25 SEO Interview Questions With Answers

Hello SEOs,

Do you struggle with SEO Interviews? Here's a list of SEO questions that you can prepare for.

Of course, these questions only represent a negligible percentage of thousands of questions your employer may ask, getting prepared for these questions will only positively improve your chances of cracking an SEO Interview.

So, without any further ado, let's get straight to the SEO questions.

1. Is it a Good practice to block a page in Robots.txt to keep it out of Google Index?

Blocking a page through Robots.txt does not guarantee that the page will not be indexed. If the link to the page appears on the web, Google may still index the page.

For blocking a page, either a no-index tag should be used or the page should be password-protected.

Blocking through Robots.txt is recommended only when you want to block entire folders from search engines but not password-protect it for users.

2. How long does it take for Google to index a new page on the website?

This answer varies depending on the age and popularity of your domain. If your website is new, it can take weeks or even months for Google to index all your pages. For established websites, it typically takes minutes

3. What is Google Manual Action Penalty and how is it different from Algorithmic Penalties?

Google Manual Action Penalty is a punitive measure that Google may take against a website that has been found to be in violation of its Webmaster Guidelines. This penalty can result in the site being removed from Google's search results altogether.

Unlike Algorithmic Penalties which are fully automatic and controlled by Google's Algorithms, Manual action penalties are semi-automatic.

Manual action penalties are typically issued after a manual review by a Google engineer has determined that there is a clear violation of our guidelines.

In some cases, a manual action penalty may be issued automatically by Google systems if they believe that a site is in very clear violation of their Webmaster guidelines.

4. How can I check if my website has been penalized by Google?

If you think your website has been penalized by Google, you can check the Manual Actions section in Google Search Console. If you see a message there, it means your website has been penalized and you need to take action to fix it.

5. What is Google’s Mobile-First Indexing?

Google’s Mobile-First Indexing means that the search engine will primarily use the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking. This is because more and more people are using mobile devices to access the internet.

6. What is Google EAT?

EAT stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a set of signals that Google uses to determine whether a website is high-quality and trustworthy.

7. How often does Google update its algorithm?

Google updates its algorithm multiple times per day, although most of these are small changes. Major updates are released less frequently, with the most recent being the Google Product Reviews Update in September 2022 (Insert The Latest Update)

8. What is a Google disavow file?

A Google disavow file is a text file that you can upload to Google Search Console to tell Google which links you want it to ignore. This is useful if you have spammy or low-quality links pointing to your website.

9. What will be your first step when you bag a new SEO client with an existing website?

The first step would be to do an SEO audit of the website to identify any technical issues. After that, I would look at the backlinks profile. Next, I would analyze the website’s content and on-page SEO. Finally, I would set up some goals and KPIs for the SEO campaign.

The reason I'd follow this order is that technical issues need to be addressed with the highest priority as all your efforts will be in vain if you have technical issues on your website.

This should be followed by Backlinks Audit as it requires a long time for any changes you make to your backlinks profile to reflect in your rankings.

On-Page SEO comes next to make sure you have an optimized web page.

(You can use a different order. But be ready to justify the same)

10. What is an XML sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that contains a list of all the pages on your website. It is used to help search engines crawl and index your website.

11. How can I improve my website’s speed?

There are a number of ways to improve your website’s speed, including optimizing images, using a content delivery network, and minifying CSS and JavaScript.

12. Is Google AMP required for websites to appear in Google Top News Carousel?

Google AMP is no longer required for websites to appear in the Top News Carousel. Google made this change in June 2021.

13. What is Google’s Featured Snippet?

Google’s Featured Snippet is a box that appears at the top of the search results for certain queries. It contains a summary of the answer to the query, along with a link to the website where the information came from.

14. How can I get my website to appear in Google’s Featured Snippet?

There is no guaranteed way to get your website to appear in Google’s Featured Snippet. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances, such as including a question in H2 and H3 headings and then answering it in one or two short sentences.

15. What is Google’s Local Pack?

Google’s Local Pack is a box that appears at the top of the search results for certain queries. It contains a list of local businesses that are relevant to the query, along with their addresses, phone numbers, and ratings

16. What is Google’s Knowledge Graph?

Google’s Knowledge Graph is a database of information about people, places, and things. It is used to provide more relevant results for certain queries.

17. What are Google’s Rich Snippets?

Google’s Rich Snippets are pieces of information that appear in the search results for certain queries. They are designed to give users more information about the result, such as the author, date, and rating.

18. What is Google’s Hummingbird Update?

Google’s Hummingbird Update is a major update to the Google algorithm that was released in 2013. It is designed to better understand the meaning of queries and provide more relevant results.

19. What is Google Panda Update?

Google Panda Update is a major update to the Google algorithm that was released in 2011. It is designed to lower the ranking of websites with low-quality content.

20. What is Google Penguin Update?

Google Penguin Update is a code name for a Google algorithm update that was first announced on April 24, 2012. The update was aimed at decreasing search engine rankings of websites that violate Google's Webmaster Guidelines by using now declared black-hat SEO techniques involved in increasing artificially the ranking of a webpage by manipulating the number of links pointing to the page.

21. What is Google Pigeon Update?

The Google Pigeon Update is an algorithm update that was first rolled out in July 2014 and was designed to improve local search results and provide users with more useful and relevant results.

The update makes use of location and distance information to better match users with businesses that are nearby. Additionally, the update takes into account user feedback when determining the ranking of local results.

22. What is Google Vince Update?

Google Vince was an algorithm update that was first announced on February 11, 2009. The update was aimed at rewarding bigger brands with higher rankings in the search results.

23. What Are Canonical URLs in SEO?

When the same content is seen across multiple URLs, a canonical URL can be specified to tell search engines which is the preferred version. The canonical URL is specified using the rel="canonical" link element.

24. How Can I Do International Targeting In Google Search Console?

The international targeting in GSC is deprecated and hence you cannot target specific regions in the Search Console. However, for better local results, you can use local gTLDs as well as build backlinks from local websites to send a signal to Google that you are targeting a specific country.

25. How Can I Fix Crawl Errors In Search Console?

Crawl errors are usually caused by pages that have been deleted or moved. You can fix them by 301 redirecting the old URL to the new one.

Do you want me to post more such interview questions? Do let me know in the comments section.