Preparing for an SEO interview? Time to think about what questions you might get asked.
By the end of this post, you’ll have seen sample answers to more than 60 questions for SEO professionals. To ensure you’re fully prepared for your upcoming interview.
Let’s dive in.
SEO Interview Questions & Answers for Entry-Level and Junior SEO Roles
The questions below will be most relevant to folks who’ve just started their SEO journeys. And have applied for entry-level roles like SEO coordinator, SEO intern, or SEO associate.
1. Why Are You Pursuing a Career In SEO?
This is likely one of the first questions hiring managers will ask.
They want to understand your motivations and what interests you in SEO as a career.
To answer this question effectively, you should briefly describe what led you to pursue SEO and what aspects of SEO appeal to you.
Your answer will be unique, but use the example below as inspiration.
Answer
I’ve always been fascinated by how websites rank in search engines, so I took courses on SEO and copywriting when I was in college.
After graduating, I started my own blog and applied various SEO techniques to grow its organic traffic. That included creating content that matches user intent, improving site speed, and analyzing data to detect and address technical issues.
I discovered I really enjoy the blend of creativity and problem-solving involved in SEO. And I love that SEO is always changing, which keeps me motivated to learn new techniques and adapt.
2. What Makes You a Suitable Candidate for This Role?
This question is your chance to pitch what you’re great at—it’s wise to mention role-specific hard and soft skills.
Hard skills could include anything from keyword research to technical optimization.
And soft skills could be communicating, analytical thinking, leading, collaborating, or presenting.
Need an example?
Answer
I have the necessary skills to contribute to your SEO team and help you achieve your goals.
I have a solid understanding of SEO fundamentals, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO.
I also know how to use various SEO tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Semrush.
Plus, I’m a team player who can collaborate effectively with other cross functional-teams including, content writers, web developers, and designers.
I think I can add value to your company.
3. What Are the Most Important Google Ranking Factors?
This SEO interview question tests your knowledge of the Google algorithm and its ranking factors.
Answer
Some of the most important Google ranking factors are:
- Relevant and high-quality content: Content that’s comprehensive and satisfies users’ search intent
- Backlinks: External links pointing to your website
- User experience: Includes factors such as easy navigation, mobile-friendliness, and fast loading times
4. What Is Your View on AI-Generated Content?
With the rise of powerful language models like ChatGPT, an interviewer might ask you an SEO question like this to understand your stance on using AI in content creation.
Here’s an example of how you can answer this question:
Answer
I feel it’s important to be cautious when using AI-generated content because search engines like Google value high-quality, original content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
I think AI is helpful for generating first drafts and brainstorming ideas, but it’s crucial to refine any generated content with careful editing and fact-checking to ensure it aligns with brand voice, meets user intent, and is high in quality.
5. What Is an Organic Search Result?
The interviewer may ask you this question to test your understanding of SEO terminology and SEO concepts.
Answer
Organic search results are unpaid search results from a search engine—they aren’t influenced by paid advertising.
6. Can You Explain What Backlinks Are?
Your hiring manager may want to see how you explain SEO terms to a non-technical audience or potential client.
Answer
Backlinks are hyperlinks that point from one website to another.
For example, if site A links to site B, that link is a backlink for site B.
Backlinks are important for SEO because they’re seen as an endorsement for the linked website.
The more high-quality backlinks a website has, the more likely it is to rank higher in search engines.
7. How Would You Analyze Your Competitors’ Backlinks?
Your answer to this question will reveal whether you have knowledge of SEO tools and how to use them.
Answer
There are lots of third-party tools for analyzing competitors’ backlinks, including Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool.
You can learn how competitors build links and use some of those same ideas for our website.
For instance, if I notice they’ve earned links from major news outlets like The New York Times or The Washington Post, it likely means they’re investing in digital PR. We can follow a similar approach by pitching our own content or stories to relevant media outlets.
