One of the first things we do at our SEO agency in Los Angeles when taking on a new client is run a content audit on their website. Most of today’s ranking signals are on-page and content-based, so a thorough audit can reveal critical issues that are quietly dragging down your search visibility. One of the most powerful tools for this job is the Screaming Frog SEO Spider: a desktop application (available for Mac and Windows) that crawls your site the same way Google does. In this post, we’ll walk you through five specific issues to look for after that loud-mouthed frog finishes crawling your site.
What Is the Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Why Should You Use It?
Search engines use automated programs called “spiders” or “bots” to crawl every page on your website. These bots read your content, evaluate your structure, and decide where your pages should appear in the SERPs (search engine results pages). Screaming Frog replicates this process on your desktop, giving you a detailed look at what the bots actually see.
The tool surfaces a wide range of issues that can hurt your rankings: duplicate page titles, missing meta descriptions, broken links, oversized images, missing H1 tags, and thin content, among others. It’s an essential starting point for any serious technical SEO audit.
What does the free version of Screaming Frog include?
The free version crawls up to 500 URLs and gives you access to most of the core data you need. If your site has more than 500 pages, you’ll need the paid license, which currently runs just under $200 USD (the company is based in England, so the price fluctuates slightly with the British pound to US dollar conversion rate). The paid version also includes Google Analytics integration and several additional reporting features.
What Are the Five Most Important Issues to Check After a Screaming Frog Crawl?
Once the crawl is complete, the data can feel overwhelming. Here are the five areas we check first, every single time, because they have the most direct impact on rankings and user experience.
1. Are your image files too large?
Go to the Images tab, then filter by Over 100KB. Page loading speed is a confirmed Google ranking signal, and oversized images are the most common culprit behind slow load times. In fact, pages that load slowly see significantly higher bounce rates and lower conversions (source: web.dev / Google). Keep your images at 200KB or smaller whenever possible. Better yet, convert them to the WebP format, which delivers superior compression without sacrificing visual quality. Our post on why WebP is the ideal image format for websites covers this in detail.
2. Are any of your images missing ALT text?
Go to the Images tab, then filter by Missing Alt Text. Every image on your site should have a descriptive ALT tag. ALT text serves two purposes: it tells search engine bots what the image depicts, and it improves accessibility for users relying on screen readers. Missing ALT tags are a quick win because they are easy to fix and have a measurable impact on both SEO and usability. According to image optimization research from Search Engine Journal, properly written ALT text can also help your images rank in Google Image Search, adding an additional traffic channel (source: Search Engine Journal).
3. Do your pages have duplicate or overly long meta titles?
Click the Page Titles tab. Each page on your site should have a unique meta title that accurately describes that page’s content. Duplicate titles confuse search engines and waste an important on-page signal. Also check the character length: Google typically truncates titles after roughly 60 characters in the SERPs, so anything longer gets cut off. Craft each title to be specific, keyword-rich, and under 60 characters. For a deeper dive into this topic, see our post on why title tags matter for SEO.
4. Are your meta descriptions unique across all pages?
Click the Meta Description tab. While Google has reduced the direct ranking weight of the meta description tag, it still plays an important role in your click-through rate from the SERPs. A compelling, unique description for each page acts as a mini-advertisement, giving searchers a reason to click your result over a competitor’s. Duplicate or missing descriptions are a missed opportunity. For more on why this tag still matters, see our post on the meta description tag.
A well-written meta description should be 150 to 160 characters, include your target keyword naturally, and end with a subtle call to action.
5. Do your pages have enough content to rank?
Click the Internal tab, then scroll to the right to find the word count column. Pages with fewer than 500 to 1,000 words are often flagged by search engines as having “thin content,” which can suppress their rankings. Backlinko’s analysis of over 11 million Google search results found that longer, more comprehensive content consistently outranks shorter pages (source: Backlinko). The solution is to expand those pages with genuinely useful information.
One important warning: do not copy and paste content from other pages on your site or from other websites. Duplicate content can lead to ranking penalties. Write original material that actually helps your readers solve a problem or answer a question. For a practical checklist of on-page elements to address, check out our handy on-page SEO to-do list.
What Are the Most Common On-Page SEO Issues Businesses Miss?
Beyond the five areas above, Screaming Frog surfaces many other data points worth reviewing. Here is a quick summary of the most impactful issues to prioritize:
- Missing H1 tags: Every page should have exactly one H1 tag that includes your primary keyword.
- Broken links: Internal or external links returning 404 errors damage user experience and waste crawl budget.
- Redirect chains: Multiple redirects in a row slow load times and dilute link equity.
- Pages with no internal links pointing to them: Orphaned pages are hard for bots to discover and rarely rank well.
- Duplicate content across pages: Even partial duplication can suppress rankings if it appears across multiple URLs.
- Missing meta descriptions: Google may auto-generate one for you, and the result is rarely as compelling as one you write yourself.
Addressing these issues systematically is exactly what separates a site that ranks from one that doesn’t. Research from Semrush indicates that pages with fully optimized on-page SEO elements are significantly more likely to appear in the top 10 results than those with multiple unresolved technical issues (source: Semrush).
Frequently Asked Questions About Using Screaming Frog for SEO
Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider worth using for a small website?
Yes. Even for small websites, Screaming Frog’s free version (which crawls up to 500 URLs) can uncover hidden issues that are suppressing your rankings. It takes less than 10 minutes to run a crawl and review the key data points.
How often should an SEO company in Los Angeles run a site crawl?
Any reputable SEO company in Los Angeles should run a crawl at the start of every engagement and then quarterly thereafter. Sites that publish new content frequently, or that have recently undergone redesigns, should be crawled monthly.
What is thin content and how does it affect SEO rankings?
Thin content refers to pages with very little original, useful text, typically under 300 to 500 words. Google’s algorithms are designed to reward depth and expertise, so thin pages often rank poorly or not at all. Expanding them with relevant, well-researched copy is one of the most effective ways to improve rankings.
Can an SEO agency in Los Angeles fix all Screaming Frog issues for my site?
Yes. An experienced SEO agency in Los Angeles will use Screaming Frog as part of a broader technical audit, then prioritize and implement fixes based on their likely impact on rankings. Not all issues carry the same weight, so expert triage matters.
Does image ALT text really impact SEO performance?
It does. ALT text helps search engine bots understand what an image depicts, which contributes to overall page relevance signals. It also opens up an additional ranking opportunity in Google Image Search, which can drive meaningful traffic for visually-oriented businesses.
What is the difference between a meta title and a meta description in SEO?
The meta title is the clickable headline that appears in search results and carries direct ranking weight. The meta description is the short summary below it; it does not directly influence rankings but significantly affects click-through rates, which can indirectly impact your position over time.
Ready to find out what’s holding your website back? Whether you handle it yourself or work with a qualified SEO company in Los Angeles, start with a Screaming Frog crawl today. The issues it uncovers are often the exact reason your site isn’t ranking where it should be. If you’d like a professional team to do this for you and turn the findings into a clear action plan, contact our team at GO-SEO and let’s talk.
