Basic Interview questions and Answers:
well welcome in our seo experts section we are make you experts in seo
interviews that great full pleased to come in this section, Internet
marketing is becoming exponentially important to just about every
business entity that exists in the modern day world.
I am here to help you by presenting most frequently asked SEO interview
question that would not only show your skills and knowledge but also helps to
achieve the SEO jobs and make you the winner.
Q 1: What is Search Engines?
Ans: Search
Engines are very special key element useful to find out specific and relevant
information to use with relevant key through huge extent of World Wide
Web. Some major commonly used search engine:
like Google,Yahoo,Bing.
Q 2: Tell me something about Google Search Engine.
Ans: Google is the world’s largest search engine incorporating about of
market share. It was introduced in 1998 by students of SU( Stanford University
)students Sergey Brin and Larry Page. unique algorithmic ranking system Google
search engine have some special tools like: Blogger, Feedburner, YouTube,
Google Plus, Adsense, Webmaster Tools, Adword, Analytics and many more.
Q 3: Define SEO(Search Engine optimization)?
Ans: SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It is the set of process
in account of which a website or web page is being optimized that helps them to
enhance their visibility at top search engine.
Q 4: Explain On Page SEO and Off Page SEO?
Ans:On page seo means optimizing your website and making changes on
title, meta tags, site structure, site content, solving canonicalization
problem, managing robots.txt etc.
Off
page optimization means optimizing your web presence which involves
backlink building and social media promotion.
Q 5.: What are the different techniques used in Offpage SEO?
Ans: There are
lots of techniques used in Offpage SEO, some special techniques are like:
- Directory Submission
- Social Bookmarking
- RSS(Really Simple Syndication) Submition
- Classified Submition
- Article Post
- Blog Post
- Press Release Submission
- Regional Directory Submission and all that.
- Deep link Directory Submission
- Blog Comment
- Yahoo Answer
Q 6.: Define blog?
Ans: A blog is an information or discussion published on website or
World Wide Web,called as posts. Basically, the blog is referred as everything
thing where you can include others too. It is more individual in contrast to
article and press release.it just like you may talk to your readers. It is also
called Web diary or Online Diary.
Q 7.: Define article?
Ans:The articles are specific topic or event and are highly
oriented towards an opinion instead of information. An article is more oriented
towards showing up opinions, views and idea. Generally, it is written by
a third party or expert of any specific field.
Q 8.: Define press release?
Ans:Press Release is related with a specific action or event which can
be republished by distinct medium of mass-media including other websites. It
should be simple, short and professional. It conveys a clear message or
information.
Q 9.: What are Meta Tags Explain it?
Ans: HTML meta tags are referred as tags of page data head tags of a
document’s HTML code. Actually these are hidden keyword who set in the code.
These are invisible to visitors but are visible and readable by Search Engines.
Example:
Q 10.: Difference between keyword & keyword phrase?
Ans: The keyword term is basically concerned with a one-word term, on the
other hand a keyword phrase considered as employment of two or more
word-combinations. Therefore, it is very confounded to get high ranking in
account of one-word keyword term until the one-word keyword has little online
competition. Therefore, this practice is not encouraged to employ. In order to
drive more traffic and top ranking in SERP it is recommended to employ keyword
phrase.
Q 11.: What do you know about Black Hat SEO?
Ans: In order to attain High Ranking in search engine result page,
websites go for various methods and techniques which are characterized by two
categories.
The method which are implemented and acceptable according to search engine
guidelines are White Hat SEO, on the other hand, the method which are less
acceptable or instructed to avoid in search engine guidelines are “Black Hat
SEO”.
Q 12.: Can you tell me some Black Hat SEO techniques?
Ans: Some Black Hat SEO techniques are:
• Keyword Stuffing
• Cloaking
• Doorway Pages or Gateway Pages
• Link Farming
• Hidden Text, etc.
Q 13.: What is spider?
Ans: Spider also called as bot, crawler or robot is a set of computer
program that browses World Wide Web in methodical and orderly fashion as well
automatically scan the web-page and website for updated content and download a
copy to its data center to index.
Q 14.: Name the bots (spider) of major search engine?
Ans: The name of bots/spider of Google search engine is GoogleBot,
Yahoo Slurp for Yahoo search and BingBot for Bing search engine.
Q 15.: Can you differentiate ‘nofollow’ and ‘dofollow’?
Ans: Nofollow link is exactly vice-versa of dofollow link. These
are non-crawling link which are not passed by search engines bot and hence
can’t be cached or indexed. It is obvious when we wish to prevent a link from
crawling and indexing.
Dofollow link is a kind of hyperlink which says all search engines crawlers to
pass through which also put an impact over page rank. When we opt to employ or
attempt to achieve a dofollow link then it is counted by search engines and
sits in the eye of Google, Bing, MSN, Yahoo etc. as a backlink for your website
and enhances your site ranking.
