Ahrefs is a cloud-based platform that includes a robust technical SEO site crawler. Among the cloud-based SEO tools, Ahrefs’ “Site Audit” is one of the most effective.
When JavaScript crawling is enabled in Ahrefs’ Site Audit, it successfully gathers information even from sites that heavily utilize JavaScript, such as single-page applications.
I’ve observed Ahrefs retrieving data from JavaScript-generated elements that Screaming Frog might overlook, even when JavaScript rendering is activated.
Above, be sure to toggle on JavaScript crawling. Executing JavaScript can be time-intensive, so plan ahead and leave enough time for your crawl.
Ahrefs does much more in terms of giving a broad snapshot of your technical SEO performance:
You can click on each issue to explore it further, and there’s always a “Why and how to fix” link that provides additional details about the solution.
If you prefer raw data, go to Page Explorer, where you can customize the displayed columns and export the data.
While the output isn’t quite as detailed as Screaming Frog’s, it comes close.
With just a few minutes of customization, you can create a table that resembles Screaming Frog’s export format.
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3. URL Profiler
Top-line overview
Desktop-based tool.
Cost-effective (if you already have API keys for other platforms).
Single purpose in terms of utilization.
Helps to automate the fetching of authority metrics.
Detail and usage
If you’re working with vast quantities of backlink data, you might want to check out URL Profiler:
This tool lets you input API keys from various platforms, such as Majestic, Ahrefs and Moz, provided you have the necessary subscriptions.
This feature is beneficial if you have a lengthy list of pages – potentially thousands – and need to assess metrics for each one to determine its value.
You might use it to evaluate internal page authority after crawling a client’s site with Screaming Frog or to assess the strength of potential link opportunities.
Ahrefs offers a “Batch Analysis” tool to return metrics for up to 500 URLs (Batch Analysis version 2.0).
However, if you need to analyze a larger number of URLs, you’ll only receive Ahrefs metrics for the ones you input.
In such cases, having a tool like URL Profiler is advantageous for managing larger projects, especially when you have access to multiple API keys from various SEO platforms.
Another alternative to URL Profiler is Netpeak Checker, which provides similar functionality.
4. GTMetrix
Top-line overview
Cloud-based tool.
Free to use.
Helps to identify page speed issues.
Useful to use alongside Page Speed Insights and Chrome Dev Tools.
Detail and usage
Most SEOs use Page Speed Insights to analyze page speed and Core Web Vitals. However, GTMetrix can also be beneficial in certain situations.
By signing up for a free account, you gain access to useful features like the waterfall chart, which provides valuable insights into your website’s performance.
Above, you can observe a page that pulls in a tremendous volume of resources (JavaScript, CSS, images, etc.). A brown bar visually represents much of the loading time.
We can quickly determine that exceeding HTTP/2’s maximum concurrent streams will likely be a factor.
Most of the resources were images rather than JS modules. Let’s check this out using the performance tab of Chrome Dev Tools:
The main page load occurs between 0 ms and 2 seconds:
As you can see, there is a significant amount of “Idle” time, indicating periods when the user’s CPU or GPU is not actively rendering the page.
This is likely due to the browser waiting for the server to respond to resource requests (e.g., images), suggesting that the maximum number of HTTP/2 concurrent streams may be exceeded. These findings can be relayed to a web developer for further action.
By using GTMetrix alongside Chrome Dev Tools, you can quickly and easily identify these issues.
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