SEO Keyword Research & Analysis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'keyword cannibalization' mean in SEO?
- Two pages on the same site compete for the same keyword (Correct answer)
- A competitor copies your target keywords
- Google penalizes repeated keywords on a page
- Using too many keywords in meta tags
Correct answer: Two pages on the same site compete for the same keyword
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your own site target the same keyword, causing them to compete against each other in search results.
Question 2: Which metric best indicates how difficult it will be to rank for a keyword?
- Search volume
- Keyword Difficulty (KD) score (Correct answer)
- Click-through rate
- Cost-per-click
Correct answer: Keyword Difficulty (KD) score
Keyword Difficulty (KD) score estimates how hard it is to rank on page one, typically based on the authority of pages already ranking for that term.
Question 3: A user searching 'how does photosynthesis work' is demonstrating which type of search intent?
- Transactional
- Navigational
- Informational (Correct answer)
- Commercial investigation
Correct answer: Informational
Informational intent describes searches where the user seeks to learn something, like understanding how a process works.
Question 4: What is a 'seed keyword' in the context of keyword research?
- A keyword with zero search volume used as a placeholder
- A broad, short-tail term used as a starting point to discover related keywords (Correct answer)
- A keyword planted in a competitor's page
- A keyword that has already reached peak search trend
Correct answer: A broad, short-tail term used as a starting point to discover related keywords
A seed keyword is a broad base term you enter into keyword research tools to generate a larger list of related and long-tail keyword ideas.
Question 5: Which tool is native to Google and provides keyword ideas along with average monthly search volume?
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Keyword Planner (Correct answer)
- Google Trends
Correct answer: Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is Google's free tool (within Google Ads) that provides keyword suggestions and search volume data.
Question 6: What does a high CPC (Cost-Per-Click) for a keyword generally signal for organic SEO?
- Low competition in organic search
- High commercial value and buyer intent (Correct answer)
- The keyword is banned from Google Ads
- The keyword has no search volume
Correct answer: High commercial value and buyer intent
A high CPC indicates advertisers are willing to pay more for clicks, which signals strong commercial intent and valuable traffic worth targeting organically.
Question 7: What is 'search volume seasonality' and why does it matter for keyword selection?
- It refers to keywords that only appear in seasonal Google updates
- It describes fluctuations in search demand across different times of year, affecting traffic forecasts (Correct answer)
- It means keywords perform differently on mobile vs desktop by season
- It is the rate at which keyword rankings decay over time
Correct answer: It describes fluctuations in search demand across different times of year, affecting traffic forecasts
Seasonality shows how search demand rises and falls throughout the year, which is critical for planning content calendars and setting realistic traffic expectations.
What does 'keyword cannibalization' mean in SEO?