Q 16.: Define Page Rank.
Ans: PageRank is a set of algorithm for link analysis named after
Larry Page and employed by Google search engine towards defining a numerical
value from 1 to 10 to each component of hyperlinked documents like world wide
web. The value accepts only round figure that means decimal are not allowed.
Page rank is calculated by their inbound links.
Q 17.: Establish a difference between PR & SERP.
Ans: PR is Page Rank which is defined by quality inbound links from
other website or web-pages to a web page or website as well as say the
importance of that site.
SERP stands for Search Engine Result Page is the placement of the website or
web-page which is returned by search engine after a search query or attribute.
Q 18.: What is Cache?
Ans: Cache is the process performed by search engine crawler at a
regular interval of time. It used to scan and take snapshot of each page over
world wide web as well as store as a backup copy. Almost every search engine
result page incorporates a cached link for every site. However, clicking over
cached link show you the last Google cached version of that specific page
rather than of current version. Also, you can directly prefix “cache:http://www.webgranth.com”
with desired URL to view it cached version.
Q 19.: Define Alt tag?
Ans: The alt attribute also called as alt tag are employed in XHTML and
HTML documents in context of defining alternative text that is supposed to be
rendered when the element can’t be rendered to which it is applied. One great
feature of alt tag is that it is readable to ‘screen reader’ which is a
software by means of which a blind person can hear this. In addition, it
delivers alternative information for an image due to some specific reason a
user can’t view it such as in case of slow connection and an error occurred in
the src attribute.
For example, the HTML for this image will appear something like this:
Q 20.: What do you know about Adsense?
Ans: Adsense is a web program conducted by Google that enables
publishers of content websites to cater text, rich media, image, video
advertisements automatically which are relevant to content of website and
audience. These advertisement are included, maintained and sorted by Google
itself and earn money either by per-click or per-impression basis.
Q 21.: Can you define Adword?
Ans: Adword is referred as the main advertising product of Google
which is useful to make appear your ads on Google and its partner websites
including Google Search. This Google’s product offer PPC (Pay Per Click)
advertising which is a primary module and incorporate a sub module CPC (Cost
Per Click) where we bid that rate that will be charged only when the users
click your advertisement. One another sub module is CPM (Cost Per Thousand
Impression) advertising where advertiser pay for a thousand impression on flat
rate to publisher. In addition it also includes website targeted advertising of
banner, text and rich-media ads. Moreover, the ad will appear especially to
those people who are already looking for such type of product you are offering
as well as offer to choose particular sites with geographical area to show your
ads.
Q 22.: What is PPC?
Ans: PPC is the abbreviated form of Pay Per Click and is a advertisement
campaign conducted by Google. It is referred as a primary module with two sub
module CPC (Cost-per-click) and CPM (Cost per thousand impression) through
bidding and flat rate respectively. In CPC the advertiser would be only charged
when the user click over their advert.
Q 23.: What are the aspects in SEO?
Ans: The main aspect in SEO are divided in two class: SEO On-Page
and SEO Off-Page.
SEO On-Page includes Meta tag, description, keywords optimization, site
structure and analysis, etc.
SEO Off-Page aspect are Keyword Research, unique and quality content, link
building through Blog Comments, Blog Posting, Article submission, Press
Release, Classified posting, Forum posting.
Q 24.: What do you know about RSS?
Ans: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication is useful to
frequently publish all updated works including news headlines, blog entries
etc. This RSS document also known as web feed, feed or channel that incorporate
summarized text including metadata i.e. authorship and publishing dates etc.
However, RSS feeds make the publishers flexible by syndicating the content
automatically. There is a standardized file format XML that lets the
information to be published once which can be visible to several distinct
programs. Also, this make readers more ease to get updates timely by allowing
them to subscribe from their favorite sites.
Q 25.: How would you define Alexa?
Ans: Alexa is a California based subsidiary company of Amazon.com which
is widely known for its website and toolbar. This Alexa toolbar congregate
browsing behavior data and send it to website, where the data is analyzed and
stored and create report for company’s web traffic. Also, Alexa provides data
concerned to traffic, global ranking and other additional information for a
websites.
Q 26.: How can you achieve Google Page Rank?
Ans: Generally,
Google Page Rank is based on inbound links, therefore, more backlinks you
congregate more your page rank will be. Also, it is influenced by rank of page
which is linked to you. One other thing to consider is that older your website
will be, it will be more favorable and trusted to Google. Google reward those
websites who incorporates lots of pages, tons of incoming link and also healthy
quantity of internal links to another pages within the site. In respect of SEO
projects, relatively it is not so significant but delivers a picture about work
to perform towards earning inbound links.
