Welcome to Graphifyx’s SEO MCQs hub! Whether you’re a student, digital marketer, or just learning SEO, these 50 MCQs will help you test your knowledge, prepare for exams, or improve practical skills. Each question comes with answers and brief explanations for better understanding.
Tip: You can also download the full set as a PDF and practice offline!
Table of Contents
- SEO Basics (Questions 1–10)
- Keyword Research (Questions 11–20)
- On-Page SEO (Questions 21–30)
- Technical SEO (Questions 31–40)
- Off-Page SEO & Link Building (Questions 41–45)
- Analytics & Advanced SEO (Questions 46–50)
SEO MCQs for Beginners (50 Questions)
1–10: SEO Basics
What does SEO stand for?
a) Search Engine Option
b) Search Engine Optimization ✅
c) Site Engine Operation
d) Search Element Order
Answer: b
Explanation: SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results.
Which search engine is most commonly used worldwide?
a) Bing
b) Yahoo
c) Google ✅
d) DuckDuckGo
Answer: c
Explanation: Google dominates global search engine market share.
What is the main purpose of SEO?
a) To design website layouts
b) To increase website traffic ✅
c) To write blogs only
d) To create email campaigns
Answer : b
Explanation: SEO helps websites appear in search results, increasing organic traffic.
Which of the following is an On-Page SEO factor?
a) Backlinks
b) Meta tags ✅
c) Social shares
d) Guest posts
Answer: b
Explanation: On-page SEO includes elements within your website like meta tags, headings, and content.
Which of these affects Off-Page SEO?
a) Keyword density
b) Internal linking
c) Backlinks ✅
d) Meta description
Answer: c
Explanation: Off-page SEO involves activities outside your website, such as backlinks and social signals.
Which HTML tag is used for headings in SEO?
a) <p>
b) <h1> ✅
c) <div>
d) <span>
Answer: b
Explanation: <h1> represents the main heading of a page; headings help search engines understand content structure.
What is a keyword?
a) A type of hyperlink
b) A word users type in search engines ✅
c) A website image
d) A meta description
Answer: b
Explanation: Keywords are the search terms users enter; targeting them improves search visibility.
Which of the following is NOT part of technical SEO?
a) XML Sitemap
b) Robots.txt
c) Social media posting ✅
d) Site speed optimization
Answer: c
Explanation: Technical SEO deals with website structure and crawlability, not social media activity.
What is SERP?
a) Search Engine Result Page ✅
b) Social Engine Ranking Page
c) Site Evaluation Rank Position
d) Search Evaluation Resource Page
Answer: a
Explanation: SERP is the page displayed by search engines in response to a query.
What is meta description used for?
a) To improve page design
b) To summarize page content for search engines ✅
c) To add keywords inside content
d) To build backlinks
Answer: b
Explanation: Meta descriptions provide a brief summary of the page and can improve click-through rates.
11–20: Keyword Research
Long-tail keywords are:
a) Very common keywords
b) Short keywords
c) Specific, multi-word phrases ✅
d) Brand names only
Answer: c
Explanation: Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases targeting niche search intent.
Keyword density refers to:
a) Number of images on a page
b) Number of backlinks
c) Percentage of times a keyword appears in content ✅
d) Length of meta description
Answer: c
Explanation: Keyword density is how often a keyword appears relative to total content.
Which tool is commonly used for keyword research?
a) Photoshop
b) Google Keyword Planner ✅
c) Canva
d) Excel only
Answer: b
Explanation: Google Keyword Planner helps identify keywords, search volume, and competition.
LSI keywords are:
a) Keywords for paid ads
b) Related terms that support main keywords ✅
c) Internal links
d) Meta tags
Answer: b
Explanation: Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are semantically related to your main keyword.
What is search intent?
a) Website traffic
b) User goal behind a search query ✅
c) Keyword density
d) Meta description
Answer: b
Explanation: Search intent refers to what users want to achieve with their search.
