So how long does SEO take?

So how long does SEO take?

SEO (short for Search Engine Optimization) is among the most effective and effective online marketing strategies out there. That being said, SEO is a big commitment, and you will have to give it some time to see any significant gains. The long wait is justified, though, as the results are always great! 

How long does it take?

Although there is no clearly defined, accurate answer as to how long it will take until you see the results from your SEO, many subject-matter experts believe that the results usually take four to six months. For example, Forbes has stated that SEO efforts will yield results in four to six months; however, the results are bound to sprout over time. (Source: Forbes)

On the other hand, the Search Engine Journal reported that webmasters and online marketers could begin to see improvements in their organic traffic in just a few weeks. Simultaneously, moderately competitive keywords may take several months, and highly competitive keywords may take a year to show results. (Source: Search Engine Journal)

Factors affecting the timeframe  

Below are the key factors that highly impact the time it takes for an SEO strategy to bloom:

1. The age of the website - Although there are divided opinions, it can be concluded that older websites stand to gain from SEO efforts faster than newer ones. This is because the former has a stronger backlink profile, which significantly raises the website’s reliability. Another obvious reason is that older websites often have an audience of their own, so they tend to earn more clicks.
2. Errors  - If you have any site errors, Google penalties, and hosting issues in your SEO strategy, the results may be pushed back. Once these flaws have been addressed, significant improvements can be seen in as little as two weeks.
3. Structure and architecture of the website - If your Content Management System (CMS), URL structure, and site’s design are not correctly handled, you may not see the much-anticipated SEO results. To rectify such problems, make sure to choose a responsive design, along with making your website mobile-friendly. This will ensure that your website delivers enhanced user experience (UX) on all devices. Besides, the CMS you choose should be search engine-friendly, offering extensive SEO capabilities. After resolving these issues, your SEO efforts will gradually start bringing results. 
4. On-page and off-page SEO  - If you are aiming for sustainable and quick results, you should check your on-page optimization. Make required adjustments to meta tags, header, title, alt tags, descriptions, and anchor text, and you might see results in the next few days. For off-page optimization, add links to authoritative websites, and consider blog commenting, guest blogging, high-end citations and directories. Once done, you will receive better ranking slowly. 

Conclusion 

As most marketers are investing in professional SEO services just like you, results will take time. However, once all the above issues are amended, search engines will start prioritizing you, giving you a higher ranking. 

Have plenty of other things on your plate to stay on top of your SEO efforts? We can help! At Tommy House Studios, we offer small businesses leading-edge internet marketing solutions to boost their online visibility and drive traffic to their site. To learn more about our services, call us at (334) 310- 2915 or fill an online contact form.