
That depends on your website size. A 100-page site may take a few minutes, while a large e-commerce site might take an hour or more.
Q5. What’s the best thing to fix first?
Always start with errors affecting users, broken links, missing meta titles, or incorrect redirects.
Conclusion
Running a Screaming Frog SEO audit is one of the smartest things you can do for your website. It doesn’t just find problems; it gives you a clear path to better rankings, smoother performance and happier visitors.
With each crawl, you’ll uncover insights that help you fine-tune your content, structure and technical setup, all essential pieces of great SEO.
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Written By: Khurram Qureshi
Founder & consultant of DigiPix Inc.
Call or text: 416-900-5825
Email: info@digipixinc.com
About The Author
In 2006, Khurram Qureshi started DigiPix Inc. which started off as a design agency offering video editing to professional photography, video production & post production, website designs and 3D Animations and has now expanded towards online marketing and business consultancy. Khurram Qureshi also is a motivational figure and participates in local and international platforms. He also play a role in the local community development, helping local young minds get ready to enter the job market.