SEO Interview Questions
SEO Interview Questions
Anchor text
Definition :
The visible text for a hyperlink.
SEO use :
What anchor text appears in links pointing to your web site is really important in the process of Search Engine Optimization. e.g. if your web site is about network monitoring the anchor text 'Network monitoring site' will help your rankings more than the anchor text 'Some site about something'.
Example :
The anchor text for onlineseotraining is 'seo training'.
A Unique Visitor
Definition :
A new computer or person connecting to your Website.
SEO use :
The number of unique visitors to a page increases the page popularity.
Example :
You are a unique visitor to this page.
Algorithm
Definition :
The formula used by Search Engines to determine how any web page will rank in its search results.
SEO use :
Understanding a Search Engines algorithm helps you rank better in its search results.
Example :
Google's algorithm gives weightage to incoming links to a page.
B
Bot
Definition :
Abbreviation for robot (also called a spider). It refers to software programs that scan the web.
SEO use :
The way a Search Engines bot looks at your webpage affects your webpages ranking.
Example :
The name of yahoo's bot is inktomi slurp.
Back Link
Definition :
Any link on another page that points to the subject page. Also called inbound links or IBLs.
SEO use :
The number of IBLs to a page increases its popularity with the Search Engines.
Example :
If you link to this page for the phrase Rank Ahead then thats a IBL from your page to ours.
Blind Traffic
Definition :
Lesser quality traffic to a web site gained by misleading promotions or by spamming search engines.
SEO use :
Identifying sites from which you get blind traffic can help you save money spent on misleading promotions.
Example :
If you are software vendor and someone visits your site through a link he saw in a hair salon's web page, thats blind traffic.
C
Clustering
Definition :
Phenomenon in which a Search Engine lists two or more pages of a web site for a search query.
SEO use :
More the number of your pages listed for a search query, better your chances for getting clicked.
Cloaking
Definition :
An unethical SEO practice. It involves a different version of a web page being presented to each search engine spider. Each different version of the web page is optimized for the search engine spider it is presented to (i.e. exploiting its weaknesses).
SEO use :
You can be penalized heavily by the search engines for doing it, so don't do it.
Example :
For example the Yahoo spider will be presented with a web page optimized for the Yahoo spider.
D
Doorway Page
Definition :
A doorway page exists solely for the purpose of driving traffic to another page. They are usually designed and optimized to target one specific key phrase. Doorway pages rarely are written for human visitors.
SEO use :
Using doorway pages is a violation of the Terms Of Service of most search engines and could be grounds for banning.
Directory
Definition :
A directory is a web site that contains a categorized listing of links from around the web.
SEO use :
Search Engines use information stored in the directories to rate pages.
Example :
The directory DMOZ is used by Google.
E
Ethical SEO
Definition :
It is SEO executed without resorting to underhand or illegal activities that may cause your web site to get blacklisted by the search engines.
SEO use :
UnEthical SEOs can get your sites banned from a search engine forever.
G
Gateway Page
Definition :
A gateway or doorway page exists solely for the purpose of driving traffic to another page. They are usually designed and optimized to target one specific key phrase. Doorway pages rarely are written for human visitors.
SEO use :
Using doorway pages is a violation of the Terms Of Service of most search engines and could be grounds for banning.
Google Dance
Definition :
"Google dance" is an unofficial term coined to refer to the period when Google is performing the update to its index.
Definition :
While the update is in progress, search results for each of Google's nine datacenters are different. This can cause fluctuations in your ranking in google.
I
IBL(InBound Links)
Definition :
Any link on another page that points to the subject page.
SEO use :
The number of IBLs to a page increases its popularity with the Search Engines.
Example :
If you link to this page for the phrase Rank Ahead then thats a IBL from your page to ours.
K
Keyword
Definition :
A word with particular importance to the theme of a site. For example if a web site provides information about Formula 1 racing then important keywords would be 'Ferrari', 'Monaco', 'Schumacher' etc...
SEO use :
SEO is the process of optimizing web pages for keywords and key phrases so that they rank highly in the results returned for search queries.
Example :
A keyword for this page would be "SEO".
Key Phrases
Definition :
A group of keywords put together make a key phrase.
SEO use :
SEO is the process of optimizing web pages for keywords and key phrases so that they rank highly in the results returned for search queries.
Example :
A keyphrase for this page would be "SEO Glossary ".
Keyword Density
Definition :
The number of times a specific keyword appears on a page compared to the number of words on a page.
SEO use :
Higher the keyword density better your chances of ranking ahead for that keyword.
Keyword Research/ Keyword Analysis
Definition :
The process of analyzing a subject area or web site with the goal of identifying keywords that best describe the subject area/web site.
SEO use :
Identifying keywords that have low listing but high search frequency can help you optimize your pages better.
Example :
Wordtracker.com and Oveture.com provide useful keyword tools.
Keyword Stuffing / Keyword Spamming
Definition :
The process of stuffing a web page with keywords related or not related to the theme of the web site in a high amount as an attempt to influence/trick the search engines
SEO use :
While not necessarily a violation of search engine Terms of Service, at least when the words are visible to humans, it detracts from the impact of a page (it looks like spam). It is also possible that search engines may discount the importance of large blocks of text that do not conform to grammatical structures (i.e. lists of disconnected keywords).
