SEO Specialist Interview Scorecard

Who this scorecard is for

Designed for hiring managers, SEO team leads, and recruiters assessing hands-on SEO practitioners. Useful in panel interviews and take-home assessments to align expectations on impact and delivery.

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See what the SEO Specialist Interview Scorecard looks like before you download it.

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How to use and calibrate

• Pick the level (Junior, Mid, Senior, or Staff) and adjust anchor examples accordingly.
• Use the quick checklist during the call; fill the rubric within 30 minutes after.
• Or use ZYTHR to transcribe the interview and automatically fill in the scorecard live.
• Run monthly calibration with sample candidate answers to align expectations.
• Average across interviewers; avoid single-signal decisions.

Detailed rubric with anchor behaviors

Technical SEO

• 1–2: Misses or misdiagnoses basic crawl/index issues and cannot interpret Search Console signals.
• 3: Identifies common crawl, index, and canonical problems and recommends standard fixes.
• 4: Performs comprehensive audits, prioritizes technical debt, and implements redirects/canonical rules.
• 5: Designs scalable site architecture, automates technical checks, and mentors others on complex fixes.

On-page Content & Keyword Strategy

• 1–2: Relies on intuition, selects irrelevant keywords, and produces weak meta/content recommendations.
• 3: Conducts keyword research, maps intent to pages, and optimizes titles and meta at a tactical level.
• 4: Creates prioritized content plans based on intent gaps and competitive analysis that drive traffic growth.
• 5: Leads topical authority strategy, aligns content to business goals, and defines measurement for content impact.

Analytics & Data Measurement

• 1–2: Cannot extract actionable metrics from GA/Search Console or misinterprets basic reports.
• 3: Uses Search Console and analytics to track traffic, CTR, and basic conversions and reports trends.
• 4: Builds custom dashboards, segments traffic, and ties SEO changes to business KPIs with experiments.
• 5: Designs measurement frameworks, runs A/B tests for SEO impact, and drives data-informed strategy shifts.

Link Building & Off-page SEO

• 1–2: Leads low-quality outreach or cannot assess link toxicity and value.
• 3: Executes targeted outreach, secures relevant links, and monitors backlink health.
• 4: Builds scalable partnerships, earns high-value links, and manages disavow when needed.
• 5: Creates repeatable authority-building programs, negotiates strategic partnerships, and influences industry linking.

Site Performance & UX (Core Web Vitals)

• 1–2: Unaware of Core Web Vitals or recommends changes that break pages.
• 3: Identifies key performance bottlenecks and suggests practical fixes for load and responsiveness.
• 4: Works with engineers to implement performance optimizations and tracks CWV improvements.
• 5: Integrates performance into roadmap, reduces CLS/LCP at scale, and proves SEO gains from UX changes.

Reporting & Insights Communication

• 1–2: Delivers vague reports with no clear recommendations or prioritization.
• 3: Produces clear performance reports with prioritized next steps for SEO work.
• 4: Translates data into concise action plans for stakeholders and tracks outcomes.
• 5: Creates executive-ready narratives that influence product and marketing decisions based on SEO impact.

Project Management & Cross-functional Collaboration

• 1–2: Fails to coordinate with engineers, content, or product; tasks stall or conflict with roadmaps.
• 3: Manages SEO tasks, follows release processes, and communicates status to relevant teams.
• 4: Owns cross-functional initiatives, negotiates scope, and ensures timely delivery of SEO changes.
• 5: Drives multi-team programs, aligns roadmaps to SEO goals, and removes blockers to deliver measurable results.

Scoring and weighting

Default weights (adjust per role):

Final score = weighted average across dimensions. Require at least two “4+” signals for Senior+ roles.

Complete Examples

SEO Specialist Scorecard — Great Candidate

SEO Specialist Scorecard — Good Candidate

SEO Specialist Scorecard — No-Fit Candidate

Recruiter FAQs about this scorecard