The Complete Beginner's Guide to Screaming Frog Log File Analyser

Overview of Screaming Frog Log File Analyser

Screaming Frog Log File Analyser is a powerful tool designed to help SEO professionals analyze log files from various web servers, providing valuable insights into search engine bot behavior and website performance. It supports formats like Apache and W3C Extended Log File Format, making it compatible with servers such as Apache, IIS, and NGINX.

Key Benefits and Use Cases

• Identify SEO Issues: The tool helps in finding broken links, errors, and redirects, which are crucial for maintaining a healthy website.
• Crawl Frequency Analysis: It allows you to view the most and least frequently crawled URLs by search bots, helping in optimizing crawl budgets.
• Log Event Analysis: You can analyze full log file event data for every URL discovered in the logs by timestamp, providing detailed insights into bot activity.
• Error Detection: It identifies client-side errors such as broken links and server errors (4XX, 5XX response codes), helping in fixing technical SEO issues.

Who Uses Screaming Frog Log File Analyser

• SEO Professionals: The tool is widely used by SEO professionals and agencies to improve website visibility and drive targeted traffic.
• Web Developers: Web developers can use it to troubleshoot issues related to website crawling and indexing.
• Digital Marketing Agencies: Digital marketing agencies utilize the tool to analyze log files and optimize their clients' websites for better search engine rankings.

What Makes Screaming Frog Log File Analyser Unique

• User-Friendly Interface: The tool offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to upload and analyze log files without requiring extensive programming knowledge.
• Customizable: It allows for customizable crawl configurations, enabling users to tailor the analysis to their specific needs.
• Integration with Other Tools: The tool integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, providing a comprehensive view of website performance.

Pricing Plans

Screaming Frog Log File Analyser offers both free and paid versions. The free version allows you to analyze up to 1,000 log events and save one project at a time. The paid version, which costs £99 per year, removes the log event limit and allows you to save multiple projects.

Pricing Plans:

• Free Version: £0 (limited to 1,000 log events and one project)
• Paid Version: £99 per year (unlimited log events and multiple projects)

Disclaimer: Pricing might be changed, please check the official pricing page for the latest information.

Core Features

1. Auto Verify Search Engine Bots

   • Automatically verifies the presence of search engine bots in your log files.

2. Find Broken Links, Errors & Redirects

   • Identifies broken links, errors, and redirects, helping in fixing technical SEO issues.

3. View Most & Least Crawled URLs & Sections

   • Analyzes which URLs are most and least frequently crawled by search bots.

4. View Bot Crawl Frequency

   • Displays the frequency at which search bots crawl your website.

5. View Bot IP Crawl Activity

   • Shows the IP addresses of the bots crawling your website.

6. Identify Large & Slow URLs

   • Identifies large and slow URLs that might be impacting website performance.

7. Find Uncrawled & Orphan URLs

   • Finds uncrawled and orphan URLs that need to be indexed by search engines.

8. Combine & Compare Crawl Data

   • Combines and compares crawl data to identify trends and issues.

9. Log Event Limit

   • The free version has a log event limit of 1,000 lines, while the paid version has no limit.

10. Project Limit

    • The free version allows only one project at a time, while the paid version allows multiple projects.

11. Free Technical Support

    • Both versions offer free technical support to help users with any issues they encounter.

Tips & Troubleshooting

1. Optimize Log File Size

   • Ensure your log files are not too large, as this can impact analysis speed. You can optimize log file size by regularly cleaning up unnecessary logs.

2. Regularly Update Your Tool

   • Regularly update your Screaming Frog Log File Analyser to ensure you have the latest features and bug fixes.

3. Use Custom Filters

   • Use custom filters to narrow down your analysis and focus on specific issues or URLs.

Best Practices

1. Regular Crawling

   • Regularly crawl your website to ensure all pages are indexed by search engines.

2. Monitor Crawl Budgets

   • Monitor your crawl budgets to ensure that your website is not being over-crawled, which can lead to resource issues.

3. Fix Broken Links

   • Fix broken links and errors promptly to improve user experience and search engine rankings.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface: Easy to use, even for those without extensive technical knowledge.
• Comprehensive Analysis: Provides detailed insights into search engine bot behavior and website performance.
• Customizable: Allows for customizable crawl configurations.
• Integration with Other Tools: Integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Cons:

• Limited Free Version: The free version has limitations on log events and projects.
• Cost: The paid version can be expensive for small businesses or individuals.

Summary

Screaming Frog Log File Analyser is a powerful tool for SEO professionals and web developers. It offers a user-friendly interface, comprehensive analysis, and customizable features. While the free version has limitations, the paid version provides unlimited log events and multiple projects, making it a valuable investment for those serious about optimizing their website's performance. Always check the official pricing page for the latest information, as prices might be changed.