For Indian business owners, web developers and marketers, auditing sites with Screaming Frog is the most practical way to find and fix SEO problems. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a free and paid tool you install on your computer. It can scan any website just like Google would, showing issues in real-time. Whether for a local shop, tuition classes, a freelancer, or an online seller, Screaming Frog quickly finds broken links, missing titles, duplicate pages, thin content, slow loading, and much more so your website can rank better.
How to Start a Screaming Frog Site Audit
- Download and open Screaming Frog SEO Spider. For basic audits, the free version reads up to 500 URLs, which is enough for small and medium businesses.
- Type your website URL in the box at top and click the Start button. Screaming Frog starts crawling all your pages and directories.
- See results live—URLs get listed as the tool scans your site. Big sites may take some time, but a progress bar shows audit status.
- You can pause or stop the crawl anytime. After finish, access detailed reports and downloadable spreadsheets of all findings.
Key Audit Checks You Can Do with Screaming Frog
- Broken links check: Go to Response Codes tab and filter for Client Error 4XX. Find pages with 404 errors or dead links—fix these for better user experience and SEO.
- Meta titles and descriptions: On the Page Titles and Meta Descriptions tabs, spot missing, duplicate, or long titles. Export to Excel for easy editing across your site.
- Thin and duplicate content: Find pages with very low word count or exact/near duplicate content. Fix by adding detail or combining similar pages.
- H1 and heading errors: Check H1 tags for missing or duplicated headings, as good site structure helps ranking.
- Redirect chains: Follow redirects and find multi-step chains or loops which slow page loading.
- Mobile usability: Enable Lighthouse API or PageSpeed integrations to spot slow mobile pages and critical errors.
- Image optimization: Find images missing alt text or compress files to speed up your website.
Table: Screaming Frog Audit Steps and Actions
| Audit Area | Where to Check | Action Needed |
| Broken Links | Response Codes Tab, 4XX, 5XX | Update or remove dead links |
| Meta Titles | Page Titles Tab | Add unique relevant titles |
| Descriptions | Meta Descriptions Tab | Fill or fix duplicates |
| Thin Content | Low Content Pages section | Expand or merge content |
| Image Alt Text | Images Tab | Add missing alt attributes |
| Redirects | Redirects report | Simplify chains/loops |
| Mobile Speed | PageSpeed API tab | Optimize heavy or slow pages |
Mini Guide: Advanced Screaming Frog Features
- Switch to Database Storage mode for very large sites by going to File > Settings > Storage Mode.
- Use RegEx under Configuration > Include to crawl only specific sections like /blog/ or /shop/ for targeted technical audits.
- Connect with Google Analytics, Search Console or PageSpeed Insights using the API Access menu for even richer data.
- Schedule regular audits. Go to File > Scheduling so Screaming Frog runs in the background every week or month.
- Compare crawls between two sites to check if fixes lead to improvements.
Practical Steps for Beginners Using Screaming Frog
- Audit your own business site first—don’t start with huge portals until comfortable.
- Fix all broken links, missing titles and speed issues before moving to advanced checks.
- Regularly check for thin and duplicate content to keep your site ranking and trusted.
- Integrate free PageSpeed Insights API to see live mobile site problems.
- Export findings to Excel and keep a simple checklist for action plan.
- Learn basics from Screaming Frog help page and Hindi video tutorials for easy understanding more help here.
Using Screaming Frog for Local SEO in India
- Find duplicate city pages with very little content and combine them for stronger ranking.
- Check key local business pages for mobile load speed, as most visitors use mobile phones in India.
- Audit URLs for clear, short, and locally relevant structure that Google understands.
- Regularly run audits for new offers or events to keep Google crawling fresh changes.
Tips for Agencies, Freelancers and Advanced Users
- Use custom reports and filters for different client needs—shops, restaurants, tuition classes or online sellers.
- Automate data collection and send audit reports via n8n for regular monthly or weekly updates.
- Connect third-party APIs for backlink, keywords and conversion tracking inside Screaming Frog for more complete SEO management.
- Focus on fixing critical errors first; then tackle warnings and minor technical points.
Common Mistakes When Auditing Sites with Screaming Frog
- Ignoring live progress or not waiting for full crawl before rushing to download reports.
- Fixing one error but breaking another—always double check site after changes.
- Only using Screaming Frog—combine with Google Search Console and Analytics for complete review.
- Overlooking duplicate or thin content—repeat audits after every big update.
Niranjan Yamgar’s Final Thoughts and Friendly Goodbye
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a must-have for simple, fast and detailed site audits in India. Use its free version for small sites and paid option for bigger needs. Make it a habit to audit every month for best results. If you want agency-level help and step-by-step guidance, visit my homepage trusted expert for Indian site audits for friendly support. Keep optimizing your site—healthy websites always rank higher and win more customers.