SEO Keyword Research 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'keyword difficulty' measure in SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush?
- The number of monthly searches for a keyword
- How hard it is to rank on page one for a keyword (Correct answer)
- The cost per click for a keyword in Google Ads
- The number of words in a keyword phrase
Correct answer: How hard it is to rank on page one for a keyword
Keyword difficulty estimates how competitive a keyword is to rank for organically, typically based on the authority of pages currently ranking.
Question 2: Which metric best represents the estimated number of times a keyword is searched per month?
- Click-through rate
- Search volume (Correct answer)
- Keyword difficulty
- Cost per click
Correct answer: Search volume
Search volume is the average number of monthly searches for a given keyword in a specific location and time period.
Question 3: A keyword with high search volume and high difficulty is generally best suited for:
- Brand new websites with little authority
- Sites with established authority and strong backlink profiles (Correct answer)
- Local business targeting a single city
- E-commerce product pages only
Correct answer: Sites with established authority and strong backlink profiles
High-difficulty keywords require strong domain authority and many quality backlinks to compete effectively.
Question 4: What is a 'seed keyword' in the context of keyword research?
- A keyword with the highest search volume in a niche
- A broad, short term used as a starting point to generate more keyword ideas (Correct answer)
- A keyword that has been ranking for over a year
- A branded keyword belonging to your competitor
Correct answer: A broad, short term used as a starting point to generate more keyword ideas
A seed keyword is a short, general term that forms the foundation of your research and helps you discover related, more specific keywords.
Question 5: Which tool is natively provided by Google to help with keyword research and search volume estimates?
- Google Search Console
- Google Keyword Planner (Correct answer)
- Google Tag Manager
- Google Analytics
Correct answer: Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool within Google Ads that provides keyword ideas, search volume ranges, and competition data.
Question 6: What is 'keyword cannibalization'?
- Using the same keyword in both title and meta description
- Multiple pages on the same site competing for the same keyword (Correct answer)
- Targeting keywords that are too competitive
- Removing old keywords from your strategy
Correct answer: Multiple pages on the same site competing for the same keyword
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your site target the same keyword, causing them to compete against each other and dilute ranking potential.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a 'navigational' search intent keyword?
- 'best running shoes 2024'
- 'how to tie shoelaces'
- 'Nike official website' (Correct answer)
- 'buy Nike Air Max online'
Correct answer: 'Nike official website'
Navigational intent means the user wants to reach a specific website or page, such as searching for a brand name to find their site.
SEO Keyword Research 2
What does 'keyword difficulty' measure in SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush?