Keyword research, on-page, technical, Core Web Vitals, content, backlinks, E-E-A-T.
Before starting, we run a 1-minute tech check — microphone, ambient noise, connection. If your setup isn't good enough, the test is fully refunded.
Stop saying you know SEO — prove it: 15 minutes of live oral exam with an AI, a score out of 100, and a badge that speaks louder than any LinkedIn endorsement.
The Plume SEO badge tests your real-world command of search engine optimisation through a 15-minute oral exam conducted by a calibrated AI. It covers the full stack: keyword research and intent mapping, topic cluster architecture and internal linking, technical SEO (crawl budget, indexation, JavaScript rendering, server logs), Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS), backlink strategy, E-E-A-T, and how your practice is evolving in the age of AI Overviews and generative search. The AI doesn't ask textbook questions — it asks you to walk through real projects, defend your decisions, and diagnose concrete situations.
What makes this badge credible is what you can't fake: a spoken exam. Unlike a ticked checkbox on a resume or a multiple-choice certification, the oral format forces you to explain how you recovered a site hit by a Helpful Content Update, how you prioritise link-building opportunities, or when you'd actually tell a client to skip SEO altogether. A second AI model (Claude Opus) reads the full transcript and produces a 0-to-100 score with a level (Novice / Proficient / Advanced / Expert) and a detailed breakdown of your strengths and gaps.
This badge is built for SEO consultants who want to back up their day rate with proof, in-house SEOs who live in GSC and Ahrefs every day, full-stack developers who want to surface their technical SEO chops, and anyone applying for a role where organic search is a non-negotiable. If you've been doing SEO for at least a year and can talk through your decisions out loud, this exam is the fastest way to make that expertise visible.
Here are the concrete dimensions the AI examines during the 15-minute oral.
Fluency with tools like Ahrefs, Semrush and Google Search Console to surface keyword volumes, difficulty scores and search intent (transactional, informational, navigational), and ability to build a prioritised content roadmap from raw data.
Designing pillar pages and cluster content to consolidate topical authority, structuring internal links to pass PageRank efficiently and guide Googlebot through large sites without wasting crawl budget.
Auditing crawl budget, managing robots.txt directives and canonical tags, reading server logs to identify indexing gaps, and understanding the trade-offs between SSR and CSR for React, Next.js or Vue-based sites.
Diagnosing and improving Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift using PageSpeed Insights, Chrome UX Report, the Web Vitals extension and browser DevTools — and knowing when to escalate to the dev team.
Analysing link profiles (Domain Rating, Trust Flow, anchor text distribution), running ethical link-building outreach, and applying Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness principles to content strategy and author markup.
Using Google Search Console, GA4 and Looker Studio to monitor impressions, CTR, average position and organic traffic, segment by device and page type, and build dashboards that surface actionable insights for stakeholders.
Diagnosing traffic drops after Core Updates or Helpful Content Updates: identifying impacted page patterns, pinpointing quality signals that triggered a demotion, and building a structured remediation plan with measurable checkpoints.
Understanding how AI Overviews and SGE are reshaping click-through rates on informational queries, adapting E-E-A-T signals to maintain visibility in AI-generated answers, and spotting new content formats that earn featured snippet and AI citation placement.
Final scoring is performed by Claude (Anthropic), which reads back the full transcript and applies this weighted criteria grid.
Your ability to explain and solve concrete technical SEO problems: crawl budget management, differential indexing, JavaScript rendering trade-offs, and Core Web Vitals optimisation. The AI checks the precision of your terminology and the soundness of the solutions you propose.
Your ability to build a coherent, end-to-end SEO strategy: intent-driven keyword research, topic cluster architecture, and prioritising initiatives based on business impact and technical feasibility rather than SEO vanity metrics.
The quality and authenticity of the professional experiences you reference: real projects, measurable outcomes (traffic growth, ranking improvements, conversion impact), and decisions made under real constraints including algorithm updates and client pushback.
Hands-on command of the standard SEO stack (GSC, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs or Semrush, GA4, PageSpeed Insights) and an understanding of how to connect these tools into a coherent workflow rather than using them in isolation.
Your ability to integrate recent developments — AI Overviews, SGE, E-E-A-T evolution, algorithm update patterns — into a clear view of where SEO is headed and what strategic adjustments that demands from practitioners today.
A Plume session takes about 20 minutes, from tech check to badge delivery.
Before the exam starts, Plume confirms your microphone is working and that you're in a quiet environment. The entire session is conducted by voice — no screen sharing, no slides, no live demos required.
The AI asks you to introduce yourself briefly and describe your most recent or most significant SEO project: the sector, your objectives, the tools you used, and what you actually delivered in terms of organic traffic, rankings or revenue impact.