Which of the following is a good practice for keywords?
a) Stuffing keywords
b) Using relevant keywords naturally ✅
c) Repeating the same keyword excessively
d) Hiding keywords in white text
Answer: b
Explanation: Keywords should appear naturally to improve SEO without spam.
Short-tail keywords are:
a) 3+ word phrases
b) Single or 2-word keywords ✅
c) Brand names only
d) Domain names
Answer: b
Explanation: Short-tail keywords are broad, high-volume, and competitive keywords.
Keyword cannibalization happens when:
a) Multiple pages target the same keyword ✅
b) Keywords are too long
c) Keywords are missing in meta tags
d) No keywords are used
Answer: a
Explanation: Cannibalization confuses search engines about which page to rank.
Search volume indicates:
a) Number of backlinks
b) Number of searches for a keyword ✅
c) Page loading speed
d) Number of meta tags
Answer: b
Explanation: Higher search volume indicates how many people search for a particular keyword.
Which keyword type is easier to rank for new websites?
a) Short-tail
b) Long-tail ✅
c) Branded only
d) Exact match only
Answer: b
Explanation: Long-tail keywords have lower competition and are easier for new sites to rank.
21–30: On-Page SEO
Title tag optimization helps in:
a) Improving SEO ranking ✅
b) Adding images
c) Reducing page speed
d) Social media sharing only
Answer: a
Explanation: Title tags signal the main topic to search engines.
Alt text is used for:
a) Styling images
b) Describing images for SEO & accessibility ✅
c) Page headings
d) Backlinks
Answer: b
Explanation: Alt text improves SEO and accessibility for visually impaired users.
Internal linking helps:
a) Spread link juice & improve navigation ✅
b) Reduce page size
c) Increase keyword density
d) Hide keywords
Answer: a
Explanation: Internal links help users navigate and improve site structure.
Canonical tags are used to:
a) Redirect users
b) Avoid duplicate content penalties ✅
c) Optimize meta description
d) Add keywords to images
Answer: b
Explanation: Canonical tags tell search engines which version of a page is the main one.
URL structure should ideally be:
a) Short, descriptive, with keywords ✅
b) Random numbers only
c) All capital letters
d) Very long with multiple symbols
Answer: a
Explanation: Clean URLs improve SEO and user experience.
Which of these improves page speed?
a) Compressing images ✅
b) Adding more scripts
c) Using heavy ads
d) Adding large videos without optimization
Answer: a
Explanation: Fast loading pages rank better in Google.
Schema markup is used for:
a) Styling website
b) Helping search engines understand content ✅
c) Reducing bounce rate
d) Creating backlinks
Answer: b
Explanation: Schema helps Google show rich results like FAQs, ratings, etc.
Which is an example of a heading hierarchy?
a) H1 → H3 → H2
b) H1 → H2 → H3 ✅
c) H3 → H1 → H2
d) H2 → H1 → H3
Answer: b
Explanation: Proper heading hierarchy improves content readability and SEO.
Meta robots tag controls:
a) Backlinks
b) How search engines crawl & index pages ✅
c) Social media sharing
d) Site speed
Answer: b
Explanation: Meta robots can instruct search engines to index or noindex a page.
Which of these improves user engagement on a page?
a) Long unformatted text
b) Interactive elements & visuals ✅
c) Hidden keywords
d) Only external links
Answer: b
Explanation: Engaging pages reduce bounce rate and improve rankings.
31–40: Technical SEO
What is an XML Sitemap used for?
a) Adding keywords
b) Helping search engines crawl the site ✅
c) Reducing page speed
d) Designing web pages
Answer: b
Explanation: XML sitemaps list website URLs to help search engines index pages efficiently.
What does “robots.txt” do?
a) Blocks search engines from specific pages ✅
b) Adds meta descriptions
c) Creates backlinks
d) Optimizes images
Answer: a
Explanation: Robots.txt tells search engines which pages to crawl or avoid.
Which factor affects mobile SEO most?
a) Meta description
b) Mobile responsiveness ✅
c) Keyword density
d) Backlinks
Answer: b
Explanation: Mobile-friendly design is crucial as Google uses mobile-first indexing.