8. How Do You Identify a Keyword’s Search Intent?
Interviewers may ask this question to test whether you know how to identify what a user is looking for when they enter a keyword into a search engine, which is important for effective SEO and content creation.
Answer
We can analyze the search query to look for clues that indicate the search intent.
For example, search queries that include words like “buy,” “how to,” and “best” suggest transactional, informational, and commercial intent, respectively.
We can also analyze the current top-ranking pages to understand the keyword’s search intent.
If top-ranking pages are primarily blog posts, then the keyword has informational intent.
If they’re ecommerce products or category pages, then the keyword has transactional intent.
SEO tools like Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool are good for quickly identifying a keyword’s type of search intent.
9. Can You Explain the Difference Between On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO?
Answer
The difference between on-page SEO and off-page SEO is that they center around different sets of SEO factors.
On-page SEO focuses on optimizing parts of your webpages that are under your control. For example, title tags, meta descriptions, internal links, images, and more.
But off-page SEO focuses on increasing website authority by taking actions outside of your website like earning backlinks and mentions. Which you don’t have full control over.
10. How Do You Perform Keyword Research?
Answer
I start by brainstorming a few seed keywords, which are basically the main topics or categories related to the website’s products or services.
Once I have a handful of seed keywords, I use keyword research tools to generate more keyword ideas based on my seed keywords.
Then, I analyze all these keyword ideas using metrics such as keyword search volume and keyword difficulty. And try to determine search intent.
Based on my analysis, I select the keywords that are most popular and relevant for the website. And achievable to rank for.
11. What Are Rich Snippets?
Answer
Rich snippets are more visually appealing search results with additional information displayed alongside the title, description, and URL path.
That extra information could be prices, ratings, reviews, or something else.
To get rich snippets, you need to implement structured data on your webpages.
12. What Are Meta Tags?
Answer
Meta tags are snippets of code that are placed in the <head> section of a webpage to give search engines information about the page.
And they can influence how the webpage is displayed in search results.
The meta title and description are examples of meta tags.
13. How Do You Check a Website’s Organic Traffic?
Answer
The best way to check a website’s organic traffic is by using Google Analytics or Google Search Console.
But alternatives like Semrush’s Domain Overview tool can also come in handy. Especially if you want to check your competitors’ organic traffic.
14. What Is a Canonical Tag?
Answer
A canonical tag is a snippet of code that specifies the main (canonical) version of a page.
It’s used to avoid duplicate content issues that may arise when the same or highly similar content is accessible under different URLs.
15. Can You Explain What Redirects Are?
Answer
A redirects is a way to forward website visitors from one URL to another.
They’re used when a webpage or website has been moved to a new location. Or when the URL structure has changed.
Redirects ensure that users are automatically taken to the new URL instead of encountering an error or seeing outdated content.
16. What Is the Difference between a 301 and a 302 Redirect?
Answer
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that indicates to search engines that the original URL has permanently moved to a new URL.
And most SEO authority and ranking power of the original URL should be passed to the new URL.
A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect that indicates to search engines that the original URL has temporarily moved to a new URL.
And the SEO authority and ranking power of the original URL may not be passed to the new URL.
17. What Is a URL Slug?
Answer
A URL slug is the last part of the URL that provides information about the content on the page.
18. What Is Crawling?
Answer
Crawling is the process search engines use to discover webpages on the internet.
When crawling, search engine bots navigate through website pages and follow the links between them to find new pages to add to an index.
19. How Do You Check Whether a Website Is Indexed by Google?
Answer
I use the “site:” search operator to check if a website is indexed by Google.
I just enter “site:exampledomain.com” into the Google search bar and press the “Enter” key.
If a site is indexed, a list of pages show up.
But a better way to check a website’s indexation status is to use Google Search Console.
The “Page Indexing” report shows whether a website’s pages are indexed.
20. Why Is Local SEO Important?
Answer
Local SEO is important because it allows local businesses to target nearby users who are searching for their products or services in Google.
It helps local businesses increase their visibility, traffic, and conversions from local searches.