Q 27.: Why the Title Tag in Website is valuable?
Ans: In our
SEO efforts Title Tags are very earnest. It is highly recommended to include a
Unique Title that exactly says about the contents sits in that page. It is
valuable because this is thing which appears in the search engine result
section and tells the user & search engine, what is about this page.
Q 28.: What is Site Map and distinguish between HTML sitemap and XML
sitemap?
Ans: A sitemap incorporates list of web-pages which is
accessible to users or crawlers. It might be a document in any form employed as
a tool for planning either a web page or web design that enables them to appear
on a website as well as typically placed in a hierarchical style. This helps
search engine bots and users to find out the pages on a website. The site map
renders our website more search engine friendly as well enhances the
probability for frequent indexing.
HTML sitemap can be incorporated directly in a web page for user’s flexibility
and can be implemented through proper design. On the other hand, XML sitemap is
useful only for search engine crawlers or spiders and doesn’t visible to users.
It sits in the root of website.
such as: http://www.webgranth.com/sitemap.xml
Which is better: an HTML site map or XML Sitemap? BY Matt Cutt
Q 29.: What’s the significance of Robots.txt file in a website?
Ans: Robots.txt file is considered as a convention useful to prevent
cooperating web robots and web crawlers from accessing all or part of a website
or its content for which we don’t want to be crawled and indexed but publicly
viewable. It is also employed by search engines to archive and categorize
website and to generate a rule of no follow regarding some particular areas of
our websites.
Q 30.: How Keywords are implemented for optimization?
Ans: The best way to opt and implement keywords is to designate those
keywords which are popular, relevant to our content, comprises high search
volume and effective. Stuffing and over employment of keywords must be avoided.
In order to get best result and effect, our pages shouldn’t contain keyword
density more than 3-4%. Including keywords into title and description is highly
recommended.
Q 31.: What is cloaking?
Ans: Cloaking is a technique which is used in Black Hat SEO that enables to
create two distinct pages where the page content being presented to search
engine spider is different from that which is being presented to user’s
browser. These techniques does not come under the guidelines of search engines.
Q 32.: Do you know about Blog Flipping?
Ans: Blog Flipping is the practice to sale a blog when it becomes
famous and popular as well as driving healthy amount of traffic.
Q 33.: What you opined about HTML either it is Case Sensitive or Case
Insensitive?
Ans: HTML is case Insensitive. It doesn’t matter and deliver
identical result either you write in Upper Case or Lower Case.
Q 34.:Under what circumstances you would intend to eliminate pages from
search engines through robots.txt vs. Meta robots tag?
Ans: Generally, I would continue to employ robots.txt in order to
make search engine indexing a directory on a website. This might be often a
directory that is concerned with admin function or incorporate contents only in
form of script or image gallery. Generally, robots.txt is employed to prevent a
directory and its sub-folders and files to crawl by search engine bot as well
as Meta robots tag for a specific web page.
Q 35.: What things are significant in organically ranking a website?
Ans: Basically there are various things that is being employed for
organically ranking a website which can be classified in 3 distinct categories:
1. Website content: It must be quality and unique content as well
as most be well optimized and well structured.
2. Website structure: This include TAGS, clear navigation,
ensuring usability, validation of HTML errors and miscellaneous.
3. Back-links: You can create a link for any where but prior to
this it is obvious to ensure for relevant site and healthy link.
Q 36.: What steps would you follow to optimize a website?
Ans: These are following steps to be followed while optimizing a
website:
1. First of all we will interview webmaster or website owner to
congregate relevant information, goals and website’s purpose.
2. Performing keyword analysis and find out the best search volume
keywords that should be incorporated into the website as well as individual
pages of the website.
3. Analyzing the content of website in order to ensure usage of content
relevant keywords and phrases. This comprises titles, “alt” attributes and META
tags (Meta Title, Meta description & Meta Keyword).
4. Target & implementing keywords as H1, H2 & so on relevant to
the site and its content.
5. Analyzing website navigation.
6. Ensuring the robots.txt file and sitemap existence as well as check
their efficiency.
7. If required, making recommendations for modifications in website as
well as its each and every page and so on…..
Q 37.: What is considered as more significant – Creating great content or
building backlinks?
Ans: Both are obvious. Creating quality content is considered as the first
element responsible for ranking as well as building backlinks is useful to
build authority to a site as well as coined as a metric for ranking well.
Q 38.: What will be your step when the company website you are working with
wish to migrate its all content to a new domain?
Ans: First of all I would update the previous website with permanent
redirect to new page for each and every page. Later eradicate previous content
from search engines in context of avoiding duplicate content issues.
Q 39: What’s your opinion about link buying?