Canonical URLs are important because:
a) They improve site speed
b) They prevent duplicate content issues ✅
c) They generate backlinks
d) They add images
Answer: b
Explanation: Canonical URLs indicate the preferred version of a page for search engines.
301 redirect is used for:
a) Temporarily redirecting a page
b) Permanently redirecting a page ✅
c) Hiding keywords
d) Changing meta tags
Answer: b
Explanation: 301 redirects transfer SEO value from the old URL to the new one.
What is “crawl budget”?
a) Number of pages Google can crawl ✅
b) Website speed
c) Total keywords on a page
d) Paid ad budget
Answer: b
Explanation: Crawl budget refers to how many pages Googlebot can crawl on your site.
HTTPS is important because:
a) It improves SEO & security ✅
b) Only changes URL color
c) Increases keyword density
d) Reduces page images
Answer: a
Explanation: HTTPS secures data and is a Google ranking factor.
Which affects website loading speed most?
a) High-resolution images ✅
b) Meta tags
c) Page title
d) Internal linking
Answer: a
Explanation: Large images slow down a page; compressing them improves speed.
Duplicate content can:
a) Boost ranking
b) Confuse search engines & lower ranking ✅
c) Improve mobile SEO
d) Increase backlinks
Answer: b
Explanation: Duplicate content makes it unclear which page Google should rank.
What is AMP in SEO?
a) Advanced Meta Pages
b) Accelerated Mobile Pages ✅
c) Automatic Marketing Pages
d) Analytics Meta Platform
Answer: b
Explanation: AMP improves mobile page speed for better user experience and rankings.
41–45: Off-Page SEO & Link Building
Which is considered Off-Page SEO?
a) Meta description
b) Backlinks ✅
c) URL structure
d) Heading tags
Answer: b
Explanation: Activities outside your website like backlinks and social shares are Off-Page SEO.
A high-quality backlink should be:
a) From a reputable site ✅
b) From any site
c) Paid only
d) Hidden on forums
Answer: a
Explanation: Backlinks from authoritative websites improve ranking and credibility.
Guest posting helps in:
a) Internal linking
b) Getting backlinks & building authority ✅
c) Reducing bounce rate
d) Meta description optimization
Answer: b
Explanation: Writing articles on other sites builds backlinks and drives referral traffic.
Anchor text refers to:
a) Text used in meta description
b) Clickable text of a hyperlink ✅
c) Title tag
d) URL only
Answer: b
Explanation: Anchor text indicates the topic of the linked page to search engines.
NoFollow links are:
a) Links that pass SEO value
b) Links that don’t pass SEO value ✅
c) Internal links only
d) Broken links
Answer: b
Explanation: NoFollow tells search engines not to count the link as a ranking factor.
46–50: Analytics & Advanced SEO
Bounce rate refers to:
a) Pages visited per session
b) Percentage of visitors leaving after one page ✅
c) Number of backlinks
d) Keyword density
Answer: b
Explanation: Lower bounce rate indicates better user engagement.
CTR in SEO means:
a) Click-Through Rate ✅
b) Crawl Time Rate
c) Content Traffic Rank
d) Conversion Tracking Report
Answer: a
Explanation: CTR measures how many users click your link from search results.
Google Analytics helps you:
a) Create backlinks
b) Track website traffic & user behavior ✅
c) Optimize meta tags automatically
d) Generate keywords
Answer: b
Explanation: Analytics provides insights into visitors, traffic sources, and engagement.
What is a featured snippet?
a) Paid ad space
b) Highlighted answer shown at the top of Google ✅
c) Meta tag
d) Broken link
Answer: b
Explanation: Featured snippets show concise answers to search queries on SERP.
SEO content should ideally focus on:
a) Search engines only
b) Users & search engines ✅
c) Keywords only
d) Images only
Answer: b
Explanation: Google rewards content that satisfies user intent while being optimized for SEO.