21. What Is Anchor Text?
Answer
Anchor text is the clickable text that links one webpage to another, and it helps users understand what they can expect to find when they click the link.
And linking to other pages on your website using optimized anchor text helps the linked pages rank higher for related keywords.
22. What Is a Robots.txt File?
Answer
Robots.txt is a file that instructs search engine bots about which sections or pages of the website they should and shouldn’t crawl.
The instructions are written using “User-agent,” “Allow,” and “Disallow” directives, which specify the name of the bot, the path of the website to be crawled, and path of the page to be blocked, respectively.
If there’s no robots.txt file on your site, bots will try to access every page on your site by default.
23. What Is a Sitemap?
Answer
A sitemap is a file listing all the important pages on a website that you want search engines to crawl, index, and rank in search results.
A sitemap is important for SEO because it helps Google discover pages more efficiently.
24. What’s the Difference Between a Follow vs. a Nofollow link?
Answer
The main difference between “follow” and “nofollow” links is about whether they pass link equity that influences search engine rankings.
Follow links allow link equity to get passed from one site to another to help improve the linked page’s rankings in search results.
Nofollow links generally don’t pass link equity. But they can still drive referral traffic to your site, especially if the link is coming from a popular website that receives a significant amount of traffic.
25. How Can You Check a Keyword’s Ranking Difficulty?
Answer
One way is to analyze the SERP to see which websites are ranking at the top for the keyword in question.
If big brands in our niche are dominating the SERP, we can assume the keyword has a high ranking difficulty.
But the more data-driven approach would be to use keyword research tools.
For example, Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool shows a specified website’s ranking difficulty for a keyword through the Personal Keyword Difficulty (KD) metric, which ranges from zero to 100.
The higher the number, the more difficult it is for the site to rank for a term.
The lower the number, the less difficult it is to rank.
26. What Are Long-Tail Keywords?
Answer
Long-tail keywords are search queries that are more specific and also tend to be longer and have a lower search volume.
The keywords “best running shoes for flat feet” and “how to train for a half marathon in 8 weeks” are great examples of long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are often easier to rank for and convert better than shorter, more general keywords. Which is why they’re an important part of a solid SEO strategy.
27. What Is a 404 Error?
Answer
A 404 error code is an HTTP status code that indicates the server can’t find the requested webpage or resource.
When a user or a search engine attempts to access a URL that doesn’t exist—or has been moved or deleted—the server responds with a 404 error code to indicate that the page is unavailable.
28. What Is Page Speed and Why Does It Matter for SEO?
Answer
Page speed is the amount of time it takes for a webpage to load.
It’s important for SEO because it affects the user experience, which can affect rankings.
29. How Do You Measure the Authority of a Website?
Answer
There are lots of third-party SEO tools that help measure a website’ authority of a particular site.
Take Semrush as an example.
Their Authority Score (AS) metric measures the authority of a website on a scale out of 100.
The higher the score, the more authority the domain has.
The lower the score, the less authority the domain has.
30. How Do You Optimize a Title Tag?
Answer
To optimize a title tag, I make sure it includes the primary keyword, is no longer than 55 characters, and accurately describes the content on the page.
31. What Are Some Link Building Strategies?
Answer
There are lots of strategies for building links, including broken link building, digital PR, and resource page link building.
Broken link building involves finding broken links on other websites and offering an alternative link from your own site as a replacement.
Let’s say you find a broken link to a resource on SEO. You can email the website owner and suggest your SEO guide as an alternative.
Digital PR is about creating newsworthy content that attracts the attention of journalists, bloggers, and influencers.
For example, if you create a report on a trending topic in your industry, you can reach out to different media outlets and see whether they want to feature it. And receive backlinks if they do.
Resource page link building involves finding resource pages on other websites that list useful links for a specific topic, and then asking them to include your content as well.
For instance, if you have an in-depth guide on email marketing best practices, you can search for resource pages about email marketing and reach out to the website owners to propose your guide as a valuable addition to the list.
