SEO Test 6

Question 1

Cannibalization of keywords is what?

Accepted Answer

When multiple pages on a site are optimized for the same keywords.

Answer

Keyword cannibalization occurs when several pages on the same website target and rank for the exact same keywords. This confuses search engines about which page is most relevant, potentially diluting authority and causing pages to compete against each other. It can lead to lower rankings for all involved pages rather than a single strong ranking.

Question 2

What should you take to undo a manual link penalty?

Accepted Answer

Remove or disavow all links that do not appear to be editorially given, and file a reconsideration request.

Answer

To recover from a manual link penalty, Google requires webmasters to actively clean up or disavow unnatural or spammy backlinks. This involves identifying and removing problematic links or using Google's Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore them. After demonstrating a good-faith effort to fix the issue, a reconsideration request must be submitted to Google for review.

Question 3

Which of these should you use to your advantage when creating various filters or sort orders for products on your website to reduce the risk of thin or duplicate content?

Accepted Answer

Rel="canonical"

Answer

The `rel="canonical"` tag is used to tell search engines which URL is the preferred or 'canonical' version of a page among a set of duplicate or very similar pages. When dealing with filtered or sorted product listings that generate many URLs with similar content, implementing `rel="canonical"` helps consolidate ranking signals to the main product category page, preventing issues with thin or duplicate content.

Question 4

What is the purpose of the HTTP header Vary: User-Agent?

Accepted Answer

It tells caching servers that a site's content varies by user agent.

Answer

The `Vary: User-Agent` HTTP header instructs caching servers (like CDNs or proxies) that the content served for a particular URL might differ based on the user's browser or device (the 'User-Agent'). This is crucial for sites that implement dynamic serving, ensuring that the correct version of the page (e.g., mobile vs. desktop) is delivered and cached appropriately for each user agent.

Question 5

A mobile subdomain: what is it?

Accepted Answer

A subdomain that the web server will send users to based on their user agent.

Answer

A mobile subdomain (e.g., `m.example.com`) is a separate version of a website specifically designed for mobile devices. When a user accesses the main site from a mobile device, the web server detects their user agent and redirects them to the mobile subdomain, which serves content optimized for smaller screens and touch interfaces.

SEO Practice Test

SEO Practice Test

SEO Test 6