> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.seocrawler.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Start monitoring your website links in under 5 minutes

## Overview

This guide walks you through setting up SEO Crawler from account creation to your first crawl results. By the end, you'll have a complete picture of your website's link health.

<Info>
  **Time to complete**: \~5 minutes (plus DNS propagation time for domain verification)
</Info>

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create Your Account">
    Visit [app.seocrawler.app](https://app.seocrawler.app/signup) and sign up with your email or continue with Google/GitHub authentication.

    <Tip>
      Start with our **Free plan** to explore the platform. You can upgrade anytime to unlock more features.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Your First Domain">
    From your dashboard, click **Add Domain** and enter your website URL.

    ```
    example.com
    ```

    <Note>
      Enter just the domain name without `https://` or trailing slashes. We'll automatically detect whether your site uses HTTP or HTTPS.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Domain Ownership">
    Domain verification ensures you have permission to crawl the domain. Add a DNS TXT record to prove ownership:

    **Record Type**: `TXT`\
    **Host/Name**: `_seocrawler-verify`\
    **Value**: `seocrawler-verification=<your-token>`

    <Accordion title="Quick Setup Guides by Provider">
      <AccordionGroup>
        <Accordion title="Cloudflare">
          1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard
          2. Select your domain
          3. Go to **DNS** → **Records**
          4. Click **Add record**
          5. Select Type: `TXT`
          6. Name: `_seocrawler-verify`
          7. Content: Your verification token
          8. Click **Save**
        </Accordion>

        <Accordion title="GoDaddy">
          1. Sign in to your GoDaddy account
          2. Go to **My Products** → **DNS**
          3. Click **Add** under Records
          4. Select Type: `TXT`
          5. Name: `_seocrawler-verify`
          6. Value: Your verification token
          7. TTL: 1 Hour
          8. Click **Save**
        </Accordion>

        <Accordion title="Namecheap">
          1. Log in to Namecheap
          2. Go to **Domain List** → **Manage**
          3. Click **Advanced DNS**
          4. Click **Add New Record**
          5. Type: `TXT Record`
          6. Host: `_seocrawler-verify`
          7. Value: Your verification token
          8. Click the checkmark to save
        </Accordion>
      </AccordionGroup>
    </Accordion>

    <Warning>
      DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though most changes are visible within 15 minutes. Click **Verify** to check status.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Scan Options">
    Before starting your crawl, choose which analyses to run:

    | Option                   | Description                                | Plan Required |
    | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | ------------- |
    | **SSL Check**            | Verify certificate validity and expiration | Free          |
    | **SEO Analysis**         | Audit meta tags, headings, and images      | Solo+         |
    | **Anchor Text Analysis** | Evaluate link text quality                 | Pro+          |
    | **Response Trends**      | Track performance over time                | Pro+          |

    <Tip>
      For your first crawl, we recommend enabling **SSL Check** and **SEO Analysis** to get a comprehensive baseline of your site's health.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start Your First Crawl">
    Click **Start Crawl** to begin. Our crawler will:

    1. Start from your homepage
    2. Discover and follow all internal links
    3. Check each URL for errors and issues
    4. Analyze pages based on your selected options

    <Info>
      Crawl time depends on your site size and selected options. A 100-page site typically completes in 2-3 minutes.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Your Results">
    Once complete, you'll see a comprehensive report including:

    * **Summary Dashboard**: Overall health score and key metrics
    * **Broken Links**: All 4xx and 5xx errors with source pages
    * **Redirects**: Redirect chains and potential issues
    * **SEO Issues**: Missing meta tags, headings, and alt text
    * **Performance**: Response time distribution

    Click any issue to see details and recommended fixes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's Next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Understanding Your Results" icon="chart-simple" href="/crawling/crawl-results">
    Learn how to interpret crawl data and prioritize fixes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scan Options Deep Dive" icon="sliders" href="/crawling/scan-options">
    Configure advanced crawl settings for your needs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule Automated Crawls" icon="calendar" href="/crawling/starting-crawls">
    Set up recurring crawls to catch issues early.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Share Reports" icon="share-nodes" href="/crawling/sharing-results">
    Generate shareable reports for stakeholders.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Need Help?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Verification Issues?" icon="circle-question" href="/domains/verification-troubleshooting">
    Common DNS verification problems and solutions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contact Support" icon="headset" href="mailto:support@seocrawler.app">
    Our team typically responds within 2 hours.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>