32. How Would You Submit a Sitemap to Google?
Answer
I would submit a sitemap to Google using the “Sitemaps” report in Google Search Console by pasting the sitemap URL in the given field and clicking the “Submit” button.
33. What Are SERP Features?
Answer
SERP features are modern-looking search results that are different from traditional organic listings because they help users get answers directly on the search results page.
Google’s local pack, knowledge panel, featured snippets, top stories, and people also ask (PAA) results are all examples of SERP features.
34. Why Is the Meta Description Important?
Answer
The meta description is important because it can influence a webpage’s click-through rate (CTR).
A well-written meta description can entice more users to click on a result, indicating to Google that the page is relevant and useful for the given query.
This can indirectly improve the page’s ranking. But meta descriptions themselves aren’t a confirmed ranking factor.
35. What Is Image Alt Text?
Answer
Image alt text is a short text description of an image on a webpage that’s added to the image’s HTML.
Alt text helps describe the image content for users who can’t see the image, either because it fails to load or they’re using a screen reader due to visual impairment.
36. What Was the Helpful Content Update and Why Did It Matter?
Answer
The Helpful Content Update is a significant Google algorithm update that started in 2022 and is designed to reward content that’s genuinely written for people rather than just for search engines.
It reduces the visibility of low-value pages—often those lacking unique insights or expertise—and promotes sites offering more useful and user-centric information.
37. What Are Some Common SEO Myths?
Answer
There are several common SEO myths that have persisted over time.
For example, people still believe keyword density—how frequently a keyword appears in content—is crucial for ranking. However, search engines have evolved to prioritize content quality over keyword density.
So, focusing on creating high-quality content that naturally incorporates relevant keywords is the way to go.
Some people also believe that SEO is all about tricking search engines. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
SEO is about providing a positive user experience and delivering value with your content.
Trying to trick search engines with tactics like keyword stuffing and cloaking can lead to penalties and harm your rankings.
Another popular misconception is that having more pages leads to better rankings.
Simply having a large number of pages on your website doesn’t directly translate to better rankings.
It’s more important to focus on creating valuable and relevant content that addresses user needs.
38. How Do You Check Whether the Structured Data on Your Webpage Is Valid?
Answer
Google has a free tool called the Rich Results Test to validate structured data on a webpage.
The tool will check the structured data format, syntax, and validity. And flag any errors or warnings.
The tool will also show you a preview of how your page might appear as a rich result in Google Search.
39 Does Google Always Use the Canonical Tag You Specify for Indexing and Ranking? Please Elaborate.
Answer
No, Google doesn’t always use a specified canonical tag for indexing and ranking.
Google treats the canonical tag as a hint—not as a directive or a command.
So sometimes, Google may ignore the canonical tag and index a different version of the URL.
40. How Do You Fix Duplicate Content Issues on a Website?
SEO is an applied science, so recruiters may ask this question to understand whether you can apply your theoretical knowledge to actually solve SEO problems.
Answer
There are quite a few ways to fix duplicate content issues on a website.
One is by using a 301 redirect, which is a permanent redirect that tells search engines to index and rank the original page instead of the duplicate one.
Another method is using the rel=”canonical” tag in the <head> section of a webpage to tell search engines which version of a page is the preferred one to show in search results. Which eliminates duplicate content issues. You can also use the meta robots “noindex” tag to prevent a duplicate page from getting indexed. This tag is placed in the <head> section of a duplicate page that you don’t want to Google to index.
You can use any of these methods to fix duplicate content issues, depending on the nature of the duplicate content on your site.
41. When Was the Latest Google Algorithm Update?
Google announces multiple algorithm updates every year.
By asking this question, a recruiter might want to know whether you keep yourself informed about recent changes in Google’s ranking system and how those changes affect SEO.
Answer
The most recent confirmed Google algorithm update is the spam update that rolled out in December 2024.
This update focuses on improving the quality of search results by promoting content that’s genuinely useful and demoting low-quality or spammy content.
