Free SEO Online Test
Test what you really know about SEO and AI search. Every answer is explained, and anything you miss links straight to the free lesson that teaches it.
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Advanced
Advanced technical, entity and AI search questions
Coming soon- ✓ Instant feedback after every question
- ✓ Every answer explained, with its source
- ✓ A lesson link for anything you miss
- ✓ Score by skill area + a study plan
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What this SEO test covers
Six skill areas, each mapped to a module of the free SEO course.
| Skill area | Questions | Learn it in |
|---|---|---|
| AI Search | 16 | AI and SEO |
| SEO Fundamentals | 5 | SEO Fundamentals |
| Keywords & Content | 9 | Keyword Research |
| On-Page SEO | 11 | On-Page SEO |
| Technical SEO | 13 | Technical SEO |
| Links & Local SEO | 6 | Link Building |
Sample SEO questions with answers
Ten questions from the test, with answers and explanations. Try to answer before you open each one.
Q1. According to Google, what extra technical steps do you need to appear in AI Overviews?
- Add a special AI Overview schema type
- Submit your page in an AI Overview form in Search Console
- None. The page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet in Google Search
- Add an llms.txt file
Answer: None. The page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet in Google Search
Google says there are no additional requirements or special optimizations to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page only needs to be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet. Good SEO fundamentals are the entry ticket.
Source: Google Search Central, AI features and your website (2025)
Learn this: Optimizing for AI Overviews →Q2. You want your site to appear in ChatGPT search answers. Which OpenAI crawler must you NOT block in robots.txt?
- GPTBot
- OAI-SearchBot
- Googlebot
- Bingbot-AI
Answer: OAI-SearchBot
OpenAI uses OAI-SearchBot to show websites in ChatGPT search features. Block it and your site will not appear in ChatGPT search answers. GPTBot is a different crawler, used to collect content that may train OpenAI models.
Source: OpenAI, Overview of OpenAI Crawlers (2026)
Learn this: LLMs.txt and AI Crawlers →Q3. Google says it uses "query fan-out" in AI Mode and AI Overviews. What does that mean?
- Showing the same answer to every user
- Running several related searches across subtopics to build one answer
- Sending your query to other search engines
- Removing websites from the answer
Answer: Running several related searches across subtopics to build one answer
Query fan-out means Google splits your question into related sub-searches across subtopics and data sources, then combines the results into one answer. That is why a page can be cited for a subtopic even when it does not rank for the main query. Covering a topic’s subtopics clearly helps.
Source: Google Search Central, AI features and your website (2025)
Learn this: How LLMs Rank Content →Q4. What is the correct order of how Google Search works?
- Ranking, then Crawling, then Indexing
- Indexing, then Crawling, then Serving
- Crawling, then Indexing, then Serving results
- Serving, then Indexing, then Crawling
Answer: Crawling, then Indexing, then Serving results
Google first crawls (discovers and downloads pages), then indexes them (analyses and stores the content), then serves the most relevant results when someone searches. A page that is not crawled and indexed cannot rank, no matter how good it is.
Source: Google Search Central, In-depth guide to how Google Search works (2026)
Learn this: How Search Engines Work →Q5. In E-E-A-T, which part does Google call the most important?
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authoritativeness
- Trust
Answer: Trust
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Google says trust is the most important, and the other three contribute to it. E-E-A-T itself is not a single ranking factor. Google uses a mix of signals to identify content that shows it.
Source: Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (2026)
Learn this: E-E-A-T and Authority →Q6. Does Google always use your <title> tag as the blue headline in search results?
- Yes, always
- No. Google can also use your H1, prominent text, anchor text and other sources
- No. Google only uses the meta description
- Only if the title is under 30 characters
Answer: No. Google can also use your H1, prominent text, anchor text and other sources
Google builds the "title link" automatically. The <title> element is one source, alongside the main visible title, H1 headings, og:title, anchor text and more. A clear, descriptive, concise <title> that matches your H1 gives Google less reason to rewrite it.
Source: Google Search Central, Influencing title links (2026)
Learn this: Title Tags →Q7. You want a thank-you page to stay out of Google. Is robots.txt the right tool?
