Load testing is a crucial step in ensuring your website performs well under heavy traffic. Whether you’re preparing for a product launch, a big marketing campaign, or a seasonal rush, you need to know how your website handles stress. Many people turn to Screaming Frog, a well-known SEO tool, to run load tests. But while you can use Screaming Frog for load testing, that doesn’t mean you should.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to conduct a basic load test using Screaming Frog and then explain why it’s not the best tool for the job. Finally, we’ll introduce you to a much more effective alternative: LoadView.
Understanding Load Testing
Before diving into Screaming Frog, let’s take a comprehensive look at what load testing is and why it’s essential for maintaining a high-performing website.
What is Load Testing?
Load testing is a type of performance testing that evaluates how a website or application behaves under varying levels of demand. It simulates multiple users accessing the system simultaneously to determine how well the infrastructure holds up under stress.
Key Goals of Load Testing
- Identify Performance Bottlenecks: Find weak points in your website’s architecture before they cause real-world issues.
- Ensure Scalability: Verify that your website can handle increased traffic without failure.
- Prevent Downtime: Reduce the risk of unexpected outages during high-traffic events.
- Optimize User Experience: A fast, responsive website ensures a smooth experience for visitors.
- Improve Server Efficiency: Optimize resource allocation for better performance and cost-effectiveness.
Load testing is not just for large enterprises but it’s for any business with an online presence that should conduct load tests to ensure reliability and performance.
How to Load Test with Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is primarily an SEO tool that crawls websites to analyze URLs, broken links, metadata, and on-page elements. However, some users repurpose it for load testing by running multiple high-intensity crawls to simulate high traffic.
Here’s a basic method to perform a “load test” using Screaming Frog:
Step 1: Install and Configure Screaming Frog
Before you can start, you need to have Screaming Frog installed and set up properly.
- Download and install Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Launch the application and enter your website’s URL in the search bar.
- Ensure your system has enough resources to handle an intensive crawl.
Step 2: Adjust Crawl Settings
To increase the load on your website, you need to configure Screaming Frog’s crawl settings.
- Navigate to Configuration > Speed and increase the Max Threads to send more requests to your server at once.
- Under Configuration > User-Agent, select a user-agent that mimics real browsers to simulate real-world conditions.
- If needed, configure Custom Headers to include specific request parameters.
Step 3: Start the Crawl
Once your settings are configured, you can initiate the crawl.
- Click Start to begin crawling your website.
- Monitor how your server responds as Screaming Frog requests multiple pages simultaneously.
- Keep an eye on your hosting dashboard or use third-party monitoring tools to track performance metrics.
Step 4: Analyze the Results
After the crawl is completed, you need to interpret the data to determine the impact on your website’s performance.
- Look for increased response times and HTTP errors.
- Check server logs to see if the crawl caused strain or resource exhaustion.
- Evaluate if there were any disruptions in user experience during the test.
At this point, you’ve used Screaming Frog to put some load on your site, but is this real load testing? Not exactly. Let’s talk about why Screaming Frog falls short.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Screaming Frog for Load Testing
While Screaming Frog is great for SEO audits, it’s not built for load testing. Here’s why:
Not Real-User Simulation
Screaming Frog sends basic HTTP requests, similar to how Googlebot or other crawlers scan web pages. It doesn’t simulate real user interactions such as form submissions, shopping cart transactions, or AJAX-based navigation as these are essential aspects of true load testing.
Limited Concurrency Control
Although you can adjust the number of concurrent threads in Screaming Frog, it lacks the granular control over traffic distribution that professional load testing tools offer. You can’t simulate gradual traffic increases, sustained high loads, or complex user journeys.
No Cloud-Based Testing
Proper load testing involves distributing traffic from multiple geographic locations. Screaming Frog operates locally which means it can’t replicate how global users would experience your website under load.
Incomplete Performance Data
Screaming Frog provides insights into response times, but it doesn’t offer comprehensive performance metrics such as:
- Server CPU and memory usage
- Database performance under stress
- Third-party service response times
- Bottleneck analysis for large-scale traffic loads
Risk of Overloading Your Own Machine
Since Screaming Frog runs on your local computer, running a high-intensity crawl can slow down or even crash your system. Instead of testing your website’s performance, you might end up maxing out your own hardware.
If you’re serious about real-world load testing, you need a tool that’s actually designed for it. That’s where LoadView comes in.
The Best Alternative: Load Testing with LoadView
If you want accurate, reliable, and scalable load testing, LoadView is the way to go. Unlike Screaming Frog, LoadView is specifically built to conduct robust load tests with real-user simulations.
LoadView offers features that make a real difference, including:
- Real Browser Testing: Simulates actual users interacting with your site, not just bots sending requests.
- Cloud-Based Infrastructure: Tests your website from multiple global locations for realistic traffic conditions.
- Scalable Load Generation: Creates thousands of concurrent users to mimic real-world traffic surges.
- Customizable Load Scenarios: Allows for ramp-up periods, steady-state testing, and stress testing.
- Detailed Performance Insights: Provides in-depth reports on response times, server health, and potential bottlenecks.
- Support for Dynamic Websites: Unlike Screaming Frog, LoadView can handle JavaScript-heavy applications, user authentication, and eCommerce transactions.
How to Get Started with LoadView
- Sign up for LoadView: Create an account at LoadView Testing.
- Set up your test: Choose your test type: website, API, or web application.
- Configure load parameters: Define user concurrency, ramp-up, and test duration.
- Run the test: Execute the test and monitor live results.
- Analyze reports: Identify performance bottlenecks and optimize accordingly.
With LoadView, you’ll get precise, actionable data and not just a rough idea of how your website holds up under a crawler.
Conclusion
Screaming Frog is an excellent SEO tool, but it’s not a proper load testing solution. While it can put some strain on your server, it lacks the capabilities needed for comprehensive performance testing. If you’re serious about ensuring your website can handle high traffic loads, you need a tool built for the job.
LoadView provides real-world scalable load testing that gives you the insights necessary to optimize your site’s performance. Sign up today and take the guesswork out of load testing!