With the explosion of technology, online businesses, and website designs, the term “SEO” is rapidly gaining traction. SEO stands for “search engine optimization”. Highly successful companies and business owners use SEO experts to ensure that their website reaches their targeted audience. However, the biggest question is, “How long does SEO take to show results?”.
SEO is much different than other forms of paid advertisements. It is unlike a simple ad that will be seen instantly once published but will not have the same long-term success. So, how long until the business owner starts to reap the rewards of hiring an SEO company?
In short, it takes about 6-12 months to see results.
In the following article, we will answer all your questions about how long SEO success takes and why it takes that long. We’ll break down the factors that affect your Google search result status. We cover the following categories:
Table of Contents
In order to rank high in Google search results, a business must harness SEO
How to Determine SEO Success
What does SEO success look like? While most individuals believe that SEO success is not quantifiable, this is not the case. The most common ways of measuring success include two important factors:
Let’s break these factors down further. For nearly every company, the goal is to increase revenue over a specific period of time. Therefore, in terms of SEO, the KPIs would be an increase in website traffic, more people viewing your website/pages, and higher rankings on Google.
Results Expected in 6-12 Months
Like we said above, SEO is not a quick fix or paid-for advertisement. SEO results take time and require a highly-educated and well-versed team behind them.
However, this time frame is dependent on your current website’s performance and your particular goals.
Why does this take so long? Google’s “crawlers” take time to recognize your site’s authority and then begin the re-ranking process. Your site’s ranking will continue to increase as you add more content and more specialized wording, pictures, and much more.
In short, Google makes you earn your spot at the top. To do so takes time. Regardless, within 6-12 months your investment in an SEO company will pay off!
Within 6-12 months you should be able to see a quantifiable increase in leads, more site traffic, and therefore, more sales.
Depending on a variety of factors, you can expect SEO results within 6-12 months.
Factors that Determine How Long SEO Success Takes
Let’s take a deep dive into the factors that determine how long SEO success takes. Understanding these determinates allows you to better visualize and appreciate the benefits of hiring an SEO company.
Your Website’s Starting Point
The first and foremost question an SEO company will ask is, “Do you have a website?” Starting from scratch versus editing an existing site plays a major role in SEO ranking rate.
A brand-new site domain is just like a new construction project. Everything, including site authority, links, and organic views will be built from the ground up. This takes slightly longer than having an existing website already in place. A new website will generally take nearly a year to rank, whereas an existing one can rank in half that time.
An existing site will generally rank quicker. Because the site already has some domain authority, it will have a higher starting point. Domain authority is similar to “trust” and “authority” amongst the brands and things we know in the world around us. We dive deeper into domain authority and how it works in another article. Simply put, the higher your domain authority the higher your site will rank. A higher rank indicates that Google has already “crawled” it and ranked it for what they have deemed to be the most relevant information.
However, ranking an existing website faster is not always a guarantee. Some factors that can negatively impact an existing page include:
- Incorrect keyword focus
- Missing or broken links
- Poor user experience and layout
- Incorrect mobile marketing structure (*Since 2019, Google ranks mobile-first)
- Slow loading times
- Irrelevant or missing information
- Previous SEO work that is incompatible with Google’s guidelines
SEO companies have the ability to quickly identify such factors and correct them. Afterwards, they will continue to monitor pages, produce updates, research topics, and increase positions on the SERPs (search engine results pages).
SEO tracking tools are used to identify strategies that work.
The Competition
As with anything in life, the more players there are the greater the competition. If more websites are advertising the same product as you, ranking yours will be more difficult. If you are in a very specific sector with limited competitors, rank change will come easier.
For instance, if you are a restaurant owner in downtown Manhattan ranking your site will take much longer. That is compared to that same restaurant owner in a smaller town far from city limits.
There are also factors regarding the competition that should be investigated. First, are other similar businesses online? If so, what do their websites look like? Do they look professional and easy to navigate or outdated? Because it is a powerful tool, SEO experts research competition extensively.
Second, the keyword difficulty level is a major component. If your target keywords are broader, the more time it will take to rank. If your keywords are more specific, then the less time your site will take to rank.
The competition is a large factor in how long it will take to see SEO results. A more popular product, with a broad keyword, will take longer because you have so much more competition. However, this is not something to be discouraged by. Because the potential customer base is larger, once your site is ranked, you will receive a ton of new views daily!
SEO companies evaluate the market landscape to determine a reasonable timeline for SEO success
Your Budget
If you look online, you’ll find SEO prices scattered across a wide range of numbers. The truth is, an SEO budget is not one size fits all. Depending on your goals, SEO budgets can vary. However, one thing is for certain; the more money you allocate for SEO, the faster you will see results.
Let’s play out a situation. Company A and Company B work in the same industry and the same area. Therefore, they compete for the same service and the same keywords. If Company A allocates more money for SEO than Company B, then company A will increase in rank at a considerably faster rate. This means more views, more traffic, and more sales.
The higher the SEO budget is, the more resources the SEO company can allocate to boost your website. For example, at Boosted Lab, an appropriate budget enables our team to systematically design, implement, and monitor site authority more closely and at a much faster rate.
Content
Content is of the utmost importance for Google ranking. In this video, Andrey Lipattsev, a Search Quality Senior Strategist at Google, confirmed that content is imperative to success. He stated,
Content is one of the most important factors for ranking”.
Matching user’s search intent with great content will propel your site up the ranks in no time. An SEO company will figure out which content is ranking for your specific keyword and improve on it. But, this takes time and careful planning. Whether starting from scratch or from an existing site, content is key!
Backlinks
Another one of Google’s top-ranking factors is backlinks. It may seem like an easy thing to throw in a link here or there, but it is much more complex.
Links need to be relevant and trustworthy. In order to increase rank, there are a large number of “rules” SEO experts following in terms of backlinking.
If your site has backlinks these will need to be inspected and addressed. If you are building one from scratch, the SEO experts will incorporate them. Simply put, higher-quality links will drive up ranking faster.
How Long Does SEO Take?
Based on the above factors you can typically expect to see SEO results within 6-12 months on average. Some smaller niche companies may see results sooner, while huge highly competitive companies may take longer.
However, one thing stands constant. Hiring the right SEO company is essential. Boosted Lab has had proven success across a spread of industries. We have taken existing websites and boosted them into the top positions of Google. We’ve created sites from scratch and quickly sped through the rankings.
Our team of industry-leading experts design, create, and monitor client’s websites. Contact us today and let us help take your business to the next level. With Boosted Lab you’ll see more views, more clicks, and more sales. It’s time to GET BOOSTED!
Final Thoughts
Having your website on the first page of Google results is extremely powerful. SEO companies are not only for getting you to the top but for keeping you at the top. If Google starts to see stagnation and irrelevance, your site’s ranking will quickly start to drop. All the SEO efforts will plummet along with the rank. A good strategy involves continued monitoring and ongoing maintenance.
Nevertheless, investing in a top-notch SEO company is a profitable and mutually beneficial choice for your business!
