How long does SEO take to work?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the best ways to promote your business online. It’s efficient, it’s long-lasting, and it’s cost-effective.

It’s no wonder that 37% of marketers say SEO is their number one marketing channel!

However, SEO isn’t perfect. The big drawback is that it takes time to see results. As lovely as it would be, you can’t hit the publish button on an article and expect it to rank in the top position on Google the next day.

So, the big question is… how long does it take for a piece of content to move up the search engine results?

Our survey says…

Ahrefs recently surveyed digital marketers. 58% of respondents said it takes three to six months to see results from SEO, while 12% said it can take over a year.

Another Ahrefs survey (these folks know their stuff!) pointed out that nearly 60% of pages that rank on the first page of Google are over three years old.

Why does it take so long for SEO to work?

SEO is complicated. It’s not just about adding relevant keywords to a web page, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Your backlink profile, page speed, site structure, and the number of competitors you have all contribute to your search engine ranking.

Even before your page can be considered for ranking, the search engines need to find and understand it. They send crawlers to check out your website content so they can index it in their databases. Depending on the size or newness of your site, this can take days, even weeks.

The good news? SEO efforts intensify with time. You might start at the bottom, but your page will likely climb the rankings as time passes. For example, it can take time to earn backlinks, but when you get relevant and high-quality ones, they can significantly impact your rankings in a positive way.

According to Backlinko, the top result in Google has nearly four times as many backlinks as the rest of the results on the first page!

It’s not all or nothing

The critical thing to remember is that it can take time to see optimal results in Google.

The ‘optimal’ is particularly important. While it may take six months to claim the top spot in the search engine results, you will see some results sooner rather than later.

Let’s say you launch an article, and it lands on the fourth page of Google. It might take a month to move up to the third page, another month to move up to the second page, and another three months to move up to the first page.

It’s also important to look at the organic traffic and conversions you get. A page marketed correctly can provide a significant return on investment for your business, no matter where it ranks in the SERPs.

Think of SEO like going on a diet after Christmas. While it might take a while to hit your target weight, you can still claim many small victories in the meantime. For example, like your jeans feeling less tight or being able to climb the stairs without having to catch your breath.

How to rank a little bit more quickly in the SERPs

Yes, good SEO takes time. However, there are a few things you can do if you want to try and speed up the process.

(Important disclaimer: these tips might work, they might not – like I mentioned earlier, SEO is complicated!)

• Focus on low-difficulty keywords and long-tail keywords. These keywords have less competition, meaning you’re more likely to rank higher and more quickly
• Prioritise existing content. This content will already have some visibility in the search engine results, meaning you’ll see results faster
• Add links to your new content on high-ranking, relevant pages on your site. This can help the search engines discover your new page faster and pass what is known as link juice on

Domain age can play a massive part too.

While the age of your website is not a ranking factor, domain age is typically associated with trust and authority, which are ranking factors. Plus, older websites are more likely to have a good collection of backlinks than newer sites, which can impact SEO.

While it’s not SEO as such, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be a good stopgap while you wait for your SEO efforts to kick in. If you’re happy to bid enough, you can rank at the very top of the search engine pages, even above the number one organic result.

What should you do if you find a digital marketing agency that promises fast results?

Run. As far away and as fast as possible.

Digital marketing agencies that say they can get you on the first page of Google lightning-fast are likely to use dodgy techniques to do so. These techniques are referred to as ‘black hat’ or ‘unethical SEO’ and generally go against the search engine guidelines.

While you might see results quickly, you’re highly likely to get slapped with a manual penalty. This means your pages will be demoted in the search engine rankings or, even worse, removed entirely.

In conclusion: SEO isn’t one size fits all

In the digital marketing world, the general consensus is that SEO can take between three months and a year to get the desired results.

However, like all things, your mileage might vary. Some big news sites can rank for a specific keyword in a day of creating a piece of content. Conversely, a site can publish a web page and still languish on page ten of Google two years later.

Patience is a virtue when it comes to SEO. It’s better to do it right and take your time, rather than resort to dodgy strategies that risk your entire website being penalised.

And if you want to do SEO in the right way, my DMs are open.