- Yes, robots.txt removes pages from Google
- No. robots.txt controls crawling. Use noindex or password protection to keep a page out of results
- Yes, but only for images
- No. Delete your sitemap instead
Answer: No. robots.txt controls crawling. Use noindex or password protection to keep a page out of results
Google says robots.txt is not a mechanism for keeping a page out of Google. It mainly manages crawler access. A blocked URL can still show up in results if other sites link to it. To keep it out, use noindex, password protection, or remove the page.
Source: Google Search Central, Introduction to robots.txt (2026)
Learn this: Robots.txt →Q8. You added a noindex tag to a page AND blocked it in robots.txt. Why does it still appear in Google?
- noindex only works on Bing
- Google cannot crawl the page, so it never sees the noindex tag
- noindex takes exactly one year
- The page has too many images
Answer: Google cannot crawl the page, so it never sees the noindex tag
Google says a noindex rule only works if the page is not blocked by robots.txt and the crawler can access it. If robots.txt blocks crawling, Google never reads the tag. This conflict is one of the most common technical SEO mistakes.
Source: Google Search Central, Block Search indexing with noindex (2026)
Learn this: Indexing →Q9. Google names three main factors for local ranking in Maps and the local pack. Which set is correct?
- Price, Speed, Age
- Relevance, Distance, Prominence
- Backlinks, Keywords, Ads spend
- Followers, Likes, Shares
Answer: Relevance, Distance, Prominence
Google says local results depend mainly on relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher) and prominence (how well known you are, including reviews and links). Google also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Source: Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (2026)
Learn this: Google Business Profile →Q10. Which three metrics make up Core Web Vitals?
- LCP, INP, CLS
- Bounce rate, Time on page, CTR
- Page views, Sessions, Users
- Domain Authority, Backlinks, Keywords
Answer: LCP, INP, CLS
Core Web Vitals are Largest Contentful Paint (loading, good is within 2.5 seconds), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness, good is under 200 ms) and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability, good is under 0.1). Relevance still comes first, but a good page experience can make the difference when many pages are equally helpful.
Source: Google Search Central, Understanding Core Web Vitals and Page experience (2026)
Learn this: Core Web Vitals →How scoring works
- Each correct answer scores one point. The pass mark is 70%.
- “I'm not sure” counts as a miss, but it shows the answer straight away. Using it honestly gives you a truer skill map than guessing.
- Your results show a score for each skill area and a study plan built from the questions you missed.
- Questions and options are shuffled every attempt. Your progress is saved in this browser if you leave midway.
Keep learning
Turn your weak spots into skills with the free SEO course
Every question in this test maps to a lesson with exercises. Start from your weakest module, or go deeper into AI search with the free GEO course.
SEO test FAQ
Is this SEO test free?
Yes. The test is completely free and you do not need to sign up to take it. You see your score, your skill map and every explanation without giving an email address.
How many questions are in the SEO online test?
Beginner and Intermediate are each 30 questions and take about 15 minutes. Questions and answer options are shuffled each time, so a retake is not a copy of your first attempt. Advanced is coming next.
Does the test include AI search and GEO questions?
Yes. About a quarter of the questions cover AI search: Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search crawlers, Google-Extended, llms.txt and how AI answers pick sources. Modern SEO includes being cited by AI systems, so the test does too.
What score do I need to pass?
The pass mark is 70%, the same standard used across the free SEO course. Your results also show a score for each of six skill areas, so you can see exactly where to improve.
Is this test good preparation for SEO interviews?
It checks the fundamentals interviewers ask about: how Google crawls and indexes, robots.txt versus noindex, E-E-A-T, Core Web Vitals, link attributes and local ranking factors. Pair it with our SEO interview questions guide for practice answers.
How is an SEO test different from an SEO checker?
An SEO checker scans a website for technical issues. This SEO test checks your knowledge. If you want to learn how to audit a site yourself, the free course includes a technical SEO audit lesson and hands-on URL audit exercises.
Where do the answers come from?
Every answer that makes a claim about Google or AI search is checked against official documentation, such as Google Search Central and OpenAI crawler docs, and the source is shown under each explanation.
More practice: SEO interview questions and answers · SEO glossary · SEO career guide India