21. English pages for India and UAE
A company has English pages for India (/in/) and the UAE (/ae/) with different prices. How should hreflang be set up?
- A.Each page lists both versions with en-in and en-ae (plus an x-default), and each version links back to the other
- B.Use hreflang="en" on both pages since the language is the same
- C.Only add hreflang to the India page because it gets more traffic
- D.Use a canonical tag from the UAE page to the India page instead of hreflang
Show answer
Answer: A. Each page lists both versions with en-in and en-ae (plus an x-default), and each version links back to the other
Hreflang uses language plus optional region codes, such as en-in and en-ae, and must be reciprocal: each version should reference all versions including itself. An x-default handles other users. Canonicalising one regional page to another would tell Google to drop the UAE page.
22. Soft 404 errors
Search Console reports 'Soft 404' on many pages. What does this mean?
- A.The pages return a 404 code but are still indexed
- B.The pages load slowly on mobile
- C.The pages return 200 OK but look like error or empty pages to Google
- D.The pages have broken images
Show answer
Answer: C. The pages return 200 OK but look like error or empty pages to Google
A soft 404 is a page that says 'not found' or has almost no content while returning a success code. Google treats it like a 404 and drops it. Return a real 404 or 410 for missing pages, or add real content if the page should exist.
23. Fixing a redirect chain
A crawl finds a chain: URL A redirects to B, B to C, and C to D. What is the best fix?
- A.Leave it, because Google follows unlimited redirects
- B.Redirect A, B and C directly to D, and update internal links to point straight to D
- C.Change all the redirects to 302s
- D.Add a canonical on D pointing to A
Show answer
Answer: B. Redirect A, B and C directly to D, and update internal links to point straight to D
Chains slow users down and waste crawling; Googlebot follows up to 10 hops before giving up. Pointing every old URL directly at the final destination fixes this. Updating internal links means users and bots rarely hit a redirect at all.
24. Hinglish search queries
An Indian recipe site finds many searches like "paneer butter masala banane ka tarika". What is the best response?
- A.Ignore them, since Google only ranks English text
- B.Hide the phrase in alt text on English pages
- C.Redirect these visitors to an English page
- D.Research these queries and create content that serves them
Show answer
Answer: D. Research these queries and create content that serves them
Many Indian users search in Hinglish or in Hindi written with Latin letters. These queries often have lower competition and their own intent. Pages written for that audience, in the language they use, can rank and serve them better.
25. Regex for question queries
In the Search Console Performance report you use "Query → Custom (regex)" with the pattern below. Which queries will it match?
^(what|how|why|when|which|can|is)\b
- A.Queries that begin with a question word like "how"
- B.Queries that end with a question mark
- C.Only queries containing all of these words
- D.Queries with no question words in them
Show answer
Answer: A. Queries that begin with a question word like "how"
The caret anchors the match to the start of the query and the group lists question words, with \b marking a word boundary. Search Console uses RE2 regex syntax, so this is a quick way to find question-style queries to answer in headings or FAQs.
26. Keyword gap with competitors
What does a "keyword gap" analysis between your site and three competitors show?
- A.Queries where you pay more per click than competitors
- B.Keywords that Google has blocked for your site
- C.Queries competitors rank for where you rank poorly or not at all
- D.The spaces between words in competitor titles
Show answer
Answer: C. Queries competitors rank for where you rank poorly or not at all
A gap report compares ranking keywords across domains and lists terms where others are visible and you are not. It quickly reveals missing topics and pages, though each gap should be checked for intent and value before writing.
27. With and without a slash
Both /pricing and /pricing/ return the same page with status 200. What is the right fix?
- A.Leave both, since Google always merges them
- B.Choose one form, 301 the other and link consistently
- C.Block the slash version in robots.txt
- D.Add noindex to both versions of the page
Show answer
Answer: B. Choose one form, 301 the other and link consistently
Google can treat URLs with and without a trailing slash as different, so serving both creates duplicates and splits signals. Pick one format, redirect the other, use it in internal links and canonicals.
28. Link swaps between sites
Fifty local business sites agree to all link to each other to "boost SEO". What does Google call this?
- A.A normal partnership with no risk
- B.A recommended local SEO tactic
- C.Excessive link exchanges (link spam)
- D.A form of structured data
Show answer
Answer: C. Excessive link exchanges (link spam)
Google's link spam policy lists excessive link exchanges ("link to me and I'll link to you") as manipulation. Occasional natural links between real partners are fine; organised swaps purely for ranking are not.
29. A tool that does not work
A site claims to offer a "free PAN card status checker", but the button only shows ads. Which spam policy covers this?
- A.Scraped content
- B.Keyword stuffing and hidden text
- C.Link spam
- D.Misleading functionality
Show answer
Answer: D. Misleading functionality
Misleading functionality means pretending to give a service or feature, like a calculator or downloader, to lure users, then showing ads or something else. Google treats this as spam because it deceives searchers.
30. The most important part of E-E-A-T
According to Google's quality rater guidelines, which part of E-E-A-T is the most important?
- A.Trust
- B.Experience
- C.Expertise
- D.Authoritativeness
Show answer
Answer: A. Trust
The guidelines say Trust is the most important member of the E-E-A-T family, and that experience, expertise and authoritativeness support it. An expert page can still be untrustworthy if it is deceptive or unsafe.
31. What the reviews system covers
Which statement about Google's reviews system is accurate in 2026?
- A.It only covers product reviews on Amazon
- B.It runs once a year on a fixed date
- C.It covers many review types and updates unannounced
- D.It only applies to sites in the United States
Show answer
Answer: C. It covers many review types and updates unannounced
The former "product reviews system" became the reviews system, covering reviews of products, services, places, media and more. Since 2023 Google refines it regularly without separate announcements, so review quality needs ongoing care.
