SEO Fundamentals & Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In SEO, what is 'keyword cannibalization'?
- Using too many keywords in a single page
- Multiple pages on the same site competing for the same keyword (Correct answer)
- Buying keywords from competitors
- Removing low-traffic keywords from content
Correct answer: Multiple pages on the same site competing for the same keyword
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on the same domain target the same or very similar keywords, splitting ranking signals and confusing search engines.
Question 2: What is the recommended maximum character length for a meta description to avoid truncation in most SERPs?
- 80 characters
- 120 characters
- 155–160 characters (Correct answer)
- 220 characters
Correct answer: 155–160 characters
Meta descriptions around 155–160 characters display fully in most desktop search results before Google truncates them with an ellipsis.
Question 3: Which ranking factor does Google's PageRank algorithm primarily measure?
- Page load speed
- The quantity and quality of inbound links to a page (Correct answer)
- Keyword density within page content
- Social media shares of a page
Correct answer: The quantity and quality of inbound links to a page
PageRank measures the authority of a page based on the number and quality of other pages linking to it, treating links as 'votes.'
Question 4: What is a 'featured snippet' in Google Search?
- A paid ad shown above organic results
- A highlighted answer box pulled from a webpage and shown at the top of organic results (Correct answer)
- A structured data markup result with star ratings
- A video thumbnail result in the SERP
Correct answer: A highlighted answer box pulled from a webpage and shown at the top of organic results
Featured snippets (also called 'position zero') display a direct answer extracted from a webpage above the standard organic listings.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'thin content' in SEO terms?
- Pages with fewer than 5 internal links
- Pages with little or no unique value to searchers (Correct answer)
- Pages that load in under 1 second
- Pages without images or multimedia
Correct answer: Pages with little or no unique value to searchers
Thin content refers to pages that offer minimal or no original value—such as duplicate pages, doorway pages, or auto-generated content—which Google may penalize.
Question 6: What does 'disavow' mean in the context of Google Search Console?
- Requesting Google to recrawl your updated pages
- Asking Google to ignore specific low-quality backlinks pointing to your site (Correct answer)
- Removing duplicate content from search results
- Blocking certain pages from being indexed
Correct answer: Asking Google to ignore specific low-quality backlinks pointing to your site
The Google Disavow Tool allows site owners to ask Google not to count specific toxic or spammy backlinks when evaluating their site.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a 'white-hat' SEO technique?
- Cloaking different content to users vs. search engines
- Creating high-quality, original content that earns natural backlinks (Correct answer)
- Using private blog networks (PBNs) to build links
- Keyword stuffing in hidden text
Correct answer: Creating high-quality, original content that earns natural backlinks
White-hat SEO involves ethical practices aligned with search engine guidelines, such as producing authoritative content that naturally attracts links.
SEO Fundamentals & Techniques 3
In SEO, what is 'keyword cannibalization'?