Hi there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company, PassMyInterview.com.
And in this tutorial, I'm going to teach you how to pass an SEO interview. So, if you have
any kind of job interview coming up where you will be asked Search Engine Optimization
interview questions, please make sure you watch this tutorial fully from beginning to
end, because it will make a huge difference to your preparation. I promise to help make
you the standout candidate for your interview, and to achieve that goal, this is what I will
cover. I'm going to give you a list of SEO interview questions that I recommend you prepare
for. I will give you suggested answers to those questions. And these are appropriate
for all SEO job roles, including as SEO Manager, SEO Marketer, Executive or Strategist. And
I will also tell you the qualities that you must demonstrate throughout the duration of
your SEO interview. I will then also tell you about further resources you can get access
to, to help you pass your SEO interview. Now, before I do that, a very quick warm welcome
to this Search Engine Optimization interview questions and answers training tutorial. My
name is Richard McMunn. That is me there in the center of the screen. I've been helping
people for over 20 years to pass their interviews. I always do that by giving you TOP SCORING
ANSWERS that you can't find anywhere else! On that basis, please make sure you SUBSCRIBE
to the channel by clicking the button below the video, and then you won't miss out on
any of the training videos I upload. Please do also connect with me on LinkedIn. I have
put my LinkedIn.com link in the description below the video, and it's always great to
connect with like-minded professionals such as yourself. And please also do GIVE THE VIDEO
A LIKE, because that tells me you enjoy the content and I will, therefore, spend more
time creating it for you. Okay, let's get into those SEO interview tips, the questions
and the answers. These are applicable for all SEO related roles. Take notes. The first
question is, tell me about yourself? And this will be the first question asked during your
SEO interview. Because it's the first question, we want to make sure that we cover the following
three areas in your answer. The first one, we want to talk about your WORK ETHICS…
your professionalism, your high standards of working, and also the fact that you can
work at a fast pace of working. The second thing we want to include in our answer is
the TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE you have, including any relevant experience. And then finally,
number three, tell them the main reason WHY THEY SHOULD HIRE YOU. Here's my suggested
answer to this first SEO interview question: Tell me about yourself? “The passion I have
for Search Engine Optimization is demonstrated in the time I spend keeping my technical knowledge
up-to-date, and also the SEO projects I have worked on in previous roles. I am a dedicated,
enthusiastic and standards-driven SEO specialist who always focuses on the end goal of the
project I am working on. For example, in my previous SEO job position, I was entrusted
with an important clients website that had specific goals in relation to content marketing
and targeted keywords and phrases that were highly competitive. This required a huge amount
of work, a unique approach to search engine optimization and also the need to keep in
regular contact with the client. If you hire me within this SEO position, I feel strongly
you will not only be impressed with my technical knowhow and expertise, but also my flexibility
and adaptability, my strong communication skills, and also the fact you can leave me
alone to get on with difficult and complex SEO projects, safe in the knowledge I will
deliver the necessary results required.” That's a very good answer, and we want to
give them an in-depth, positive answer, because this is the first interview question. That
then gives you the CONFIDENCE to move forward with belief for the remainder of your SEO
interview. Now, you can either pause this video if you want to, and take notes of the
answers, or if you wait, I will tell you where you can get a copy of these slides and also
my full set of Digital Marketing Interview Questions and Answers. So, the next question
that I want you to prepare for is: Why do you want to work for us in this SEO job role?
Now, it is very important you show you've carried out some RESEARCH into their company,
especially in relation to how your own specific skills and qualities are a strong match for
their industry or niche. Here's a great answer to this SEO interview question, to help you
prepare. Here we go. “As we all know, SEO is a very important aspect of an organization’s
marketing strategy. As the years go by, the dependency on SEO for commercial gain will
only grow. On that basis, I want to work for your company because not only do you understand
the importance of SEO, but you will also commit the necessary time, effort and resources to
make it work. SEO is a long-term objective and, having researched your company prior
to the interview, I know you will not only support me in my role, but you will also share
my passion for making sure the SEO work we carry out, is to the highest standards achievable.
