Screaming Frog SEO Spider 19.0 Update

Screaming Frog has always been an indispensable tool for SEO professionals. It seems to have become even more indispensable with the release of version 19.0.

Codenamed ‘Peel’’ this latest update brings many new features and enhancements designed to make your SEO tasks more efficient and effective.

The first thing you’ll notice in version 19.0 is the updated design. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been revamped to offer a more intuitive look and feel. Browsing behavior functions have been moved to the main navigation for easier access, and the tool has been made more user-friendly, especially for free users.

One of the most important updates is Unified Config. This feature consolidates all configuration settings in a single dialog, making it more efficient to adjust settings. I think this modern approach will be familiar to existing users and easier to navigate for newcomers.

Another feature that caught my eye in this update is the introduction of Segments. This feature will allow users to segment a scan to better identify and track issues and opportunities in templates, page types, or priority areas. This granular approach to crawling will undoubtedly be invaluable in large-scale SEO projects.

To create a Segment, follow these steps:

1. Go to Configuration > Segments
2. Click “+Add”
3. Create a name for the segment in the “Segment Name” section. Select the color of the segment.
4. Enter the logic you want to use to group the segment. Select “Address,” “Contains,” and the URL path for a URL segment.
5. Click OK. You will now be able to see Segments in the URL column

You can create Segments according to almost any criteria of a standard Screaming Frog. You can create segments based on metadata, content length, indexability signals, etc.

Its biggest use will probably be to create segments based on page templates. For example, you can create segments for:

1. Product pages
2. Category pages
3. Blog posts
4. Landing pages
5. Resources
6. Author pages
7. About pages

This is an extremely useful new feature; It’s a feature that SEO professionals should use to gain more in-depth insights into how technical issues affect different areas of the site.

The Visualized Special Extraction feature is another exciting innovation. This feature allows users to open a web page in the built-in browser and select the items they want to extract. SEO Spider then formulates the correct XPath/CSSPath for extraction, making the process more accessible for those unfamiliar with XPath or CSSPath.

The 3D Visualization feature is a game-changer for those who love data visualization. Users can visualize their data more effectively with the 3D Force-Directed Crawl Diagram and the 3D Force-Directed Directory-Tree Diagram.

The update also includes various new filters and issues on existing tabs. These additions will help better filter data and communicate discovered issues, making identifying and addressing SEO concerns easier.

Finally, version 19.0 includes smaller updates and bug fixes such as a new ‘focus’ mode, updated preset user agents, an updated SERP snippet tab, and support for Local Storage in Forms Based Authentication.

The Screaming Frog SEO Spider 19.0 update is an important step forward, introducing many new features and enhancements to make your SEO tasks more efficient and effective. Whether you’re a seasoned SEO expert or just starting, this update will improve your SEO toolkit.