How long does SEO take to deliver results?

How long does SEO take to take effect? And when will we start to see the first results in our web ranking? These are the questions that not only we professionals ask ourselves, but also the customers who want to know the results of their investment.

However, it is not possible to give a precise answer. All the strategies and tools used to consolidate the position of a company’s website in Google rankings can take between four months and a year before the first concrete fruits of on-page SEO work are seen.

A decidedly variable period of time that, according to experts, depends on three main variables: competitors, inbound links and content. Want to know more? Today, at Rodanet, we will try to answer all your questions.

What determines success in SEO?

To assess SEO success, we must first understand what we are measuring. In SEO, we generally establish objectives and KPIs.

Breaking down:

• Objectives: are the specific results you want to achieve.
• KPIs: key performance indicators that measure progress towards your objectives.

A classic example would be:

• Objective: to increase revenues by a specific percentage in 12 months.
• KPIs: increase in organic traffic, visibility, impressions or positioning in SERPs.

What are the main metrics we need to look at?

• Impressions: how many times your links or ads are viewed.
• Clicks: how many times users interact with your links or content.
• Organic traffic: visitors who come from search engines after making a query.
• Ranked pages: number of your pages with good ranking in search results.
• 
  Backlinks
  : external links pointing to your website.
• 
  Referrals
  Referrals: visitors coming from links on other sites or sources.
• Domain authority: global relevance of your site in relation to topics or industries.
• Page authority: specific relevance of a page within your site.
• Brand mentions: external references about your company or products.
• Conversions: actions of visitors who provide us with information about themselves, such as registering or completing a form.

It is crucial to set clear and measurable, but also realistic objectives. As for this explanation, we will focus on how long it usually takes to see improvements in key KPIs, considering that targets can vary greatly depending on each business and its particular circumstances.

SEO and results over time: competitors

One of the unwritten rules of SEO is to be above our competitors in the search results, especially when companies compete for the same keywords. In other words, if two companies want to appear first in Google using the same words, they will want to overtake the other in the ranking.

This means that the greater the number of web pages that are ranked for a given keyword , the longer it will take to reach the top positions in the search results.

Let’s take a concrete example. An electrician decides to open a website to gain visibility in the area where he works, a small town and its surroundings. If you choose the keywords “
electrician
“and the referral zone as positioning, you will have minimal competition and will climb faster in Google’s algorithm.

If, on the other hand, you have a business that operates nationwide, a much more competitive market, and you choose related keywords out of necessity, it will take much longer to see the results of SEO optimization. In this case, it will not only be the choice of the keywords what will make the difference, but also a meticulous work on on-page
on-page SEO
of the site, in order to improve all aspects of the site: from quality content and page structure, to the loading speed of the
loading speed
etc.

SEO and results over time: inbound links

A fundamental aspect of a successful SEO strategy is backlinks or inbound links. It is well known among professionals that Google values positively a good link building strategy.
link building
.

However, it is not only about the quantity of links, but also about their quality and relevance. Having a few backlinks from domains with good authority can be more beneficial than having many links from irrelevant or low quality sites.

In addition, the speed at which these backlinks are acquired is crucial. If you accumulate
backlinks
backlinks too quickly, Google could interpret this as a sign that you are trying to manipulate its algorithm, which could result in penalties for your website. Therefore, the focus should be on getting quality links and making sure that the acquisition rate is steady and does not appear artificial.

SEO and results over time: content

Of course, you can’t talk about SEO without talking about content. If you are looking to quickly improve your ranking, you should focus on the quality of your web content. It is not only about writing long texts or saturating them with keywords, but also about offering clear and useful answers to your users’ doubts. This is what Google really values and rewards in its results. In addition, publishing content consistently allows Google crawlers to index your website regularly and builds user loyalty, which also influences rankings.

In addition to generating good content, it is vital to manage and, if necessary, remove or update content that is no longer relevant or no longer generating results.

An effective SEO strategy is not only based on creating new content, but also on improving what you already have published.

Discover the 9 Secrets to create content with Chat GPT and improve your results!

How long does it take to see the results of an SEO strategy?

As you may have noticed, the time to see concrete results in SEO varies according to several factors, and there is no single definitive answer. In specific niche markets, it is possible to see progress in a few weeks, but this is generally temporary, as a site must strengthen its authority over time.

In most cases, it takes about four months to start seeing significant results. However, consolidating positioning for
keywords
may require up to a year or more of optimization.

Once a favorable positioning is achieved, it is essential that we do not let our guard down. The SERPs algorithms are constantly changing, which means that we must continue to adapt and optimize the web according to the latest trends to maintain our positioning.

Some key things to keep in mind about SEO response time include:

• Market competition: in markets with high saturation and competition, it usually takes more time to stand out.
• Web history: an already established site with good content and structure could get results faster than a newly created one.
• Choice of keywords: relevant keywords with less competition can facilitate faster positioning.
• SEO strategy: a coherent and well-executed strategy produces results faster than a haphazard approach.
• Algorithm updates: changes in algorithms can alter positioning, accelerating or delaying the impact of SEO.

In summary, although you can start to see changes between 4 and 6 months after implementing a strategy, keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing and constantly evolving process. Implementing a solid strategy and adjusting it as needed will help you achieve good search engine rankings over time.

How to ensure a successful SEO strategy?

By now it should be clear to you that SEO does not provide immediate results. In reality, it is a long-term investment that requires patience, knowledge and adaptability.

At
Rodanet
we understand the importance of designing and implementing customized SEO strategies that focus on providing your website with the online visibility needed to make your business profitable. Are you still thinking about it? Contactour team!

Tamara Rigotti

Copy & Content Strategist en Rodanet | tamara@rodanet.es | + posts

Tamara es redactora #seo y la boxeadora de la oficina. 🥊
Siempre escribe textos con gancho 😉

• Tamara Rigotti

  https://rodanet.com/en/author/tamara-rigotti/

  How to get my business listed on Google Maps