How Long Does SEO Take to Work: Explaining the SEO Timeline

Although it depends on various factors, SEO usually takes 4 to 6 months to show results.

The question “How long does SEO take?” depends on the results you expect from the strategy.

Some businesses implement SEO strategies to improve rank and generate revenue by driving organic traffic.

On the other hand, others optimize their websites to make their businesses seem credible and reliable by improving their visibility on search engines.

If you want to know more about how SEO works, this blog discusses the SEO timeline in detail.

So, read on to understand the topic: how long does SEO take?

How Long Does SEO Take?

Usually, an SEO effort takes four to six months to start showing organic traffic.

Since employing precise keywords and getting organic traffic seems simple, it is natural to assume that SEO techniques should produce results immediately.

SEO is a slow process based on consistency and perseverance, in contrast to other digital marketing strategies that might increase traffic right away.

There is no special formula that would work to skyrocket your rank on Google.

If marketers and businesses anticipate seeing benefits from an SEO effort immediately, they will get nothing else but disappointment.

This is because SEO is more than just making one adjustment; it involves continuously improving and adjusting your website to comply with search engine algorithms’ recommended practices.

Demonstrating to Google and other search engines that your website is a reliable, authoritative source of information and deserving of a prominent place in search results is part of this.

The question of how long does SEO take depends on several factors. A few technological factors which include crawling/indexing procedures, website optimization, ranking algorithms, and website quality.

SEO Timeline: Explaining How Long Does SEO Take to Work in Months

To help you understand “how long does SEO take,” here is a monthly breakdown of its progress.

Also Read: Listings Management For SEO In 2024

1. First Month

The first phase of the SEO timeline includes the following:

Knowing the Ideal Keywords

There are 3 billion keywords that get less than ten searches in a month. Hence, you need to have extensive knowledge of the keywords that may work for your industry.

The keyword research begins by thoroughly investigating every aspect of your brand.

It normally understands with knowing the industry you are in entirely including the target audience, gaps in the market, competition, etc.

In addition to more particular subjects like crucial industry keywords, your SEO will investigate your industry, its level of competition, your niche, and your competitors’ rankings.

Planning keywords

Once you are familiar with your business, doing SEO in-house may save you time and effort. You can assess the market and look at competitors. Then comes the phase in the SEO timeline where you need to make pages targeting keywords your audience searches for online.

Audit of the Website

The first month in the SEO timeline also includes examining your website’s structure, content, and user experience when they take you on as a client.

A comprehensive website assessment may help in identifying areas of opportunity, assessing what material you already have, and establishing a robust SEO plan.

If you want to carry out a website audit, read our insightful blog on Website Accessibility Audit: How To Choose The Best Tools In 2023.

Before we talk about the next stage of the SEO timeline, it is important to know that some steps may take longer than the time mentioned.

It depends on the competition in the industry, the resources you have to do the work, and much more.

2. Second Month

The stages listed below typically occur during the second month in the SEO timeline.

Changes to the Website

More technical SEO effort usually starts in the second month. To guarantee that you rank higher in search results, you need to access the technical aspects of your website and perform the required modifications.

The modifications must align with the findings of your website audit. For instance, if the website takes longer than expected to load, you should minimize the size of the images, fix any problems with links, etc.

If your website’s design is obsolete compared to others working in your niche, you may have to start from scratch. Hence, this step may take a long time in the SEO timeline.

Pay Attention to Design Responsiveness

With responsive design, users will enjoy your website regardless of the device they use to access it.

Your website won’t look the same on a desktop computer as it will on a smartphone or tablet if it isn’t responsive.

There can be many problems when the user uses a small screen to access a website.

For instance, the website may become more challenging, buttons may be broken, and graphics may fill the screen.

Since 2018, mobile speed has been considered a ranking factor by Google, which makes it impossible to ignore.

3. Third Month

This is one of the most essential phases of the SEO timeline for any business:

Choosing Keywords

You need to review the lengthy list of keywords they gathered during the first month and select the keywords you wish to target.

These are keywords that will help you produce and optimize content.

Different types of material are better suited for different keywords. For instance, there are generic and long-tail keywords.

Many businesses target generic keywords, even if they frequently have a large search traffic. This indicates that ranking for them naturally is challenging.

Long-tail keywords typically consist of three or more words and are more focused. These keywords focus on a very particular demand that is unique to your niche.

