Basic SEO Interview Questions (1–10)
1. What is SEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo to increase organic (non-paid) traffic.
2. Why is SEO important?
SEO helps websites rank higher, drive organic traffic, build credibility, and increase conversions without paying for ads.
3. What are the types of SEO?
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
- Local SEO
4. What is On-Page SEO?
Optimizing content, meta tags, headers, internal links, and images on your website.
5. What is Off-Page SEO?
Activities done outside your website like link building and brand mentions.
6. What is Technical SEO?
Improving website structure, speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, and indexing.
7. What is a search engine?
A search engine is a software system that helps users find information online.
8. What is a SERP?
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) is the page displayed after a user searches for a query on Google.
9. What is organic traffic?
Visitors who come to your site through unpaid search results.
10. What is a keyword?
A keyword is a word or phrase users type into search engines.
Intermediate SEO Questions (11–25)
11. What is keyword research?
The process of finding search terms users enter into search engines.
12. What are long-tail keywords?
Specific keyword phrases with lower search volume but higher conversion rates.
13. What is keyword density?
The percentage of times a keyword appears compared to total words.
14. What is a meta title?
The clickable headline shown on SERPs.
15. What is a meta description?
A summary of a webpage shown below the title in search results.
16. What are backlinks?
Links from other websites pointing to your website.
17. What is a do-follow link?
A link that passes authority (link juice) to another site.
18. What is a no-follow link?
A link that tells search engines not to pass authority.
19. What is domain authority?
A score predicting how well a website will rank (commonly measured by tools like Moz).
20. What is page speed? Why is it important?
Page speed is how fast a webpage loads. It impacts user experience and rankings.
21. What is an XML sitemap?
A file that lists important website pages to help search engines crawl them.
22. What is robots.txt?
A file that instructs search engines which pages to crawl or avoid.
23. What is anchor text?
Clickable text in a hyperlink.
24. What is alt text?
Alternative text describing images for accessibility and SEO.
25. What is canonical URL?
A tag that tells search engines the preferred version of a webpage.
Technical & Advanced Beginner Questions (26–40)
26. What is crawling?
Search engines discovering new and updated pages.
27. What is indexing?
Storing and organizing content found during crawling.
28. What is ranking?
Positioning web pages in search results based on relevance.
29. What is Google Search Console?
A free tool by Google that helps monitor website performance in search results.
30. What is Google Analytics?
A tool by Google used to track website traffic and user behavior.
31. What is bounce rate?
Percentage of users who leave after viewing only one page.
32. What is CTR?
Click-Through Rate percentage of users who click your result.
33. What is Black Hat SEO?
Unethical techniques that violate search engine guidelines.
34. What is White Hat SEO?
Ethical SEO practices that follow guidelines.
35. What is Gray Hat SEO?
A mix of white and black hat techniques.
36. What is local SEO?
Optimizing for location-based searches like “SEO services near me.”
37. What is Google My Business?
A free business listing tool by Google (now called Google Business Profile).
38. What is schema markup?
Structured data that helps search engines understand content better.
39. What is E-E-A-T in SEO?
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness part of quality guidelines by Google.
40. What is mobile-first indexing?
Google primarily uses the mobile version of content for indexing and ranking.
Scenario-Based & Practical Questions (41–50)
41. How would you improve website ranking?
By improving content quality, keyword targeting, backlinks, and technical SEO.
42. How do you perform an SEO audit?
Check technical issues, content quality, backlinks, and site performance using tools.
43. How do you find technical SEO issues?
Using tools like Screaming Frog and Ahrefs.
44. What is a 301 redirect?
A permanent redirect from one URL to another.
45. What is a 404 error?
A page not found error.
46. What is duplicate content?
Identical or similar content appearing on multiple URLs.
47. What is link building?
The process of acquiring backlinks from other websites.
48. What are Core Web Vitals?
Metrics introduced by Google to measure user experience (LCP, CLS, INP).
49. How long does SEO take to show results?
Typically 3–6 months, depending on competition and strategy.
50. What is the difference between SEO and SEM?
SEO focuses on organic traffic, while SEM includes paid ads like Google Ads.
Conclusion
Preparing for SEO interviews doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By understanding the fundamentals like keywords, on-page optimization, backlinks, and technical SEO you build a strong foundation that most beginner-level interviews focus on. Tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics help you move from theory to practical knowledge, which interviewers highly value.
Remember, interviewers are not just testing definitions they want to see how well you understand concepts like crawling, indexing, ranking, and user experience. Staying updated with guidelines from Google and practicing real-world implementation will give you a competitive edge.
Master these 50 SEO interview questions, apply the concepts on real websites, and you’ll be well-prepared to confidently crack your next SEO interview.
