One of the most common questions that we are asked by business owners is “How Long Does It Take to See Results From My SEO Efforts?” There isn’t one timeframe that applies to all websites as there are so many factors involved in SEO. Below we discuss the factors that impact SEO, what you can do to increase your rankings and how long it takes for SEO to start working.
What is SEO?
First, let’s explain search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is a way to improve the visibility of your website and increase your rankings in search engine result pages (SERPs). It’s a way to optimize a website and its content in order to increase organic traffic, reach more potential customers, and boost your bottom line.
Factors That Impact SEO
- Website Size and Complexity
The complexity of the site structure and the size of the website can have a major impact on how quickly SEO starts working. Complex site structures or outdated platforms can be harder for search engines to crawl and index the site and may cause some pages to not be indexed at all. - Your Website’s History
The age of your domain is one of the key factors that determine how long it takes to see the impacts of your SEO efforts. A new domain usually takes longer to see see the impacts than a pre-existing domain since it hasn’t had time to build authority and backlinks. - Technical SEO
If technical SEO issues exist, they will need to be corrected before you can expect to see the growth you’re hoping to see. Some of these have a larger impact than others, but regardless technical problems should be corrected and we can help with these as part of our maintenance and SEO packages. Technical SEO relates to things like:- Site Structure and Navigation: A well-structured website with clear navigation helps search engines crawl and index your website’s content.
- Site Speed: A slow-loading website can lead to a higher bounce rate and lower search engine rankings.
- Mobile Optimization: Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites.
- User experience: If a site is difficult to navigate or find information, users may be more likely to leave the site quickly, which can negatively impact SEO.
- Broken Links: Broken links impact the user experience and have a negative impact on your website’s SEO.
- Duplicate Content: Duplicate content can negatively impact your SEO as search engines prefer unique and original content.
- URL structure: A poorly structured URL can confuse search engines, resulting in your website being penalized.
- SSL Certificate: Search engines prefer secure websites, and having an SSL certificate can positively impact your website’s SEO.
- Competitive Landscape
The competitive landscape of your industry can impact how quickly SEO starts working. If there are many other websites competing for the same keywords, it may take longer before you start seeing results. On the other hand, if there are few competitors in your industry or niche, it may be easier and faster to rank higher. - Amount of Effort Put Into SEO
This may seem obvious, but the amount of effort you put into enhancing your SEO will probably have the largest impact. If you’re only doing minimal work on your website, it will take longer before you start seeing an increase in traffic than if you were actively creating new content and building links back to your site from other websites.
How Long Does It Take For SEO To Start Working?
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time, but most websites generally will begin to see an increase in traffic within 3-6 months on an existing website, 9 to 12 months on a new domain. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are done by this point and rankings will continually change as competitors continue to enhance their SEO. However, this timeline can vary depending on the factors discussed above.
Hammersmith Support SEO Packages Can Help
Hammersmith Support offers SEO packages to help increase your search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation and let’s talk about how our SEO services can enhance your business.