By doing so, we will achieve sustainable and long-lasting growth.” That is a unique answer.
Nobody else will use that kind of answer to their SEO interview! It shows that you've
researched them. You know the skills and qualities you have are a strong match for their own
ambitions. The next question is, what are the different components of an effective SEO
strategy? Now, this is a rather clever SEO interview question, because it is basically
assessing your level of knowledge from a strategic perspective. Now, most candidates will give
a lengthy, complex answer that is designed to impress the Hiring Manager with their technical
competence and expertize. However, in my opinion, the best way to answer this is just to use
a response that is simple, logical, and that consists of only three elements. Don't forget,
you are probably going to be talking to a hiring manager or recruiter who has very little
knowledge of SEO, so we don't want to confuse them. Here's a brilliant answer. “SEO strategy
is often considered to be a magical, under-the-radar approach to manipulating algorithms by gaining
an unfair online advantage. When in fact, it is a simple, 3-STEP APPROACH that focuses
on the marketing and commercial goals of the organization. The first step of an SEO strategy
is to ensure an ONSITE OPTIMIZATION AUDIT is conducted. This includes content, page
load speed, structure, and the layout of the website, both desktop and mobile. We have
to make sure the website is found by search engines, and unless it is optimized correctly
to meet the needs of the website visitor, this is unlikely to happen. The second step
of the SEO strategy is the CREATION AND PUBLISHING OF HIGH-QUALITY, USEABLE CONTENT. We need
to make sure the end user finds the online content useful, informative and engaging.
Finally, step 3 is where we BUILD OFFSITE AUTHORITY. In this instance, less is more,
and I would always utilize an approach where the content we create and publish earns authority
by people wanting to link to us naturally, as opposed to manually gaining inbound links.
Of course, there are many other factors involved; however, the 3 steps I have just mentioned
are the ones I would focus on when creating a long-term strategy for search engine optimization.”
I like the fact that you're talking there about 3 easy to remember steps. You are not
trying to bamboozle the interviewer or the hiring manager with technical competence!
You are showing that you know what you're talking about, you're going to be working
to high standards, and as you and I know, SEO is all about the end user. The next question:
How would you measure the success of an SEO campaign? Within your answer to this interview
question, it's important to talk about METRICS. I recommend you talk about the following 9
metrics, because I believe they're really good ones when measuring the success of an
effective SEO campaign. Here we go. “I would use 9 different metrics to assess the performance
of an SEO campaign. These are: (1). KEYWORD RANKINGS. This is in relation to whether or
not we are ranking across multiple search engines for our targeted keywords and phrases.
(2). The quality of BACKLINKS – are they high authority, and are they naturally earned
backlinks. (3). NATURAL / ORGANIC SEARCH TRAFFIC. How much of our traffic is natural, which
means we’re not having to spend money on paid-for-ads. (4). CLICK-THRU RATE (CTR) – What
percentage of people who search for specific searches are visiting our website. The higher
the CTR, the more successful our campaign is. (5). The VISITOR RETENTION RATE – how
long are people spending on our website, and what do they do when they are there. (6).
BOUNCE RATE. This is the percentage of visitors who navigate away from our site after viewing
only one page. We need to keep this as low as possible. (7). MOBILE TRAFFIC VS DESKTOP.
How much of our traffic is coming from mobile devices. The vast majority of users now come
from mobile devices, so we need make sure this is a metric against our SEO campaign.