Example :
Wordtracker.com and Oveture.com provide useful keyword tools.
L
Link Farm
Definition :
A link farm is a group of separate, highly interlinked websites for the purposes of inflating link popularity (or PR).
SEO use :
Engaging in a link farm is a violation of the Terms Of Service of most search engines and could be grounds for banning.
Link Popularity
Definition :
The popularity of your web site in the eyes of the search engine, based on the quality and quantity of links to and from your web site.
SEO use :
More the link popularity better your ranking.
M
Mirror
Definition :
In SEO parlance, a mirror is a near identical duplicate website (or page). Mirrors are commonly used in an effort to target different keywords/key phrases.
SEO use :
Using mirrors is a violation of the Terms Of Service of most search engines and could be grounds for banning.
Definition :
Meta Description Content, Keywords and Title are used in the head section of websites. There are 50 or 60 other tags but these are the 3 most commonly used. Their purpose is to provide extra information about the web page i.e. metadata. The most influential tags for search engine ranking are the Keywords tag and the Description tag.
SEO use :
They are very important when it comes to listing your site in Search engines.
N
Natural Links
Definition :
Links pointing to a web site created because someone found the web site useful and decided to link to it i.e. linked to it naturally.
SEO use :
These types of link are very powerful in the link popularity stakes as they identify a web site that is worth linking to and therefore has a better chance of being a quality resource of information. To increase your chances of earning natural links make sure your web site has a lot of quality content that is better than the competition.
O
Off-Page Factors/Elements
Definition :
Elements that are outside the direct control of the web site developer and are influential in determining search engine ranking.
SEO use :
Search engines are relying more and more on these elements when determining ranking because they are more resistant to spamming / abuse.
Example :
Links pointing to a web site and anchor text in links pointing to web site.
On-Page Factors/Elements
Definition :
Elements that are within direct control of the web site developer and are influential in determining search engine ranking.
SEO use :
These elements are prone to keyword spamming and other similar forms of abuse so the search engines do not look to them as much as off-page elements when determining ranking.
Example :
OutBound Links
Definition :
Links within a web site that are pointing to outside sites.
SEO use :
Do not affect link popularity but care must be taken not to link to a web site that may get you banned
One-way Links
Definition :
Links to a web site that are not reciprocated i.e. no link exists to the web site that is doing the linking.
SEO use :
These type of links are powerful in building link popularity.
P
Natural Links
Definition :
Google's proprietary measure of link popularity for web pages. Google offers a PR viewer on their Toolbar.
SEO use :
Google claims that PR of a site plays a vital role in its ranking.
Q
Query
Definition :
A search for a word or term in a search engine.
S
Search Engine
Definition :
A database of information retrieved from indexing web pages from all over the web.
SEO use :
Example :
Google, Yahoo, MSN
Search Engine Optimization
Definition :
The process of modifying a web site's content, structure and link popularity to maximise the chances of a higher ranking within search engine results.
SEO use :
Example :
SERPS
Definition :
Acronym for Search Engine Result PageS
SEO use :
The higher your website ranks in SERPS for your keywords the more the visitors your website will attract.
Spider
Definition :
It refers to software programs that scan the web.It is important that your web site is indexable by a spider otherwise it may not visit some pages. A common method used to ensure that it indexes all the most important web pages is to include a site map on your site.
SEO use :
The way a Search Engines bot looks at your webpage affects your webpages ranking.
Example :
The name of yahoo's bot is inktomi slurp.
Definition :
A special page on a web site that contains a tree-like representation of the link structure of the site.
SEO use :
It allows a search engine spider to index all the most important pages of the site with ease because it can access them all from one page. A link to the site map should be clearly accessible/indexable from the home page at least.
Example :
Stop Words
Definition :
Words such as; is, am, an, for, do, was and the. Words that search engines consider irrelevant as keywords.
SEO use :
Using less of these words in your websites helps increase the keyword density of your original keyword.
Example :
Spam
Definition :
In the SEO vernacular, this refers to manipulation techniques that violate search engines Terms of Service and are designed to achieve higher rankings for a web page.
SEO use :
Spam could be ground for banning .
T
TITLE Tag
Definition :
The TITLE tag is used to specify what text appears at the top of a browser window when visiting a web page. It also appears as the link text when your web site appears in search engine results.
SEO use :
Title Tags influence rankings to a good extent, so spending time on them is worth it .Ensure that the right text is in it (i.e. include keywords / keyphrases relevant to the web page).
Example :
The title tag of this page is "Search Engine Optimization - Common SEO Terminology"
Definition :
Text that be attached to any HTML tag and appears when the mouse is positioned over the relevant tag content.
SEO use :
If used properly it can influence Search Engine Ranking.
Example :
It works on a similar principle to the ALT Text/Attribute. Example: TITLE="website example">A Website
U
Definition :
The opposite to Ethical SEO. It involves employing underhand or illegal activites to increase search engine ranking.
SEO use :
UnEthical SEOs can get your sites banned from a search engine forever.
Example :
Cloaking, GateWay Pages etc are examples of unethical SEOs..
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