Free SEO Crawlers That Actually Work (No BS Edition)
Indexation & Crawl Simulators Free crawlers that mimic how Googlebot sees your site—revealing blocked pages, weird redirects, or orphaned content.
Simple-Pimple: You want free shit that crawls your website like Google does? Here are 4 tools that won’t make your brain hurt.
The “Just Works” Option: SEOnaut
Link: https://github.com/StJudeWasHere/seonaut
What it does: Scans your entire website and tells you what’s fucked up. Broken links, missing titles, duplicate content - the works.
Why it’s good:
- One-click Docker setup (even your grandma could do it)
- Pretty charts that make you look smart in meetings
- Actually tells you what’s wrong instead of cryptic nerd speak
How to use: Download, run docker-compose up, visit localhost:9000. Done. No PhD required.
The Python Nerd Special: Site-One Crawler
Link: https://github.com/janreges/siteone-crawler
What it does: Command-line tool that crawls sites and spits out detailed reports. Think of it as a really nosy neighbor who notices everything wrong with your house.
Why it’s good:
- Works on Windows, Mac, Linux (pick your poison)
- Exports to CSV so you can torture yourself with spreadsheets later
- Checks SEO, performance, and accessibility all at once
Reality check: You’ll need to learn some command-line shit, but it’s not rocket science.
The Speed Demon: Hakrawler
Link: https://github.com/hakluke/hakrawler
What it does: Fast as hell link finder. Discovers all the URLs on your site, including the sneaky JavaScript ones hiding in corners.
Why it’s good:
- Stupid fast (written in Go, which is nerd for “really fucking quick”)
- Single file download - no installation headaches
- Perfect for finding orphaned pages that Google can’t see
Best for: When you just want a quick “what pages exist on this site?” answer.
The All-In-One Dashboard: SEO Audits Toolkit
Link: https://github.com/StanGirard/seo-audits-toolkit
What it does: Web interface that bundles multiple SEO tools. Like having a Swiss Army knife instead of carrying 20 different tools.
Why it’s good:
- Pretty web interface (no ugly command lines)
- Lighthouse scores, SERP checks, sitemap analysis
- Docker setup so you don’t have to deal with dependency hell
Warning: Hasn’t been updated since 2020, so it might be a bit crusty. But hey, free is free.
Quick Start Guide (For the Impatient)
Step 1: Pick SEOnaut if you want the easiest experience
Step 2: Install Docker (Google “install Docker” + your operating system)
Step 3: Download the tool, run the Docker command
Step 4: Point it at your website
Step 5: Get coffee while it does its thing
Step 6: Fix the shit it finds
Pro tip: Start with one tool. Don’t try to use all four at once unless you enjoy digital masochism.
The Bottom Line
These tools do the same job as expensive crawlers like Screaming Frog Pro or Sitebulb, except they’re free and open-source. Will they have every bell and whistle? Nah. Will they catch 90% of your SEO problems? Absolutely.
Stop overthinking it. Pick one, crawl your site, fix the obvious problems. Your rankings will thank you later.
!