42. What Are Search Engine Bots?
By asking this question, the interviewer can assess your basic knowledge and understanding of how search engines work
Answer
Search engine bots are software programs that visit websites on the internet and collect information about them.
They’re also called “crawlers,” “spiders,” or “robots.”
Search engine bots use the information they gather to create an index of the web, which is like a giant catalog of all the webpages and their content.
Search engines use this index to provide relevant and useful results to users when they search for something online.
43. Do You Follow Any SEO Blogs & Websites?
Most passionate SEOs regularly follow SEO blogs to learn new things and keep tabs on the latest trends.
This question will help the recruiter see if you’re passionate about SEO.
Here’s an example of how you might respond:
Answer
Yes. I follow Search Engine Land, the Semrush blog, and the Google Search Central website.
44. How Do You Prevent a URL from Getting Indexed by Google?
A hiring manager may ask this SEO question to test your technical SEO knowledge.
Answer
I prevent a URL from getting indexed using a “noindex” robots meta tag.
Many believe the “robots.txt” file can also be used to keep a URL out of Google’s index. But that isn’t true.
A robots.txt file controls the search engine’s crawling behavior on a website—not indexing.
SEO Interview Questions & Answers for Mid-Level SEOs
These questions are meant for experienced SEOs who’ve applied for mid-level positions such as SEO specialist, SEO analyst, or SEO strategist.
45. What Are Your Responsibilities in Your Current Role?
Since it’s likely that you’re already working somewhere, the employer may ask you this question to learn about your current role’s expectations.
When answering this question, be honest and accurate about your responsibilities.
Most companies appreciate candidates who are truthful and transparent about their experience.
Answer
As an SEO specialist, I’m responsible for implementing SEO strategies for various clients.
I conduct keyword research, optimize on-page elements, perform technical audits, monitor site performance, and report on the results.
I also collaborate with other teams such as content, design, and web development to ensure SEO best practices are followed across the board.
46. Why Are You Looking to Make a Change?
If you’re already working somewhere, the interviewer might want to know why you’re motivated to find a new job. Being honest and transparent is important—it helps the interviewer understand your goals and aspirations. And determine whether you’re a good fit for the company.
Answer
I’m looking for a job change because I want to grow and learn new skills in my field.
I’ve been working in my current role for “X” years, and I have achieved “Y” goals. But I feel that there are limited opportunities for me to progress further.
I’m interested in this job because it offers me a chance to work on “Z” projects that challenge me and align with my career aspirations.
47. Give an Example of an SEO Problem You Faced and Explain How You Solved It
Interviewers may ask this question to gauge your problem-solving skills and ability to apply SEO knowledge to real-world situations.
They want to know if you can think critically, analyze issues, and implement effective solutions.
Answer
One SEO problem I faced was when a client’s website experienced a significant drop in organic traffic due to a Google algorithm update.
After conducting a thorough audit, I discovered that the site had many low-quality, thin content pages.
To solve this, I recommended a content pruning project, which involved identifying and removing or consolidating the low-quality pages. At the same time, we focused on refreshing some content pieces that were targeting important keywords.
48. How Do You Work with Developers to Implement SEO Suggestions?
A recruiter may ask this question to assess your ability to work effectively with colleagues who have a more technical background.
Answer
When working with developers, I clearly explain the SEO requirements and the reasoning behind each recommendation.
I provide them with specific action items and prioritize the changes based on their potential impact on search performance.
To ensure smooth collaboration, I try to speak their language and understand their perspectives. And I discuss the technical feasibility of my suggestions and listen to their input.
49. What SEO Tools Can You Use Well?
SEO revolves around data, so knowing how to use essential SEO tools is a real advantage.
Companies often hire people who have knowledge and experience with the specific tools that the company uses for its SEO needs. And they often mention those tools in the job description.
You can mention those tools during the interview if you already have experience with them.
Here’s an example:
Answer
I can effectively use Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Semrush.
50. What Sets You Apart from Other Candidates?
There are different ways to answer this question depending on your achievements and strengths.
