What the SEO test covers
This is a knowledge test for people learning SEO or preparing for an SEO executive or analyst interview, not a tool that checks a website. The questions use what is true in 2026: INP instead of FID as a Core Web Vital, no FAQ rich results for most sites, Google Business Profile instead of Google My Business, and AI Overviews in the results.
- SEO basics: 10 questions
- On-page and content: 10 questions
- Technical SEO: 10 questions
- AI, ecommerce and local: 10 questions
- Analytics and scenarios: 10 questions
25 sample questions with answers
A fixed set from the quiz, so you can read them before you start. The quiz itself draws a fresh set each time.
Basic
1. Which is a long-tail keyword?
- a) Marketing
- b) Interview
- c) SEO interview questions for freshers
- d) SEO
Show the answer
Answer: c) SEO interview questions for freshers. Longer, specific searches have less volume but clearer intent, and a new site can rank for them sooner.
Basic
2. What does the first E in E-E-A-T stand for?
- a) Expertise
- b) Efficiency
- c) Engagement
- d) Experience
Show the answer
Answer: d) Experience. Google added Experience in December 2022. Expertise is the second E.
Basic
3. Someone searches "best running shoes under 3000". What is the intent?
- a) Navigational
- b) None
- c) Informational
- d) Commercial
Show the answer
Answer: d) Commercial. They are comparing options before buying. A comparison or category page fits, not a definition.
Basic
4. How does Google treat a nofollow link today?
- a) It ignores the page entirely
- b) As a strong vote
- c) As a hint, not a strict rule
- d) As a penalty
Show the answer
Answer: c) As a hint, not a strict rule. Since 2019, nofollow, sponsored and ugc are hints Google may use for discovery.
Basic
5. Which is a black hat tactic?
- a) Adding alt text
- b) Buying links to manipulate rankings
- c) Writing useful guides
- d) Fixing broken links
Show the answer
Answer: b) Buying links to manipulate rankings. Paid links that pass ranking value break Google's spam policies.
Basic
6. Is Domain Authority a Google ranking metric?
- a) No, it is a Moz score Google does not use
- b) Only in India
- c) Yes, Google publishes it
- d) Only for news sites
Show the answer
Answer: a) No, it is a Moz score Google does not use. Domain Authority, Domain Rating and Authority Score are tool estimates, useful for comparison only.
Basic
7. What does Google Keyword Planner show if you are not spending on ads?
- a) Volume ranges, like 1K to 10K
- b) Exact monthly searches
- c) Your competitors' traffic
- d) Your rankings
Show the answer
Answer: a) Volume ranges, like 1K to 10K. Without ad spend it shows ranges. Treat them as a guide, then read the results page yourself.
Basic
8. For a new site, how long does SEO usually take to bring real traffic?
- a) One week
- b) Months
- c) One day
- d) It never works for new sites
Show the answer
Answer: b) Months. Long-tail pages can move in weeks, competitive terms take months and links.
Basic
9. What is the right order of how a search engine works?
- a) Crawl, index, rank, serve
- b) Serve, rank, index, crawl
- c) Rank, crawl, index, serve
- d) Index, crawl, serve, rank
Show the answer
Answer: a) Crawl, index, rank, serve. It finds pages by crawling, stores them in the index, ranks them for each search, then serves results.
Intermediate
10. Where do clicks from AI Overviews show in Search Console?
- a) In Google Ads
- b) Nowhere
- c) Inside normal Google web search data
- d) In a separate AI report
Show the answer
Answer: c) Inside normal Google web search data. They are counted with regular web search clicks.
Intermediate
11. Why rewrite manufacturer product descriptions?
- a) To add keywords 10 times
- b) Google requires 500 words
- c) Hundreds of sellers use the same text
- d) It is not needed
Show the answer
Answer: c) Hundreds of sellers use the same text. Unique copy, your own photos and real reviews give Google a reason to rank you.
Intermediate
12. For a permanent URL change, which redirect do you use?
- a) 301
- b) A meta refresh
- c) 307
- d) 302
Show the answer
Answer: a) 301. A 301 tells Google to move signals to the new URL.
Intermediate
13. Many buyers type Hindi words in English letters. What do you do?
- a) Only use Hindi script
- b) Ignore it
- c) Translate the site with a machine
- d) Use the words they type in titles and headings
Show the answer
Answer: d) Use the words they type in titles and headings. Create proper Hindi pages only where there is real demand in Hindi script.
Intermediate
14. Is llms.txt a confirmed ranking factor?
- a) Yes, for Bing
- b) No major search engine has said it uses it
- c) Yes, for Google
- d) Yes, it replaces sitemaps
Show the answer
Answer: b) No major search engine has said it uses it. It is cheap to publish, but do not present it as a ranking factor.
Intermediate
15. OpenAI says ChatGPT search uses what to find pages?
- a) Only Google results
- b) Only paid listings
- c) Only Wikipedia
- d) Third-party search providers and partner content
Show the answer
Answer: d) Third-party search providers and partner content. Bing is widely reported to be one provider, so get indexed in Bing too.