Long-tail keywords bring in more qualified prospects, or those who are most likely to buy your goods or services, even though they have a lower monthly search volume.

Low competition and high search volume are a winning combination when it comes to keywords.

Production of Content

Depending on what your website requires, content creation can take up to a month.

Content production is one of the most crucial aspects of an SEO campaign. After finding the precise keywords to target with your content, you should start working towards content creation.

Similar to keywords, there are various types of content. Your SEO company will match each keyword with relevant material that complements each topic during the third month.

Long-form material usually contains more than 2000 words, which can be game-changing for your SEO strategy.

It has been demonstrated that longer-form content generates more backlinks, social media shares, and organic traffic.

If you want your website to rank, it must have content that fulfills user purpose rather than just using the term.

That said, using blog content is a waiting game. You can’t expect to see your recently posted content in search results within the first week. You may have to update and change a few things here and there for it to catch the eye of the audience.

After a month or two, you may notice that well-written material starts to rank at least someplace in search results.

4. Fourth Month

In this phase in the SEO timeline, you may begin to notice results from your SEO campaign. You are likely to see an improvement in your site’s rankings and some boost in traffic by the end of this month.

Regardless of the month, you need to keep adding material to your website and resolve technological problems.

This ensures that nothing disrupts your progress in the SEO timeline.

Focus on Link-Building

Establishing authoritative links is integral to your ranking because it demonstrates to Google that other high-authority websites value your content enough to link to it.

You need to start making an effort to boost backlinks. If you don’t know how to perform link building, here is a blog.

5. Fifth Month

This is the month in the SEO timeline where you will measure the success of your SEO strategy.

Your SEO campaign should begin to show tangible effects by the fifth month. Site traffic should rise, and you may even see more sales.

Use Social Media

Your SEO company will usually return at this point to link your social media accounts to your website.

If you don’t have any social media profiles that support your brand, you should incorporate social media management into your plan.

It will help amplify the results you get from the content. And let’s not forget that nowadays, social media campaigning is a solid way to generate leads.

Learn More: Role of Social Backlinking For Marketing Strategy

Monitor the SEO Campaign

Although your SEO should monitor your campaign at every stage of the SEO time, it becomes necessary at this point.

You will see some difference in traffic or conversions around month five. Various tools will help you track key metrics for SEO growth.

For instance, Google Analytics is one tool an SEO uses to show you the performance of your campaign.

Want to learn to use Google Search Console for SEO audit? Visit this blog.

6. Sixth Month

If you are following the right strategy, you will start seeing results in the sixth month of your SEO timeline.

At this stage, you should have a consistent focus on creating relevant and valuable content and monitor all the essential SEO metrics for business growth.

On reaching this final stage of the SEO timeline, here are the two tests you can employ:

Heatmap Testing

Heatmap testing is another test that you can use for your website. This test indicates how far down a page users go before abandoning it.

By combining heatmaps with A/B testing, you can pinpoint the weak elements of your website.

Additionally, it displays the most clicked areas by users and may help you determine whether you need more interactive components.

A/B Testing

One strategy that is commonly used to test various aspects of your website is A/B testing.

Through this test, you can decide what kind of element works best for your website.

To give you an example, if your SEO created a call-to-action (CTA) button and wants to test a new version in a different color to see which works better.

FAQs

How long does SEO take to work?

Although some gains may be noticeable sooner, depending on competition and website health, SEO usually takes four to six months to start driving sales.

How long does it take to optimize a website?

Depending on the size and complexity of the website, basic SEO optimization may take a few days to a few weeks, while more thorough optimization may take several months.

How long does SEO take to update?

Depending on site authority, keyword competition, and continuous SEO work, Google ranking can take anywhere from three to six months to more than a year.

How long does it take to learn SEO?

If you want to only learn the basics, it may take 1-3 months. Alternatively, to master the skills, you must practice for 6 months to a year.

Contact The Dreams Agency To Upscale Your Business

Hopefully, now you have an elaborate answer to “How long does SEO take?”. The time it takes to get organic traffic through SEO depends on the various technical aspects mentioned above.

Remember that you need consistency in every step you take throughout the SEO timeline.

Don’t give up if you haven’t seen the outcomes you were hoping for. You can always expedite your SEO journey by contacting us.

How Long Does SEO Take to Work: Answering the Popular Question