You could say something like this:
Answer
What sets me apart from other candidates is my proven track record of SEO success.
I’ve worked on multiple SEO projects in the past and delivered results in terms of traffic, conversions, and revenue.
And I’ve received awards and recognition for my SEO work from reputable organizations and publications.
I can show you some examples from my SEO portfolio and testimonials from my previous clients.
51. Do You Think Keyword Density Is a Ranking Factor?
Some people believe keyword density—how frequently a keyword or phrase appears on a webpage—is a ranking factor, which is not true.
This question helps recruiters identify candidates who have a clear understanding of current SEO best practices
Answer
Keyword density isn’t a ranking factor.
Simply cramming a page full of keywords won’t improve its search engine rankings.
But it is important to use keywords strategically and naturally in content.
52. Can You Explain E-E-A-T and How You Integrate It into Your Strategy?
An interviewer may ask this question to evaluate your knowledge of current best practices and your ability to create content that aligns with Google’s quality guidelines.
Answer
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
It’s a concept Google uses to assess the quality of web content, especially for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics.
In other words, any information that could impact someone’s health, happiness, financial wellness, or safety. Inaccurate or misleading information on these topics could lead to harm.
To integrate E-E-A-T into my work, I focus on creating well-researched content written by subject matter experts, ensuring the content is accurate and up-to-date, and providing genuine value to users.
On top of that, I work on building the site’s authority by earning high-quality backlinks from reputable sources.
53. What Is Your View on the Impact of AI Overviews?
AI Overviews have become common and can impact the click-through rates and organic traffic.
The interviewer wants to know if you’re aware of these challenges and if you have ideas for adapting to these changes.
Answer
AI overviews are becoming more prevalent, and they present both challenges and opportunities for SEO.
On one hand, they can reduce the click-through rates and organic traffic to websites. Because users may find the information they need directly on the search results page.
On the other hand, they also provide an opportunity for websites to gain more visibility if they get featured in those AI summaries.
54. How Do You Conduct a Technical SEO Audit?
This question is designed to test your technical SEO skills and knowledge.
There are different ways to answer this question depending on the specific methods or the tools you use.
Here’s one way to respond:
Answer
To conduct a technical SEO audit, I use a crawl-based tool like Semrush’s Site Audit.
The tool scans the website and identifies any technical issues that are affecting its SEO performance.
I also use Google Search Console to check the site’s indexing status and Core Web Vitals scores.
Some of the main elements I focus on during an audit are site speed, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS status, canonicalization, duplicate content, broken links, and redirects.
I prioritize the issues based on their potential impact and provide recommendations to fix them.
55. What Are Topic Clusters? How Do You Create One?
This question is designed to test your content SEO skills and knowledge.
There are different ways to answer this question depending on your own definition and process, including the example below.
Answer
Topic clusters are groups of related, interlinked content that collectively cover a broad topic.
They help to create a clear site structure that improves the relevance and authority of each page.
To create a topic cluster, I first identify a core topic that’s related to the business.
Then, I help to create a pillar page that comprehensively covers the topic and provides an overview of the subtopics.
Next, my team creates cluster pages that dive deeper into each subtopic and provide more specific information.
Finally, we link the pillar page and cluster pages internally using descriptive anchor text.
56. What Does ‘Share of Voice’ Mean in SEO?
A hiring manager may ask this question to test whether you know important SEO metrics.
Answer
Share of voice (SoV) in SEO means how much of the organic search traffic (or visibility) your website has for a given set of keywords or topics compared to your competitors.
It helps you understand how well your website is performing in your market.
SEO Interview Questions & Answers for Managerial Roles
These questions are relevant to SEOs who have years of SEO experience. And have applied for SEO positions such as SEO manager, SEO director, or head of SEO.
57. Tell Me About a Successful SEO Campaign You Worked on? How Did You Contribute?
This question is designed to determine whether you’ve actually led any successful SEO campaigns in the past and what the results were.