The AI moves through 4 to 6 calibrated questions targeting both your strengths and blind spots: diagnosing a post-Core Update traffic drop, building a cluster-based content strategy, conducting a technical audit on a large site, optimising Core Web Vitals, collaborating with dev and paid search teams, and positioning your practice against generative search.
The AI closes with an open-ended positioning question: when would you advise a client against doubling down on SEO? How are AI Overviews changing the way you brief content? This step gauges your strategic maturity and your ability to see the bigger picture.
Claude Opus analyses the full transcript and generates a score from 0 to 100, a proficiency level (Novice to Expert), a detailed written report and a shareable link to your SEO badge. Everything lands in your Plume dashboard in under 10 minutes.
Your score out of 100 translates into a level a recruiter can grasp at a glance.
You understand basic SEO concepts — title tags, meta descriptions, a rough idea of keywords — but haven't managed an SEO project end to end. You have limited hands-on experience with dedicated tools and struggle to explain concepts like crawl budget, canonical tags or E-E-A-T in practical terms.
You run on-page audits and produce well-reasoned recommendations. You use Google Search Console regularly and at least one third-party tool (Ahrefs, Semrush or Screaming Frog). You've tracked the impact of at least one Google update on a live site and you approach keyword research with intent as a primary filter.
You own multi-channel SEO strategies on high-traffic sites. You read server logs, make independent calls on JavaScript rendering trade-offs and optimise Core Web Vitals without hand-holding. You've run link-building campaigns and can point to measurable, attributable results on complex projects.
You architect the global SEO strategy for sites with millions of indexed pages, mentor and manage SEO teams, and maintain active radar on algorithmic shifts (SGE, AI Overviews, Core Updates). You're comfortable advising C-suite on SEO vs. other acquisition channel trade-offs with business-level framing.
No degree or years of experience required to take the badge. Here are the profiles it makes the most sense for.
Back up your day rate with an objective score from an independent source — not a self-declared LinkedIn skill — and give prospective clients a concrete reason to trust your expertise before the first discovery call.
Validate that your hands-on command of GSC, Ahrefs and GA4 translates into a credible proficiency badge you can put in front of hiring managers when your next role requires you to prove organic search mastery.
Surface your technical SEO skills — JavaScript rendering, Core Web Vitals, crawl optimisation — that rarely show up on a GitHub profile but are highly sought after by agencies and product-led growth teams.
Get a concrete, verifiable proof of your SEO skills before your first full-time role or freelance gig, beyond Google's own certifications that don't test operational depth or the ability to think on your feet.
Demonstrate you can oversee a full SEO strategy and hold your own in technical conversations with developers, content teams and clients — without relying on vague familiarity or borrowed expertise.
Where and how your SEO badge will help you day to day.
You're applying for an SEO Manager role at a SaaS company. You paste your Plume badge link into your resume: the hiring manager sees your score, your level and the exam summary before the first phone screen, cutting through the noise of 80 other applicants.
A prospect asks how you can prove your SEO expertise beyond case studies they can't verify. You share your Plume badge link: they see you were quizzed on Core Web Vitals, Core Update recovery and content cluster strategy, and that you scored at Advanced level.
You want to move from $600 to $900 per day. Your Plume badge gives your existing clients an objective data point to anchor the conversation — no need to rebuild your credibility from scratch with each renegotiation.
An agency receives 60 applications for a senior SEO consultant role. They ask all finalists to complete the Plume badge: the scores give them a structured, objective way to compare candidates and cut down the number of full interview rounds needed.
You come from a content or development background and have built solid SEO skills through self-study and side projects. The Plume badge validates that progression with a credible score, even if your job title has never officially included 'SEO'.
A VP of Marketing wants to understand the real SEO capability across a 6-person marketing team. Every member takes the Plume badge, and the individual reports help identify training priorities and redistribution of responsibilities before hiring.
A few minutes to check you have everything you need.
At the end of your session you don't just get a score — here's everything that awaits you.
You get a precise score and an official proficiency level (Novice, Proficient, Advanced or Expert) reflecting your real command of SEO across keywords, technical, Core Web Vitals, backlinks and E-E-A-T.
Claude Opus produces a point-by-point analysis of your performance: what you nailed (crawl strategy, cluster architecture, tooling), where to push further (technical depth, generative search adaptation), with specific, actionable recommendations.
Your full 15-minute oral is stored securely and accessible only to you. Listen back to your answers to sharpen your thinking before retaking the exam at a higher level.
You get a unique public link to your SEO badge, ready to embed in your resume, LinkedIn profile, freelance portfolio or outreach emails. Anyone who clicks it sees your score, level and exam date instantly.
Discover related skills you can validate with Plume.
A 15-min oral exam with an AI, a shareable badge for your recruiters.
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