Top 100 SEO Interview Questions: For Basic To Advanced Professionals

Have you ever wondered how Google gets all the answers to your search queries? It’s because of SEO! Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the process of increasing traffic using specific keywords and phrases.

Considering its need in the world of technology, there’s a huge demand for SEO Specialists. In this blog, we’ve listed some typical SEO interview questions for freshers, intermediates, and experienced professionals.

Introduction to SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing a website to improve its ranking in the organic search (non-paid). The techniques can include keyword research, link building, and on-page optimization to help the website rank better and improve its visibility.

The career outlook is favorable for people with SEO abilities. If you’re one of the many people looking for a new job in SEO, this blog will be extremely helpful. You can also learn about SEO in detail through a digital marketing course.

Basic SEO Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the basic SEO interview questions and answers that can be asked in an interview.

1. What is SEO and why is it important?

SEO is the practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords and phrases. It is important because higher search engine rankings lead to increased website traffic. This helps drive more conversions and revenue.

2. What are the different types of SEO?

The following are the major types of SEO: 

• On-page SEO: It is the optimization of web page content and HTML code to make it more relevant to specific keywords and phrases. 
• Off-page SEO: It includes off-site activities that help improve the website’s rankings. These include link building, influencer marketing, and social media marketing.  
• Technical SEO: It involves optimizing the website for website speed and mobile adaptability. It aims to make the website more search engine friendly.

3. Name some SEO-friendly plugins for WordPress.

Some SEO-friendly plugins for WordPress are Broken Link Checker, SEO Squirrly, and Yoast SEO. 

4. What is the sandbox effect?

The sandbox effect is a theory that websites with newly registered domains or domains that change frequently are kept in a holding area or sandbox in the indexes of Google. These websites are kept in the sandbox until deemed fit for ranking.

5. What is Google Suggest?

Google Suggest is a function of Google that auto-completes the related terms for the users when they enter any query in the search bar. It is a collection of the most frequently searched terms on Google.

6. What is a keyword and how do you choose them?

Keywords are specific words or phrases users enter into search engines to find relevant information. They are chosen by keeping keyword search volume, competition, and relevance to your business or website in mind.

7. What do you mean by organic results in SEO?

Organic results are non-paid results. They are based on relevance, quality, and other ranking characteristics.

8. What is an inorganic result?

Inorganic results are also called paid results or advertisements. Website owners do not need to improve their website or content to rank. Here, the rank is determined by the quality score and maximum CPC.

9. What is a meta description and why is it important for SEO?

A meta description informs what the content on a web page is about. It is important for SEO because it can influence click-through rates and improve your rankings.

10. What is Google Analytics and how can it help with SEO?

Google Analytics is a tool that provides detailed data about website traffic and user behavior. It can help with SEO by providing insights into the most searched keywords and phrases, the most visited pages, and the website’s traffic sources. This information can be used to optimize website content and improve search engine rankings.

Also, check out Google Analytics interview questions.

11. What is a backlink? What role does it have in SEO?

A backlink is a link from another website to a specific page on a website. They are essential for SEO as they tell search engines that your content is valuable and relevant to other websites. This makes your website more authoritative and credible. This leads to higher rankings in search engine results.

12. Why is a sitemap vital for SEO?

A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website and how they relate to each other. It is essential for SEO as it allows search engines to crawl and index all pages of your site.

13. What is a search engine? Name some popular search engines.

A search engine is a software system that finds web pages corresponding to a web search or query by a user on the World Wide Web. Some popular search engines are Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

14. What is search engine submission?

Search engine submission is a process where you submit your website to search engines to ensure it gets crawled and indexed. It allows you to submit useful information about your website and also receive alerts from the search engine for potential errors on the site.

15. What are SERPs? 

Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) are pages where the users see the most relevant results of their queries on a search engine. They include organic search results, paid ads results, video results, knowledge graphs, and featured snippets. 

16. What is a URL? 

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a complete address of a resource on the web. It is a unique identifier used to locate and retrieve a resource. It contains the protocol, domain, path or file, query string, and hash.

