How Long Will It Take for Your SEO Strategy to Start Working?

Perhaps you’ve launched a brand new website for your business, or are looking at revamping your current site. Either way, you’ve probably looked into developing a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy for your website. Through search engine optimization, you can improve your website’s visibility in search results when people are looking for products and services like yours online.

As you begin to implement your new SEO strategy, it’s important to not only understand what metrics you should focus on, but also be realistic about how long it can take to start seeing results.

Tip 1 | Remember: Rankings Don't Always Equal Results.

While it can, of course, be beneficial to rank well for certain keywords, if you’re only focusing on rankings you’re missing out on what really matters for your business. While it can feel great to get top rankings, none of that makes a difference if those top rankings aren’t getting you leads.

Rather than focus solely on rankings, make sure you are tracking valuable actions on your site such as phone calls, quote request forms, and online orders. Check out our blog “Stop Focusing On Your Page Rank, Start Focusing On Conversions” to learn more about measuring the metrics that matter, and for tips on setting up tracking.

Tip 2 | How Long Does It Take For SEO To Start Working?

Once you’ve decided what key actions matter most to your business, and will define whether your efforts are successful, how long will it take for your SEO strategy to start generating results? Unfortunately, there is no one, clear-cut answer to this question. While you can typically start seeing some impact from your SEO efforts at around the 6 month to one year mark, there is no set timeline.

Tip 3 | Why Does It Take So Long To See Results From SEO?

There are many reasons why it takes time before your SEO efforts begin to pay off in any noticeable way, just as there are many different factors that ultimately determine your ranking in search results. To understand why it can take such a long time to see results from your SEO efforts, it helps to consider a few of the basics that dictate the speed and level of your success:

• The Quality of Your Website and Content. If your website is slow, hard to navigate, and provides a poor user experience, you won’t be able to achieve the best possible results from your SEO. Make sure your website is well-structured, loads quickly, and includes well-written content that is tailored to your customers.
• The Amount of Competition. In a highly-competitive market, it may take longer to start seeing results. In some cases, focusing some of your efforts on niche services your competitors don’t offer can help you get a competitive edge.
• Your Level of Expertise. If you’ve decided to tackling your own SEO strategy, your own level of knowledge and experience will help determine how long it takes to start seeing results. It’s normal to make mistakes when you are just starting out, and it takes time to identify and correct those mistakes.
• Your Strategy and Level of Investment. Before you invest in SEO for your business, you’ll want to invest some time doing research and developing your strategy. While this initial planning takes some time, it’s well worth it in the long run. Create a solid strategy, and be realistic about how much time, money, and effort you are willing to invest. While you don’t need a massive budget to succeed with SEO, working with fewer resources typically means you may have to wait a bit longer to start seeing results.

Tip 4 | With SEO, Patience Pays Off

There are so many variables that influence your level of SEO success, and just as many different tactics to employ in order to improve your results. Because of its complex nature, it’s next to impossible to accurately predict when your SEO strategy will start generating leads for your business.

Due to the amount of ongoing work it takes to implement an SEO strategy, and the often unknown amount of time it can take to see results, it can be tempting to give up or make drastic changes to your strategy. However, it’s typically better to be patient and stay the course. As long as you spent time up-front creating an effective strategy, keep measuring your results, making adjustments, and sticking to your original plan.

For some pointers on creating a simple but effective SEO strategy for your business, check out our blog “Top 4 Tips for Improving Your SEO.” To get additional tips that are tailored to your business, contact our team for a free Digital Marketing Plan. We’ll analyze your business’s current digital presence and provide you with recommendations designed to help your business grow.