Top 10 Google Interview Questions with Answers and Important Tips

Here are among the most commonly asked Google interview questions with easy answers.

Google is one of the top companies around the world with award-winning company culture. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, USA, it has offices in 170 cities in 60 countries. Today, the blog will cover the 10 most common Google interview questions with elaborate answers and tips. 

Q1. Which Google product is your favourite, and how can you improve it?

Ans. This Google interview question is asked for a variety of roles. The recruiter here is looking for your familiarity with the entire Google product family, from Gmail to YouTube. 

To answer this broad question, it is ideal to mention the categories of Google products that are available for everyday users, businesses, and developers. 

You can mention how businesses use Google products such as Google Analytics, Chrome Enterprise, Google Ads, Google Data Studio, etc. Then there are developer tools such as Firebase, TensorFlow, and ARCore, among many others. 

The second part of the question is about your technical knowledge of your domain and what you can do to improve the company’s offering with your specific expertise. The recruiter just does not want to know about your familiarity with the products. They are looking for candidates who know the product inside-out. 

So, even if you are an everyday user of your favourite Google products, you can show your knowledge of the product you use and the competitors through comparison. 

For instance, you can mention that you use YouTube Music because the database of artists is extensive and competes with Spotify. But Spotify has more streamlined features in terms of muting and blocking artists. Maybe, YouTube can add more such flexible features for future users.

You can even mention the audio streaming quality of YouTube Music which is 256 kbps, while Spotify provides 320 kbps. So, you may mention that the audio streaming quality can be improved for those who use high-end audio gear. 

Apart from that, you can mention some benefits from a pricing strategy perspective. For instance, YouTube Music is also integrated with YouTube videos and that it is priced just a little above Spotify but with more features. 

Q2. Who are Google’s top competitors?

Ans. Google is a multinational technology company that is known for its search engine technology. You can mention that Google owns over 90% of the search engine market share. As a search engine, its competitors are Microsoft Bing, Meta, etc. 

But this is just the search engine of Google. Many other Google products compete in their specific technologies with other companies. For instance, Google Analytics is a widely used tool for digital marketing. Now, tools including Oracle Infinity and IBM Watson Customer Experience Analytics are the product line’s main competitors. 

Similarly, for SEO tools such as Google Keyword Planner, there are many competitors such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, and Ubersuggest. 

A few other major competitors of Google are Amazon and Apple. As mentioned above, you can further specify in which areas Amazon and Apple compete with Google. 

Q3. How does Google maintain its competitive advantage in the market?

Ans. This can be a related Google interview question to the previous one. The company is among the top names in the internet software and services industry. Its search engine algorithm, supply chain infrastructure, R&D for new technologies, growing product portfolio, and fantastic employee culture are among the main reasons that make Google a key player in the market. 

Q4. If ads were removed from YouTube videos, how would you monetise them?

Ans. This is a tricky Google interview question that is asked to those giving an interview for the Associate Account Strategist. 

There are a few ways to monetise videos on YouTube. One can run the video for free at a low video resolution. To watch in higher resolutions, they can pay the content creator. 

Q5. What actions would you take to increase the Gmail user base?

Ans. This question is usually asked to product managers. Generally, while giving this answer, try to ask a few essential questions to the interviewer. This is to narrow down what exactly they are asking you to contribute. It is recommended you show you are specific as well. 

For instance, try finding out if Google is looking to grow its user base by monetizing Gmail, or, if they are looking at a specific age group for user growth through customer segmentation.  Ask important questions such as, “are they casual Gmail users or business users?” as well. 

Based on the interviewer’s answer, you can further mention that understanding the pain points of multiple customer groups will help improve its user base. You can talk about placing ads in a non-intrusive way, spam support, privacy, personalisation, etc. 

Q6. How would you describe Google Ads to a child or grandparent?

Ans. This is another common Google interview question. It is also quite tricky. Further, you have to remember that these two age groups do not know much about Google products and that you have to oversimplify the answer to make them understand. 

For instance, if you describe Google Ads to a child, you will have to draw analogies from the real world. You can mention that it is like a shop or restaurant where they can search for their favourite toys or food on the computer. All they have to do is click on the ad that is shown to them first, just like the shop or restaurant has items on the window or shelf, to buy something. And to buy, they don’t have to use cash but another app like G-pay. 

Q7. Mention anything about yourself that is not on your resume.

Ans.  The recruiter is looking to determine how quickly you react to an unexpected question. Of course, you will need to speak about yourself but do consider not deviating much from what role you are applying for. Try mentioning instances in your life that show your strengths, problem-solving skills, etc. Also, this is a great time to showcase your communication and interpersonal skills. 

Related: Top interpersonal skills that employers value

Q8. Should Google charge for its productivity apps such as Google Docs and Google sheets?

Ans. You can mention both the pros and cons of charging a fee for such products that are free. In terms of advantages, the apps can offer more prompt customer support. Further, a fee can improve the revenue. 

Coming to the disadvantages of charging for productivity apps, users may look into other free platforms as they are already made free to the public. That means, Google will lose its customer base. 

Q9. When did Google start? 

Ans. Knowledge of Google products is important, and so is its history when you are applying for any role in the company. So do your research before the interview. 

You can mention that Google Inc was established in 1998 and was founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. 

Q10. What do you prefer most – learning or earning?

Ans. This is a common leadership-based interview question at Google. The recruiter here wants to know whether you are determined enough to improve your skills or just there to earn money. At Google, skill improvement plays a significant role; if you can’t show that, there are dim chances of making it there. At the same time, you also need to show that earning is essential. 

Top 5 Interview Prep Tips from Google

Here are some additional tips that Google mentions on its site before you go for the interview. 

• Give importance to facts and data when answering any Google interview question. 
• Prepare answers to Google interview questions with a lot of examples. 
• Prepare a list of questions before going for the interview. 
• Be ready to express your thoughts openly and avoid giving one-word answers.
• You can even ask the interviewer to give you time to note your points before answering any Google interview question. But it is recommended that you do not take too much time. 

Parting Thoughts

So these are among the most frequently-asked Google interview questions you can easily prepare. Do note that these questions are a collection of open-ended and structured questions. Do focus on the structured questions that are more pertinent to your experience and the designation you are going for. Google also avoids asking brainteasing interview questions nowadays. So prepare your role with these open-ended and structured ones for your upcoming interview at the company.