32. Yesterday looks like a crash
A Search Console chart shows clicks falling sharply on the last two days. Nothing changed on the site. What is the most likely explanation?
- A.Google has deindexed the site
- B.A manual action was applied two days ago
- C.The most recent days are still incomplete
- D.Search Console only counts weekend data
Show answer
Answer: C. The most recent days are still incomplete
Search Console data arrives with a delay, and the latest day or two are often partial. Exclude them from reports or wait before reacting. Checking the same days a little later usually shows normal numbers.
33. India or UAE first?
India: 50,000 searches, 3% expected CTR, 2% conversion, ₹2,000 order value. UAE: 8,000 searches, 8% CTR, 3% conversion, ₹9,000 order value. Which market brings more monthly revenue?
- A.UAE, about ₹1.73 lakh vs India's ₹60,000
- B.India, about ₹60 lakh vs UAE's ₹17 lakh
- C.India, because it has more searches
- D.Both bring exactly the same revenue
Show answer
Answer: A. UAE, about ₹1.73 lakh vs India's ₹60,000
India: 50,000 × 0.03 = 1,500 clicks; × 0.02 = 30 orders; × ₹2,000 = ₹60,000. UAE: 8,000 × 0.08 = 640 clicks; × 0.03 = 19.2 orders; × ₹9,000 ≈ ₹1,72,800. Volume alone is misleading; value per visit matters.
34. Lazy images that never load for Google
Product images use <img data-src="..."> and a script swaps in the real src when the user scrolls. Google indexes no images. Why?
- A.Google never indexes product images on e-commerce sites
- B.Googlebot doesn't scroll, so src is never set
- C.The images are too large for Google to index
- D.The alt text must be written in uppercase
Show answer
Answer: B. Googlebot doesn't scroll, so src is never set
Googlebot renders with a tall viewport but does not scroll like a user, so scroll-event code may never run. Use native loading="lazy" or IntersectionObserver, which work with Google's rendering. Always end with a real src attribute.
35. What belongs in a sitemap
A sitemap lists 50,000 URLs, including redirects, noindex pages and filter URLs that canonicalise elsewhere. What is the problem?
- A.Nothing, because sitemaps should list every URL
- B.It sends mixed signals; list only indexable canonical URLs
- C.Google will index all of them, simply because they are listed
- D.Sitemaps cannot contain more than 1,000 URLs
Show answer
Answer: B. It sends mixed signals; list only indexable canonical URLs
A sitemap is a hint about which URLs you want indexed. Listing redirects, noindex pages and duplicates contradicts other signals and makes the report noisy. Keep it to 200-status, indexable, canonical URLs.
36. Sitemaps in Next.js
In a Next.js App Router project, how can a developer generate sitemap.xml and robots.txt from code?
- A.Export functions from app/sitemap.ts and app/robots.ts
- B.Write them in next.config.js as plain strings in an array
- C.Create them in the browser with JavaScript
- D.Install a Search Console plugin into the app
Show answer
Answer: A. Export functions from app/sitemap.ts and app/robots.ts
The App Router supports special metadata files: app/sitemap.ts returns the URL list and app/robots.ts returns robots rules. Next.js serves them at /sitemap.xml and /robots.txt. This keeps them in sync with your routes and data.
37. Republishing on a partner site
A business magazine wants to republish your original article in full. How do you reduce the risk that their copy outranks yours?
- A.Ask for a canonical tag or a clear link back to your original
- B.Change a few words in your version so that it looks different
- C.Publish on their site first and on your own site a month later
- D.Block their whole site in your own robots.txt file
Show answer
Answer: A. Ask for a canonical tag or a clear link back to your original
A cross-domain canonical pointing to your URL tells search engines which copy is the original; Google treats it as a hint, so a clear link back helps too. Small word changes do not fix duplication, publishing there first makes their copy the original, and robots.txt on your site cannot control their pages.
38. Showing expertise on a tax article
Which change best supports E-E-A-T on an article about filing income tax returns in India?
- A.Repeat the main keyword in every heading and paragraph
- B.Add a stock photo of a calculator and a smiling family
- C.Make the article longer by adding a history of taxation
- D.Name a qualified CA as author or reviewer and add worked examples
Show answer
Answer: D. Name a qualified CA as author or reviewer and add worked examples
E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust) matters most for "your money or your life" topics like tax. Clear, qualified authorship, first-hand examples, sources and a visible review date build trust. Keyword stuffing, stock images and padding do not.
39. Hreflang for English and Arabic pages
You have an English page for the UAE and an Arabic version of the same page. What does hreflang do for them?
- A.Translates the English page into Arabic automatically
- B.Tells search engines which language version to show each user
- C.Makes the Arabic page load faster on mobile phones
- D.Stops the English page from appearing in any search results
Show answer
Answer: B. Tells search engines which language version to show each user
Hreflang annotations such as en-ae and ar-ae connect versions of the same page and tell search engines which one fits a user's language and region. Each version should list all the others and itself, and the tags must point both ways to work.
40. Finding topics in Search Console
In Search Console you see queries with thousands of impressions where your site ranks around position 40 with a loosely related page. What does this suggest?
- A.Those queries are worthless because the clicks are low today
- B.Search Console is showing errors and should be ignored
- C.There is demand you are not serving well; a focused page may win it
- D.The loosely related page should be deleted right away
Show answer
Answer: C. There is demand you are not serving well; a focused page may win it
Impressions show real demand that Google already links to your site. A low position on a loosely related page means no page truly answers it. A focused new page, or a section added to a closer page, can turn that demand into clicks.
