One of the most common questions asked of specialists SEO is: "how long does it take to see SEO results?". This question can be frustrating because clients (understandably) would like to hear a specific, definitive answer, but it is simply not possible to give one due to the many variables involved. Positioning is not like paid advertising, the results of which can be seen almost immediately after 'firing up'. SEO success takes time. How much? You will find the answer in this guide!
Firstly, objectives must be set
Before you go any further, you need to do one thing: establish what SEO success is and make sure that the way you measure it is transparent. When it comes to creating an SEO strategy, it is common to combine goals and KPIs.
Let's break it down.
Objectives - the end result you wish to achieve
KPI - indicators that show progress towards the set targets
The objectives to be set should be measurable and achievable (realistic). In order to answer the question of how long it takes to see SEO results, we will focus on the time it typically takes to get results in terms of core KPIs, understanding that targets may be unique to a particular company.
When will you see the first effects of positioning and what does it depend on?
The effects of positioning should appear within a period of 6 to 12 months after the start of operations. By results, we mean a measurable increase in traffic and associated leads or conversions. Attention! This does not necessarily mean that you will have achieved your goal by that point. However, any company that invests in SEO should expect to make progress after this time.
It is not possible to give a specific time that will apply to all websites. The best that an SEO specialist can do is to on the basis of an analysis of the current performance of the site and the proposed strategy, estimate when the effects will start to become visible.
Read now what factors influence the time it takes to achieve SEO success.
Initial state of the site
The current status and visibility of a website in Google search is a benchmark for future actions. Knowing what level the SEO metrics are at before you start SEO will help you know what actions to focus on.
Sometimes a website is very far down in the search results or is not visible at all. In such a situation, it will take longer to reach the TOP10 for keywords important to the company. Yes poor visibility is linked to a number of omissions on the site, which should be identified during the audit. Only on the basis of this will the specialist create a tailored strategy and plan specific actions.
Competitiveness
You will see the effects of SEO much quicker for niche industries and queries with low competition. If you want your website to rank for highly competitive keywords, you have to reckon with the fact that it can take at least two years to get a position on the first page. On the other hand, for local or narrower keywords and phrases long tail with lower competition, it may be possible to achieve satisfactory results within 3-6 months.
TIP! Want to check the difficulty of a keyword yourself? You can do so using Google Keyword Planner or tools Semrush.
Above you can see a screenshot from Semrush. In the column marked with the abbreviation KD it shows keyword difficulty as a percentage. The higher the percentage, the more difficult the keyword. It should be expected that it will take longer to gain a good position in the search results for keywords with a high KD%.
However, competition is about more than just keyword difficulty. To be able to get better and better places in the SERPs, you need to think, how competitors got to their current position and what they are doing to maintain it. Your strategies must take into account who you are competing with and the 'aggressiveness' of your rivals' positioning efforts.
Website positioning budget
Of course, the budget also has a very strong influence on the time it takes for the effects of positioning to appear. The bigger the budget, the more activities the specialists can perform. Positioning involves considerable expenditure, especially the regular creation of content and the acquisition of valuable links leading to the website. Budget is also linked to the previously discussed issue of competition. In some industries, companies invest really large amounts of money in publications, for example. As you can guess, the bigger the budget of your competitors, the more you will have to invest in order to achieve the desired positioning results.
Can results be achieved more quickly?
There are no shortcuts or magic tricks in SEO that will get you into the TOP3 in one day. However, if you want to check that you are doing everything you can to increase your website's visibility in the optimum time, make sure that:
you have prioritised your activities following the audit, so you know what will benefit you most
you act in accordance with your strategy
you use useful tools to improve positioning (e.g. ScreamingFrog, Semrush, Senuto)
verify whether the site has errors with indexing and fix them
you have added a site map to Google Search Console
Can you stop positioning your website?
You have achieved your dream results through positioning. You have reached the top! What next? Is it possible to drop everything and stop what you are doing? The truth is that if you do, nothing will probably change for a while. Visibility builds slowly and just as slowly is lost. However, in a few weeks or months, you will most likely notice that your position in the search results has deteriorated and your competitors are once again ahead of you. In order to gain the upper hand again and turn the situation around, you will again need time. Once you have reached a high position, it does not mean that you will hold it forever. Competition is working all the time, so you too should not stop in your positioning efforts.
You have to wait for the effects of positioning, but... worth it!
One thing is certain, positioning is a process that requires time, patience and consistency. It is impossible to predict exactly how long it will take before you start to notice the desired effects. However, with knowledge, you can estimate this based on certain variables. There are situations where statistics will skyrocket after just a few weeks. In most cases, however, you will have to wait a few months. This does not change the fact that it is worth it! Positioning is one of the few processes that provides a long-lasting effect. If your company is visible in the search results, you will be reaching a large number of potential customers non-stop.
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