Intermediate
16. What is the best anchor text for an internal link?
- a) The full URL
- b) Read more
- c) Click here
- d) Descriptive words about the linked page
Show the answer
Answer: d) Descriptive words about the linked page. Descriptive anchors tell readers and Google what the page is about.
Intermediate
17. What is a soft 404?
- a) A redirect to the homepage only
- b) A page that returns 200 but looks empty or says not found
- c) A 410 page
- d) A slow 404 page
Show the answer
Answer: b) A page that returns 200 but looks empty or says not found. Return a real 404, or add real content.
Intermediate
18. How do you win a featured snippet?
- a) Use more images
- b) Answer the question in the first sentences under a matching heading
- c) Buy links
- d) Add more keywords
Show the answer
Answer: b) Answer the question in the first sentences under a matching heading. Lists and tables win list and table snippets too.
Intermediate
19. Who can use "Request indexing" in Search Console?
- a) Any user with restricted access
- b) Only Google staff
- c) Anyone with the link
- d) A user with full access to the property
Show the answer
Answer: d) A user with full access to the property. Restricted users can inspect URLs but cannot request indexing.
Advanced
20. The team wants 50 unedited AI articles a week. Your call?
- a) No. Fewer, checked pages with real expertise do better
- b) Only on weekends
- c) Yes, more pages always rank
- d) Yes, if each has 2,000 words
Show the answer
Answer: a) No. Fewer, checked pages with real expertise do better. Unedited pages at scale are what the scaled content abuse policy targets.
Advanced
21. A core update cut your traffic. What is the right first move?
- a) Disavow all links
- b) Change the domain
- c) Wait for the rollout to finish, then compare what lost and what replaced you
- d) Edit every page during the rollout
Show the answer
Answer: c) Wait for the rollout to finish, then compare what lost and what replaced you. Recovery usually shows at a later update.
Advanced
22. A redesign changes many URLs. What protects rankings?
- a) A 301 redirect from every old URL to its closest new page
- b) Noindex on the old pages
- c) A new sitemap only
- d) Changing nothing
Show the answer
Answer: a) A 301 redirect from every old URL to its closest new page. Then carry over titles and content, and watch Search Console daily.
Advanced
23. Two pages compete for one keyword. How do you choose the owner?
- a) Delete both
- b) The one with more clicks, better links and a closer match to intent
- c) The newest one
- d) The longest one
Show the answer
Answer: b) The one with more clicks, better links and a closer match to intent. Sharpen the other toward a different angle and link it to the owner.
Advanced
24. Organic clicks fell 30%. Where do you look first?
- a) Search Console: impressions versus clicks, by page and query
- b) Google Ads
- c) Instagram insights
- d) Your backlink count
Show the answer
Answer: a) Search Console: impressions versus clicks, by page and query. Impressions falling means rankings or demand. Only clicks falling means the results page changed.
Advanced
25. Why does so much traffic show as direct in a new site's GA4?
- a) It is all bots
- b) GA4 is broken
- c) Google hides organic
- d) Untagged links and internal visits, so filter internal traffic and use UTMs
Show the answer
Answer: d) Untagged links and internal visits, so filter internal traffic and use UTMs. Give organic and other channels proper credit.
How you are rated
| Score | Rating | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 90% or more | Expert | You know this well. Practise saying your answers out loud. |
| 75 to 89% | Interview ready | Strong. Tighten the weakest area and you are ready. |
| 50 to 74% | Getting there | The basics are in place. Work on the areas shown, then retake. |
| Under 50% | Keep practising | Read the 100 questions and answers for your topic first. |
How to prepare for an SEO interview with it
- Take 20 questions at the basic level. Under 75% means the terms need work first.
- Read the matching section of the 100 SEO interview questions, where every answer is written out.
- Retake at the intermediate level. That is where most SEO executive interviews sit.
- For 2 to 5 years of experience, take the advanced level: traffic drops, migrations and reporting to a founder.
Where the questions come from
| Topic | Questions | Basic / intermediate / advanced | Full answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | 50 | 10 / 30 / 10 | 100 questions and answers |
Questions about the quiz
Is this SEO quiz free?
Yes. No sign-up, no email and no payment. Your answers stay in your browser.
Is this an SEO test for my website?
No. It tests your SEO knowledge. To check a website, use Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights, which are free.
How many questions are in the SEO quiz?
There are 50 SEO questions. You pick 10, 20, 30 or 50 at a time, at the basic, intermediate or advanced level, and each attempt draws a fresh set.
Do I get an SEO certificate?
You get a scorecard with your score and rating to download or share. It is a practice score, not a certification.
What SEO questions are asked of freshers?
What SEO is, how crawling and indexing work, title tags and meta descriptions, keyword research, internal links, backlinks and Core Web Vitals. The basic level of this quiz covers them.
Is the SEO quiz up to date for 2026?
Yes. It uses current terms like INP, Google Business Profile and AI Overviews, and explains outdated ideas like keyword density and LSI keywords.
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