The Complete Beginner's Guide to Sloth

Overview of Sloth

Sloth is a free, cloud-based SEO tool that utilizes Cloudflare Workers to implement technical SEO fixes on the edge. It was born out of the need to address platform and development restrictions, winning the inaugural TechSEO Boost Call for Research competition backed by Moz.

Key Benefits and Use Cases

• Technical SEO Fixes: Implement 301 and 302 redirects, hreflang attributes, modify robots.txt files, and set up A/B tests.
• Edge SEO: Navigates platform restrictions by using serverless applications on CDN edge servers.
• Custom Integrations: Offers custom edge SEO integrations to solve specific problems, though these require development resources.

Who Uses Sloth

Sloth is primarily used by digital marketers and SEOs who need to implement technical SEO fixes without the constraints of platform or development restrictions. It is particularly useful for enterprises with complex SEO needs.

What Makes Sloth Unique

• Free to Use: The core features of Sloth are free to use, making it an accessible tool for businesses of all sizes.
• Cloudflare Integration: Requires a Cloudflare account, which offers various pricing plans from free to custom enterprise plans.
• Platform Independence: Works across different platforms, including Shopify and Salesforce CommerceCloud.

Pricing Plans

Sloth does not have a pricing page, as the core features are free to use. However, custom edge SEO integrations may require additional development resources and are not included in the free tool.

Core Features

1. Redirects and Hreflang:

   • Implement 301 and 302 redirects.
   • Implement hreflang attributes to specify a page’s language.

2. AB Testing:

   • Set up A/B tests to compare two versions of a webpage.

3. Robots.txt Modification:

   • Modify the robots.txt file to control which pages search engines crawl.

4. Security Headers:

   • Set up security headers to enhance website security.

5. Log File Collection:

   • Collect server request logs, ideal for Salesforce CommerceCloud websites or those without stored logs.

6. Dynamic Rendering of JavaScript:

   • Dynamically render JavaScript, which is a feature available through custom integrations.

Tips & Troubleshooting

1. Deployment:

   • Deploy Sloth code to your Cloudflare edge server by copying the worker bundle to your Cloudflare dashboard.

2. Cloudflare Account:

   • Ensure you have a Cloudflare account to use Sloth. Cloudflare offers various pricing plans, including free options.

3. Feature Requests:

   • If you have a feature request, complete the contact form on the Sloth website.

Best Practices

1. Platform Compatibility:

   • Ensure that your website is compatible with Cloudflare Workers to use Sloth effectively.

2. Regular Updates:

   • Regularly update your Sloth code to ensure it remains compatible with the latest Cloudflare Workers and features.

3. Changelog and Scheduled Push Dates:

   • Maintain a thorough changelog and schedule push dates to avoid any bugs or additional latency.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Free to Use: The core features are free, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
• Customizable: Offers custom edge SEO integrations for specific problems.
• Platform Independent: Works across different platforms.

Cons:

• Limited Custom Integrations: Custom integrations require development resources and are not included in the free tool.
• Dependent on Cloudflare: Requires a Cloudflare account, which may have its own limitations and costs.

Summary

Sloth is a powerful tool for implementing technical SEO fixes on the edge, especially useful for businesses with platform or development restrictions. Its free core features make it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes, while custom integrations can be tailored to specific needs. Always refer to the official Cloudflare pricing plans for the most up-to-date information, as pricing might be changed.