(8). DOMAIN AUTHORITY. This is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz.com. Whilst
not definitive, it is a useful metric to be used as part of an ongoing, long-term SEO
strategy. Finally, (9) is the RETURNING VISITOR metric. What percentage of our visitors are
returning versus new visitors.” I like the fact that you are using 9 different metrics
there, and you are explaining what they are. That demonstrates your knowledge of search
engine optimization. You would those metrics to measure the success of a campaign. And
it shows you know what you are talking about! The next question: Tell me something most
SEO professionals think is true, but you think it's BS? This is a very difficult SEO interview
question to answer! Now, there are lots of misconceptions around Search Engine Optimization,
and this question assesses your depth of knowledge regarding SEO and in particular, what works
and also what doesn't. The question again is: Tell me something most SEO professionals
think is true, but you think it's BS? Here we go. “That’s a good question. I think
the biggest misconception relating to SEO is that it’s EASY TO RANK long term. It
isn’t easy at all. It takes skill, organization, a definitive plan and patience. I also think
most SEO professionals believe KEYWORDS AND BACKLINKS are the ‘be all and end all’,
when they are not. Quality, useable content is very important, and there are better ways
to rank, simply by giving web users what they want based on their own needs. For example,
if you were to create a YouTube channel that provided exceptional, actionable content,
and then linked the videos to a client’s website via END SCREENS and CARDS, you will
get more traction on your website, simply because you have already built the trust through
the initial YouTube video. I would like to think I can differentiate between what people
think will work, and what actually works. This is based on the fact I am always keeping
my knowledge up-to-date and current when it comes to SEO best practice.” That is a difficult
interview question. That's a brilliant answer, because it shows that you understand what
really does work and the fact that you have to create quality, usable content that is
useful to the end user. You are then giving an example of how you could do it, and how
it would work. The next question… This is another difficult SEO interview question.
A client wants you to do a particular SEO strategy on their website. You think it's
a really bad idea and you recommend something else instead. You are meeting them tomorrow.
What will you say at the meeting? That's a difficult question! Most people will go on
about how the client should “listen to them” because they are the SEO expert and they'll
make sure the right strategy is used! However, that's not the best way to answer this. Here
is a great response to this tough interview question. “I would prepare for the meeting
by assessing the reasons why I think it’s not a good idea, provide them with information
and data to back up my thoughts, and then present them with the strategy I recommend.
I believe it would be important to give them practical examples of where my proposed strategy
has worked in the past, and also go into details why I think it will work for them also. When
dealing with clients it’s important to back up your claims with information, facts and
examples where possible, because this helps to build trust, and it also helps retain their
business long-term.” It's a very good answer. Next question of your SEO job interview. What
are your strengths and what are your weaknesses? When responding to this common SEO job interview
question, my advice is to READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION for the role your being interviewed for, before
outlining the key requirements with your own strengths. Then give them 5 strengths that
you can bring to the role before giving them just one weakness that is not a match for
the SEO position you're being interviewed for. So, we don't want to say our weaknesses
is that “we're not particularly organized”, because obviously you have to be very well
organized to work in any SEO job role. Here’s my suggested answer. “I have numerous strengths
that I feel will add value to your organization in this SEO role. These include, an analytical
and data driven approach to tasks, exceptional planning and organization skills, strong communication
and interpersonal skills, and also solid technical competence capabilities. With regard to my
weakness, I would say it’s my impatience when dealing with third party suppliers and
contractors. On occasions, when carrying out SEO campaigns and projects in the past, I
would utilize the services of outsourcers. In the early days of using outsourcers, I
failed to set definitive contracts for each job, and sometimes their lack of punctuality
put back my own plans, resulting in my impatience and frustration. However, since then, I have
learnt to make use of agreeable contracts for each job, which has in turn reduced stress
and frustration when dealing with essential contractors.” That's a brilliant answer.
You're giving four or five strengths and then you're only giving one weakness, which isn't
a match for the job description. But then you are saying at the end how you have learned
to improve upon that weakness. So it's a really good answer! The next thing to do, if you'd
like a copy of these slides and also my full set of Digital Marketing Interview Questions
and Answers, CLICK THE LINK in the top right hand corner of the video. It takes you through
to my website, PassMyInterview.com, where you can download these slides and my full
set of Digital Marketing interview questions and top scoring answers! Please don't forget
to SUBSCRIBE; connect with me on LinkedIn. As I say, my LinkedIn.com link is in the description
below the video. It’d be great to connect with you, and also GIVE THE VIDEO A LIKE,
because that just tells me you enjoy the content. You find it useful and I will, therefore,
spend more time creating it for you. Thank you very much and I wish you all the best
for passing your SEO job interview. Have a brilliant day!