One of the most common questions that gets asked in the digital marketing world is ‘how long does it take for SEO to work?’ The answer will depend on a number of factors and can vary depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
But before we get into that, let’s take a look at what SEO is and the benefits that it can bring to your business.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a process that involves optimising content so that it appears and ranks highly in search engines. When people are searching for a product or service in a search engine like Google, they will type a keyword in and be taken to a relevant website.
Good SEO involves strong keyword research and well-optimised content to ensure that your website will appear in a search engine.
What are the benefits of SEO?
- Increases traffic to a website
- Establishes a brand as an authoritative source of information in a specific niche
- Creates a better user experience for consumers who’re browsing an online store
- Maximises the success of your PPC campaigns by reinforcing your presence in a search engine
How long does SEO take to work?
Generally, SEO can take anywhere between three – twelve months to be effective and this will be dependent on the following factors:
- Keyword difficulty
Finding the right keywords that you want to rank for is simple yet figuring out what it will take to rank for those keywords isn’t always straightforward. This is where keyword difficulty comes in and shows you how hard it is to rank in organic search.
Google’s algorithm for ranking web pages is difficult to gauge, though it generally analyses factors such as the content of a page, the links on a website and domain authority.
To ensure that you’re able to rank for the keywords that you’ve chosen, it’s worth examining how you can improve your domain authority and backlinks. The more time you put into this, the better your chances of having an effective SEO strategy.
- Competition
Another factor to be aware of is the competition that you’ll face for bidding on certain keywords and ads in search engine results. The more competitors you’re up against, the longer it can take to reach the top page of a search engine.
Being strategic with how you analyse the keywords competitors are bidding on will have an impact on how quickly you see results.
- Backlinks
Inbound links are another crucial factor and will depend on volume and quality. It’s tempting to think that the more links you have, the easier it will be to achieve SEO success, but this isn’t true.
Having a few high-quality links will have a greater impact than a large volume of low-quality links from websites that aren’t relevant to your niche. Be aware that the speed of which you gain links is also important and we’d recommend sticking to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines to avoid facing a penalty.
To learn more about how to create a winning SEO strategy, get in touch today on 0113 357 0040 or via the contact form.