17. What is a landing page?

A landing page is where the users arrive when they click on a link from an email, social media post, advertisement, or other digital location.

18. What are social signals? 

Social signals are signals that indicate the interaction of users with a website or social media platform. Shares, likes, dislikes, pins, saves, upvotes, views, downloads, etc. are some examples of social signals.

19. Name some popular SEO tools used today.

SEO tools help in analyzing a web page’s performance and provide necessary insights for web page ranking. Some of the popular SEO tools used today are: 

• Google Analytics
• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Yoast SEO 
• Buzzsumo
• Google Search Console
• Raven Tools

20. What is HTTPS?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It encrypts data between a user and the server to ensure secure communication over a network.

Intermediate SEO Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the SEO interview questions and answers for the intermediate level.

21. What is a canonical URL and why is it important for SEO?

It is a preferred URL that search engines use to index and rank content on a website. It is important for SEO as it helps avoid duplicate content issues and ensures that the correct URL is displayed in search engine results.

22. What is an anchor text and an anchor text optimization?

Anchor text is the visible text hyperlinked to another page. Anchor text optimization is the process of adding relevant and descriptive anchor text in links to a website. It affects SEO as it provides search engines with a clear signal of the relevance and authority of the linked page. This leads to higher rankings in search engine results.

23. What is a robots.txt file and how does it affect SEO?

It provides instructions to search engines about which pages or sections of a website should not be crawled or indexed. It impacts SEO because it ensures search engines only crawl and index the pages that want to appear in search engine results.

24. What is a crawl budget and how does it impact SEO?

A crawl budget is the time and resources search engines allocate to crawl a website. It impacts SEO because if a website has a limited crawl budget, search engines may not crawl and index all its pages. This leads to lower visibility and rankings in search engine results.

25. What is a 301 redirect and why is it important for SEO?

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It helps redirect traffic and link equity from old pages to new pages. This maintains the website’s overall authority and rankings.

26. What is keyword density and why is it no longer a significant factor in SEO?

Keyword density refers to the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page. It is no longer a significant factor in SEO because search engines have become more sophisticated. They now focus on the overall context and relevance of the content rather than simply the number of times a keyword is used.

27. What are the best practices for optimizing images for SEO?

The best practices for optimizing images for SEO include using descriptive file names, alt tags, and compressed images for faster loading times. It also involves ensuring images are in the proper sizes for the website’s design.

28. What is Google My Business and how can it benefit local SEO?

It is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Google Search and Google Maps. It can benefit local SEO by providing accurate information about a business’s location, hours, and services. This can improve the business’s visibility in search results.

Also Read: Types Of SEO

29. What is link-building and what are some ethical link-building techniques?

Link building is the process of acquiring backlinks from a website to other websites. Ethical link-building techniques include creating high-quality and shareable content. It also includes reaching out to relevant websites for guest posting opportunities.

30. What is the click-through rate?

Click-through rate (CTR) is the number of clicks your website receives divided by the number of times the website was ranked in the search results. It increases if the number of clicks increases and is a key metric to measure results from paid ads.

31. What is content marketing and how does it relate to SEO?

Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable and relevant content to attract and engage a specific audience. It relates to SEO because high-quality and relevant content can help attract backlinks. It also improves a website’s visibility and rankings in search engine results.

32. What are some common SEO mistakes to avoid?

Common SEO mistakes to avoid include keyword stuffing, buying backlinks, neglecting mobile optimization, and ignoring user experience and engagement metrics.

33. What is domain authority and how is it calculated?

Domain authority predicts how well a website will do in search engine results. It is calculated based on factors, such as the number and quality of backlinks, how old the domain is, and the relevance and quality of the website’s content.

34. How can you optimize a website with a million pages?

To optimize a website that has a million pages, you can follow these practices:

• Add rich media content, such as images and videos to pages. 
• Update the content at least once per week.
• Use dynamic XML sitemap generation.
• Use dynamic title and description.
• Ensure a good internal link structure.