Ans: Generally I avoid this practice. Though other means of paid marketing
are also available. The process of link buying is don’t liked by search
engines. It doesn’t comes under the guidelines of search engine.
Q 40.: Can you establish a difference between SEM and SEO?
Ans: SEO is a set of processes to get our website or pages appear
in search engine result page. On the other hand SEM is search engine marketing
being used in practice to purchase advertising space in search engine page
result.
Q 41.: What strategies would you implement for backlinks?
Ans: I would request for backlinks to competitors relevant website as
well as provide reciprocal link if required. In addition, I would attempt to
submit press release, article submission, blog submission and other aspects of
off-page SEO to most relevant and quality sites.
Q 42.: What do you think about social media in SEO strategy?
Ans: Social networking websites are considered as social media which is
very effective and robust for viral marketing. Viral marketing has been proved
as very powerful resource, in the case if our content is unique, attractive and
appealing. Some media Site:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• Myspace
• Digg
• Youtube
• Myspace, etc.
Q 43.: In order to prevent penalty, what things you shouldn’t perform to
increase ranking?
Ans: I would discard links from those websites which is supposed to act as
link farm as well as poor quality sites which have low page rank. Ensure that
our site must contain unique and quality content without keyword stuffing.
Also, I used to avoid any practices of ‘spam’ which include certain affiliate
advertising websites, unsolicited e-mail campaigns etc.
Q 44.: What mistakes you should avoid while optimizing the website?
Ans: The main mistakes that should be avoided are filling keywords
in Web-Page, employing identical anchor text for link building, keyword
stuffing, getting low quality backlinks etc.
Q 45: Define and Differentiate Webmaster Tool & Analytics Tool?
Ans:
Webmaster Tool is a free service catered by Google which provide us a complete
report for indexed data, crawling errors, backlinks information, search
queries, website malware errors, CTR and submitting XML sitemap. Basically, it
acts as a mediator between website and server provide complete overview of
data, issues and other queries.
Webmaster Tool Video By MATT CUTT
Google Analytics is a free web analysis tool first rolled out in late 2005 but
generally it become available for users in August 2006. This tool acts between
website & internet browser/users and offers complete overview of visitors
statistics which exactly says about general website activities like page views,
site visits, bounce rates, average time spent on site or pages, sources of
traffic, location etc. It is also obvious for tracking Adword queries.
Beginners Guide to Google Analytics
Q 46.: How can you enhance the crawling frequency by search engines for your
website?
Ans: Including new, original, unique and quality content on our website
more frequently enables search engines to crawl more frequently.
Q 47.: What do you know about Keyword stemming?
Ans: It is the practice to find out root word from search query. For
instance, a keyword like “playful” will be split to the word “play” by stemming
algorithm that turns it possible. Thus, the search result appear on the screen
will contain the word “play” in it.
Q 48.: What do you know about LSI?
Ans: LSI is the abbreviated form of Latent Semantic Indexing. It has
been emerged as a technique of fetching data via establishing a communication
among words as well as employing synonyms in the midst of retrieving the data
from the index.
Q 49.: Can you tell me about Frames in HTML?
Ans: Frames in HTML are obvious as they used to discriminate the page
content into distinct fragments. Search engines treat these frames as
absolutely different pages as well as frames also put an negative impact over
SEO. Therefore, we should avoid the practice of using Frames and implement
basic HTML instead.
Q 50.: How can you know about your SEO campaign whether it is working or
not?
Ans: First of all I would attempt to make a search on all search engines
employing relevant keywords and keyphrases, I am optimizing for. The analysis
of result will say whether the methods of optimization have gain results or
lost. I would analyze the report regularly as search engine make update and
index. I would attempt to another aspect of website statistics which says about
origin of traffic.
Q 51.: What is the meaning of competitive analysis?
Ans: Competitive analysis, as its name suggested it is establishment of a
comparison of data between the website I am optimizing and that website who
rank highly in search results. It will be a great source of idea.
Q 52.: After implementing distinct SEO methods for a site, if you haven’t
got any improvements. What would be your next step?
Ans: I would make troubleshooting for the issues. Firstly, I would
designate whether it is a new project. Again I will analyze relevant keywords
and phrase for the site I am optimizing for as well as took an insight study of
competitive analysis. If the website and pages has been index and appears in
the first 10 pages of search engine result page but not in the top three, I
would go for some transformation to on page text, page titles and page
descriptions. But in the case if website has not been indexed still or dropped
from index, might be it comprises some big issues and total re-submission and
re-work might be required.
However, I opined here that this post will be highly beneficial for who are
stepping towards marshaling their career as SEO professional especially for
those who are still freshers. Moreover, in this post I have also listed some
useful SEO interview question for experienced professionals that will
definitely help them to grab their dream job and offer a great opportunity to
add sparkles in their career.