When you go for an SEO interview in India, the interviewer usually checks two things: your technical knowledge and your practical problem-solving skills. You may be asked questions on keywords, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, link building, technical SEO, and tools. Some questions are direct, while others test how you explain SEO in simple terms.

How Do You Explain SEO to a Non-Technical Person?

This is a very common question because your interviewer wants to check if you can explain SEO to a client or a manager who doesn’t know the technical side.
How to answer:
You can say – “SEO means optimising a website so that it shows higher on Google and other search engines when people search for something. The goal is to bring organic traffic without paying for ads. We improve content, structure, and links so that search engines understand the website better.”

What Are the Main Types of SEO?

Interviewers ask this to check your basics.
How to answer:
“There are mainly three types of SEO – On-Page SEO (optimising content, title tags, meta descriptions, headings, internal links), Off-Page SEO (backlinks, brand signals, social media mentions), and Technical SEO (site speed, mobile optimisation, crawlability, indexability).”
You can also give a short example like – “If a website is slow, even if the content is good, Google may not rank it well. That is why technical SEO is important.”

How Do You Do Keyword Research?

This is one of the most asked SEO interview questions.
How to answer:
You can explain your step-by-step process:

1. Understand the topic and target audience.
2. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest.
3. Check competitor websites for keywords.
4. Choose keywords with good search volume but not very high competition.
5. Focus on long-tail keywords because they bring targeted traffic.

What Is the Difference Between On-Page and Off-Page SEO?

How to answer:
“On-Page SEO means everything you do inside the website – like optimising content, headings, title tags, meta descriptions, image alt text, URL structure. Off-Page SEO means everything you do outside the website to improve authority – like backlinks, guest blogging, social bookmarking, PR links.”

Can You Explain the Difference Between Do-Follow and No-Follow Links?

How to answer:
“A do-follow link passes authority (link juice) from one site to another, helping with ranking. A no-follow link tells search engines not to pass link juice. Both are important. Do-follow helps in ranking, while no-follow helps in referral traffic and a natural backlink profile.”

How Do You Measure the Success of an SEO Campaign?

How to answer:
“By tracking organic traffic, keyword rankings, impressions, clicks in Google Search Console, conversion rate, bounce rate, and backlink quality. Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console help in measuring performance.”

What Is the Difference Between White Hat, Black Hat, and Grey Hat SEO?

How to answer:

• White Hat SEO = ethical practices like quality content, proper keyword use, natural backlinks.
• Black Hat SEO = spammy practices like keyword stuffing, link farming, cloaking.
• Grey Hat SEO = in between, not fully black but not recommended, like excessive guest posting or PBNs.

What Are the Most Important Google Ranking Factors?

How to answer:
“The most important factors are – high-quality content, relevant keywords, backlinks from authoritative sites, page speed, mobile-friendliness, user experience, and proper site structure.”

How Do You Handle a Drop in Rankings?

This checks your problem-solving skills.
How to answer:

1. First, check Google algorithm updates.
2. Analyse the site for technical issues (broken links, crawl errors, speed issues).
3. Review backlinks to see if spammy links are affecting ranking.
4. Re-check on-page optimisation.
5. Update old content and add fresh value.

What Are Core Web Vitals and Why Are They Important?

How to answer:
“Core Web Vitals are user experience metrics introduced by Google – Largest Contentful Paint (loading speed), First Input Delay (interactivity), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). They affect ranking because Google wants better user experience.”

How Do You Optimise a Website for Voice Search?

How to answer:
“By focusing on conversational keywords, long-tail queries, question-based content, and local SEO. Voice search users often ask in natural language, so answers should be short and clear.”

What Are the Common SEO Tools You Use?

How to answer:
“Google Search Console, Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, Screaming Frog, Ubersuggest. For keyword research – Keyword Planner. For technical SEO – Screaming Frog, PageSpeed Insights. For backlinks – Ahrefs and SEMrush.”

How Do You Stay Updated with SEO Trends?

How to answer:
“By following Google Search Central Blog, Search Engine Journal, Neil Patel Blog, Moz Blog, and LinkedIn groups. Also, by testing SEO strategies on my own projects.”

What Are Some Advanced SEO Topics You Should Know?

How to answer:
“Schema markup, structured data, local SEO optimisation, SEO for e-commerce sites, international SEO, and AI-based search changes.”

How Should You Answer Situational SEO Questions in Interviews?

Many interviewers give a situation. For example:
“Traffic dropped 50% in one month. What will you do?”
Here you should stay calm and explain step by step:

• Check if there was an algorithm update.
• Analyse Google Search Console for errors.
• Review technical SEO and backlinks.
• Update content and optimise for new keywords.

How Can You Prepare Yourself Before an SEO Interview?

• Revise basics like definitions of SEO, keywords, backlinks, and ranking factors.
• Practise explaining SEO in simple words.
• Read about the latest Google updates.
• Prepare examples of SEO campaigns you worked on.
• Stay confident and don’t give one-word answers.

Final Tips for You

• Always answer in simple words.
• Give examples whenever possible.
• Show that you can explain SEO to clients.
• Stay updated with latest Google changes.
• Practise before the interview so that you don’t get nervous.