35. What is TrustRank?

TrustRank is a concept used as a methodology to rank websites and web pages. It is patented by Yahoo. 

36. What is NAP?

Name, address, and phone number (NAP) is a set of parameters that helps search engines identify a list of businesses for location-based search queries.

37. What are inbound and outbound links?

Inbound links are links that you get from another domain to your domain. Outbound links are links that go out from your domain to another domain. 

38. What is referral traffic?

Referral traffic is page visits from uncrawlable websites. An example of referral traffic is traffic or visits from a link within a social media post or an email.

39. Can AI-generated content rank better on a search engine?

Yes, AI-generated content can rank better on a search engine if it is relevant and of high quality. Search engines, especially Google emphasize quality over the production method of content. However, you have to ensure that your AI-generated content is accurate for it to rank better. 

40. What are YMYL pages?

The ‘Your Money or Your Life’ (YMYL) pages are those pages that directly impact an individual’s happiness, safety, health and finances, and welfare of a society. The following topics are considered as YMYL pages: 

• Finance
• Shopping
• Governance and law
• Current news excluding lifestyle, sports, and entertainment
• Health and Safety 

41. What is mobile-first indexing?

Mobile-first indexing refers to Google using your content’s mobile version to index and rank your website. A smartphone user agent is used to crawl this content.

42. What is Google Fetch?

Google Fetch is a tool in Search Console that allows users to test Googlebot’s ability to fetch a URL on your website and render a webpage. A fetch attempt, on completion, shows one of the following statuses: completed, partial, redirected, or an error. 

43. Name some of the reports in Google Analytics.

The following are some of the reports you can find in Google Analytics:

• Content efficiency report
• New vs Returning visitors
• Mobile performance report
• Keyword analysis report
• Traffic acquisition report
• Landing pages report

44. What is blog commenting? What are its types?

Blog commenting is the practice of adding comments on blog posts with a relevant backlink to your website. It serves two purposes; you get to engage with the readers to communicate your ideas and attract more traffic to your website. 

There are two types of blog commenting: automated and manual. Automated blog commenting is when you do not read a blog and comment on a mass scale. Manual blog commenting is when you read a blog and provide your opinion through comments. 

45. What is event tracking in Google Analytics?

Event tracking in Google Analytics is the process of capturing or tracking visitor interactions across web applications and mobile applications. The “events” tracked are ad clicks, video plays, downloads, pages viewed, login, flash elements, etc. 

46. What is forum posting?

Forum posting is an off-page SEO technique where you interact with other users on a forum to have online discussions on different topics and use this opportunity to backlink to your website. 

47. What are search engine bots?

Search engine bots are software programs that visit websites to collect information about them. They use this information to create an index of the web, which is useful in providing relevant results to users for their search queries. 

48. What are meta tags?

Meta tags are snippets of text or information added in the <head> section of a webpage as HTML code. They do not appear on the web page but only in the page’s source code and provide the search engines with information about your web page. They can also influence the way your web page is displayed in search results. Examples of meta tags are <title> and <description>. 

49. What is a URL slug?

A URL slug is the last part or section of the URL that uniquely identifies the page. It is also known as the website slug. A good SEO practice is to include the target keyword of the page in the URL slug because it can help with the page ranking in search results. 

50. What is a 404 error?

A 404 error code is an HTTP status code displayed when a user attempts to access a URL that is moved or deleted and now is unavailable on the server. 

51. What are some ways to optimize a title tag?

Some ways in which you can optimize a title tag are:

• Ensure it accurately describes the content.
• Add the primary keyword in your title tag.
• Limit the title tag to 60 characters. 

52. What is image alt text?

An image alt text is a brief description of an image on a webpage. It is added to the HTML code and is displayed when the page is unable to load the image or the image is accessed by screen readers (devices used by visually impaired people).

Advanced SEO Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some advanced SEO interview questions and answers that can be asked in an interview.

53. What is page speed optimization? What are some best practices to optimize page speed?

Page speed optimization is the process of improving the loading time of a website’s pages. It impacts SEO because search engines prioritize websites that provide a fast and seamless user experience, leading to higher rankings in search engine results.

Some best practices for page speed optimization are: 

• Minimize HTTP requests.
• Compress images and videos.
• Reduce CSS and JavaScript code.
• Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and Pingdom.

54. What are some popular Google AdWords ad extensions?

Some of the popular Google AdWords ad extensions are as follows: 

• Call extensions
• Structured snippet extension
• Affiliate location extension
• Site link extension
• Callout Extension
• App extension

55. What is Google Trends?

Google Trends is a service used for monitoring the popularity of a keyword in a particular region for a particular period. It uses real-time search data to analyze user behavior.

56. What is a penalty in SEO and how can it be resolved?

A penalty in SEO hurts a website’s ranking in search engine results. It happens due to violations of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. It can be resolved by identifying the issue that caused the penalty, submitting a reconsideration request to Google, and making the necessary changes to comply with the guidelines.

57. Name some social media channels used for marketing.

Some popular social media channels used for marketing are:

• Social Networking Sites: Facebook, X, Instagram
• Blogging Platforms: WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, Blogger
• Video-Sharing Sites: YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo

58. What is a canonical tag and how does it benefit SEO?

A canonical tag is a piece of HTML code that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred version. It benefits SEO by avoiding duplicate content issues and consolidating the ranking signals of multiple versions of a page into a single URL.

59. What is keyword cannibalization and how can it be resolved?

Keyword cannibalization is a situation where multiple pages on a website compete for the same keyword. It leads to confusion for search engines and lowers the rankings in search engine results. 

It can be resolved by consolidating the content of the competing pages using canonical tags to indicate the preferred version. It can also be resolved by optimizing the content for related but distinct keywords.

60. What is the difference between on-page optimization and off-page optimization?

On-page optimization refers to the process of optimizing the content and structure of a website’s pages to improve their visibility and ranking in search engine results. Off-page optimization refers to the process of building links and social signals from other websites to improve a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results.

61. What is local SEO and how does it differ from traditional SEO?

Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website’s visibility and ranking in local search engine results. It differs from traditional SEO because it focuses on the specific needs and behaviors of local searchers.

62. What is the importance of content marketing for SEO?

Content marketing provides high-quality and relevant content that can attract links and social signals from other websites. This improves a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results. Additionally, it improves user engagement and reduces bounce rates. Hence, leading to improved ranking signals and higher rankings in search engine results.

63. What is E-A-T and why is it important for SEO?

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. It is a framework used by Google to evaluate the quality and credibility of a website’s content. It is important for SEO because websites that demonstrate it are more likely to rank higher in search engine results.

64. What is schema markup and how does it benefit SEO?

Schema markup is a structured data format that provides search engines with more information about the content on a website. It benefits SEO by enhancing the visibility and relevance of a website’s content in search engine results. This leads to higher click-through rates and improved rankings.

65. What is a featured snippet and how can it benefit SEO?

It is a highlighted block of content that appears at the top of search engine results for a specific query. It can benefit SEO by providing increased visibility and credibility for a website’s content, leading to higher click-through rates and improved rankings.

66. What is a crawl budget and how can it be optimized for SEO?

A crawl budget is the number of pages that a search engine crawls and indexes on a website within a specific period. It can be optimized for SEO by minimizing duplicate content, using canonical tags, and ensuring that important pages are easily accessible and properly linked.

67. What is the Google Search Console and how can it benefit SEO?

The Google Search Console is a free tool that allows website owners to monitor their website’s performance in search engine results. It can benefit SEO by providing data on search queries, website traffic, and crawl errors.   

68. What is user intent and how does it relate to SEO?

User intent refers to user-specific goals and motivations when they search for information online. It relates to SEO because creating content that is relevant and helpful to user intent can improve a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results.

69. What is the importance of mobile optimization for SEO?

Mobile optimization is important for SEO because more than half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. Optimized websites provide a better user experience, leading to improved engagement and higher rankings in search engine results.

70. What is structured data and how does it benefit SEO?

Structured data is a standardized format for providing additional information about a website’s content to search engines. It benefits SEO by improving the accuracy and relevance of search engine results.

71. What is natural language processing and how does it impact SEO?

Natural language processing is a branch of artificial intelligence that helps computers understand human language. It impacts SEO by allowing search engines to better understand the context and intent of user queries.

72. What is a Knowledge Graph and how does it benefit SEO?

A Knowledge Graph is a database that contains structured data about entities and their relationships. It benefits SEO by providing more comprehensive and accurate search engine results.

73. How do you update yourself regarding the latest SEO trends and guidelines?

I keep myself updated with the latest SEO trends and guidelines by following the latest blogs and attending webinars on best practices. I also listen to industry experts and follow Google’s official announcements to stay updated with the latest trends.

74. How do you conduct a website audit?

By evaluating the website’s architecture, testing its speed, and ensuring it is mobile-friendly, we can conduct a website audit. It can also be done by examining the website’s content to see if it is pertinent, interesting, and keyword-optimized.

75. How do you develop an SEO strategy for a new website?

Firstly, we conduct keyword research to find the most relevant terms for a new website’s content. After that, we implement technical SEO to ensure the website is optimized for search engines. Then, we develop a content strategy to produce engaging and informative content focused on the chosen keywords and create backlinks for the website.

76. How do you measure the success of an SEO campaign?

We can measure the success of an SEO campaign by monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) like engagement metrics, conversion rate, bounce rate, and organic traffic from search engines. We can also use Google Analytics and other SEO tools to monitor the website’s development and identify areas for improvement.

77. How and what tools do you use for keyword research?

I use resources like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz to conduct keyword research. These tools find the long-tail, low-competition, and high-volume keywords most pertinent to the website’s content.

78. What is Alexa rank in SEO?

Alexa rank in SEO is a global ranking system that ranks websites in order of their popularity. To calculate the rank, it takes into account the average daily unique visitors and page views in the last three months. The lower the Alexa rank, the more popular your website is.

79. How do you ensure that the website is mobile-friendly?

To make sure the website is mobile-friendly, we should aim for a responsive design. We can test the website on various mobile platforms to ensure it loads quickly and is user-friendly. Additionally, one can optimize images and use a mobile-friendly font size and layout.

80. What is TLD and ccTLD?

A top-level domain (TLD) is the last section of an internet address. For example, .org, .co.in, .com, .net, etc. A ccTLD is a country code top-level domain, which is a domain extension reserved for a country and has two characters. For example, .in. for India and .th for Thailand. 

81. What is PBN?

Private blog network (PBN) is a network of websites created to link these websites to a single website. It is done to increase the ranking of the website on search engine results pages. It is a practice followed as part of the black-hat SEO. 

82. What is pagination and how is it important for SEO?

Pagination means breaking a page into multiple sequentially numbered pages to reduce page load time and improve user experience. It is important for SEO because Googlebot cannot effectively crawl and index infinitely. If a huge page is divided into smaller pages, it will help the crawler index them properly. 

83. What types of keywords are used in a Google Ads campaign?

You can use the following types of keywords in a Google Ads campaign:

• Phrase Match Keywords: These keywords are variants of phrases the users type on Google.
• Negative Keywords: These are broad-match keywords that do not align with the objective of the ad and are excluded from an ad campaign. 
• Exact Match Keywords: They are the closest match to the phrases the users type on Google.
• Broad Match Keywords: They are variations of the search terms.

84. Differentiate between a dofollow link and a nofollow link.

Here are the key differences between a dofollow and a nofollow link:

• A dofollow link is a link that has no “nofollow” or “sponsored” attribute attached to it. All the hyperlinks are dofollow links by default. A search engine crawler finds these links, crawls the pages, and counts them as votes of quality. 
• A nofollow link is a link coded to avoid search engine crawling. It ensures the search engine does not count them as votes of quality. 
• Dofollow links from high-authority sites help your site rank better in search engine results pages.
• Nofollow links are instead used to link third-party sites on your website without giving any authority to those sites. 

85. What is keyword stemming?

Keyword stemming is Google’s algorithm’s ability to identify various forms of words based on a particular keyword in a search query. It is done by taking a basic but popular keyword and adding prefixes and suffixes, or pluralizing it to change it to a new word. 

86. What is keyword prominence?

Keyword prominence pertains to the keyword placement within a web page. The prominent placement of keywords on a web page includes adding them in the header, at the beginning of a sentence, in the first paragraph, in meta tags, meta descriptions, etc.

87. What are LSI or Latent Semantic Indexing keywords?

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are those keywords that Google sees as semantically related to a topic. They are conceptually connected to a target keyword. For example, if you want your website to rank for “pizza recipe”, you can use LSI keywords such as “dough”, “cheese”, or “Italy”. 

88. What is cloaking?

Cloaking is a black-hat SEO technique where the content displayed is different from the content displayed to the search engine crawlers. It is a technique to manipulate search engine rankings. 

89. What is a doorway page?

A doorway page is a web page created to rank for specific keywords while the visitors are sent to a different page. 

90. What is RankBrain?

RankBrain is a machine learning-based search engine algorithm considered a part of Google’s Hummingbird algorithm. It helps google interpret a query and process search results. It also helps rank these results or decide the best order for them.

91. What is Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)? 

AMP is an open-source project to increase the loading speed of the web pages. They can load web pages within a second and use less data than regular mobile pages. 

92. What is a Rich Answer Box?

The Rich Answer Box is a box at the top of the search engine results page that provides users with direct and precise answers to their search queries. 

93. What is a Disavow tool?

The Disavow tool is used by publishers to inform Google about the backlinks from external domains they do not want to consider for their website’s ranking. It is often used when there is a backlink that does not add any value to the website or is unreliable. 

94. Explain the model comparison tool.

Businesses use attribution models to identify the right marketing channel. With a model comparison tool, they can compare how different attribution models impact the valuation of their marketing channels. 

95. What is the Panda and Penguin Update?

Google’s Panda Update de-ranks or penalizes web pages that lack useful or relevant content or have duplicate content. It was introduced in 2011. Penguin Update identifies sites with spammy backlinks and the ones using black-hat SEO methods. It was introduced in 2012. 

96. What is Hummingbird and Mobilegeddon Update?

The Hummingbird Update is an algorithm that makes searches more context-based than keyword-focused. Google introduced it in 2013. On the other hand, Mobilegeddon Update focuses on the mobile-friendliness of a website to ensure better search engine visibility and ranking. 

97. What is Google Pigeon?

Google Pigeon is a Google update that provides preference to local search results and focuses on location and distance to provide more relevant information to the user. 

98. What are topic clusters? How do you create a topic cluster?

Topic clusters are groups of related content that cover a vast topic. They are used to create a clear site structure to improve the authority and relevance of web pages. The following are the steps to create topic clusters:

• Identify a code topic related to your business.
• Create a pillar page with comprehensive content about the topic and an overview of subtopics. 
• Create cluster pages that discuss the subtopics and give more detailed information. 
• Link the pillar page and cluster pages internally with the help of descriptive anchor text.

99. What is ‘Share of Voice’ or SoV in SEO?

Share of Voice (SoV) indicates the quantity of organic search traffic your website has for a topic or a set of keywords compared to your competitor websites. It helps you analyze your website’s performance in the market. 

100. What is the article spinning?

Article spinning is a technique where an article is written in various copies in such a way that each copy appears as a new article. It is a black-hat SEO technique used to create an illusion that these low-quality and repetitive copies are fresh articles. 

Conclusion

SEO interview questions can include a variety of subjects from simple technical terms to more sophisticated ones. In addition to these questions, candidates should also be able to show that they can keep up with the most recent SEO trends and best practices. They should also have expertise using a variety of SEO tools and platforms. 

Was this blog useful for your interview preparation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. To understand how SEO is different from SEM, refer to this SEO vs SEM blog.