The answer below can help you get some ideas for how to respond.
Answer
One of the successful SEO campaigns I worked on was for a client in the travel industry.
They wanted to grow their organic traffic and increase leads for their travel packages.
My contribution was to plan and manage the SEO strategy for their website.
I also supervised and mentored a team of SEO specialists and coordinated with other departments such as content, design, and development to ensure everyone was following SEO best practices.
I also measured the return on investment using metrics like keyword rankings, organic traffic, conversions, and revenue.
As a result of my SEO management, their organic traffic grew by 300% and their leads grew by 185% within 15 months.
58. How Do You Think SEO Will Change in a Few Years?
By asking this question, a recruiter wants to learn about your perspective on the future of SEO.
Here’s an example of how you could respond:
Answer
I believe AI will fundamentally transform SEO in the coming years.
Google has already integrated AI-enabled answers in search results. And this is just the beginning.
More and more queries will get answered through AI. This shift means SEOs need to think about how to get their content featured in AI-generated responses and run experiments to discover what works best.
59. How Do You Motivate Your Team?
An interviewer may ask this to assess your leadership skills, management skills, and your ability to foster a positive and productive work environment.
Below, you can see an example to help you think about your answer.
Answer
I motivate my SEO team by creating a collaborative environment where everyone can share their input and feel valued for their contributions.
I also set clear and realistic goals, provide regular feedback, and celebrate every team member’s achievements
60. How Do You Explain Complex Problems to a Client?
This question will help the interviewer understand how you would manage client communications.
There are different ways to answer this question depending on your style and experience.
Use the answer below as an inspiration.
Answer
I like to use analogies and metaphors to explain complex problems to a client.
For example, if I need to explain that poor internal linking is preventing their website from ranking well, I might compare it to a city’s road network.
I would explain that a website needs proper internal links to help search engines discover and understand all their pages in the same way that a city needs well-connected roads to help people reach different areas.
I would then suggest solutions like creating a clearer navigation structure, adding relevant contextual links within content, and ensuring important pages aren’t buried too deep in the site structure—similar to how a city planner would improve traffic flow by adding new connecting roads and ensuring key destinations are easily accessible.
61. What Is Your Approach to Developing an SEO Strategy?
This question is designed to test your knowledge and skills in SEO planning and execution.
There are different ways to answer this question depending on your own SEO methodology and experience.
See the answer below for inspiration.
Answer
My approach to developing an SEO strategy is to:
- Define the key performance indicators (KPIs) for SEO that align with business goals. These KPIs can include rankings, traffic, conversions, and revenue.
- Conduct keyword research to find out which keywords the target audience is searching for. And try to ascertain how much traffic, how many conversions, and how much revenue these keywords could potentially generate for the business.
- Create a content strategy that outlines what types of content (blog posts, regular website pages, and landing pages) to create for each keyword group and what the overall direction is
- Create content that meets or exceeds user expectations
- Build links to the website from relevant, authoritative sources using various link building techniques, such as outreach, digital PR, broken link building, etc.
- Measure performance in accordance with the KPIs. And use the results to inform future decisions.
62. How Do You See the Relationship Between SEO and Other Marketing Channels Evolving?
Your answer to this question will depend on your experience and perspective.
Here’s an example of what this could look like:
Answer
I see SEO becoming increasingly integrated with other marketing channels.
Take content marketing as an example.
Content created for SEO now needs to perform across multiple channels simultaneously—it must satisfy search intent to rank, tie to something timely that makes it good for social media sharing, and compelling enough to include in email newsletters.
I think we’re moving from isolated tactics and channels and toward a more holistic approach.
Improve Your SEO Knowledge and Skills
Knowing how to answer some of the most common search engine optimization interview questions is important.
But don’t stop there. Keep learning and improving your SEO skills. And stay updated on the latest trends and best practices.
SEO is a dynamic and competitive field. And you need to show your passion and dedication to stand out from the crowd.
Here are some resources from our blog to expand your SEO knowledge:
