How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working?

As a seasoned SEO professional, I’m often asked how long it takes to rank #1 on Google. Unfortunately, the answer is more complicated than the question. It took over 1,600 words to describe the process in this blog post.

That’s because several factors can affect how long it takes to rank #1, including the competitiveness of the keywords you’re targeting, the quality of your content, and the amount of backlinks you have.

However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of ranking #1, such as:

  • Creating high-quality content that is relevant to your target keywords.
  • Optimizing your website for search engines.
  • Building backlinks from high-quality websites.

How long after you start SEO do you see results?

Many variables play into how quickly you see results after you start doing SEO.

Baseline traffic, website design, domain age, meta descriptions, geographic location, competition, and target market all play into how quickly you can gain search engine traffic from SEO.

Generally speaking, websites can see results in 4 to 6 months.

SEO results grow over time. The traction you’re getting at six months typically is less than what you should be experiencing at 12 months.

Why so broad?

Typically that question is on a per-domain basis. The SEO results your business is looking for (Local SEO, National SEO, Global SEO) will influence the types of SEO techniques performed on your site.

In short:

A local business website with 100 pages running on WordPress differs from a global eCommerce site, with millions of pages running on Magento.

Can we speed it up?

Many factors determine how fast your SEO efforts will start delivering results. It could take a while if you have a new website, a new domain name, and fresh content without a business history. Sometimes up to six months before you see results in Google Search Console or organic traffic on Google Analytics.

The Bump

Below is a new website and cold-start domain (with no history or activity…ever). We worked on it consistently for six months. The drastic increase represents what we call the bump, and it typically happens after six months.

For this particular site, we posted an average of 2000 – 2500 words monthly for six months. This is in addition to heavy on-site and off-site optimization techniques and actual organic link building (no bought links here).

Google search ranking improvements after 6 months

We expect the traffic to increase by 50% to 60% over the next six months. In short, don’t expect success to come easy unless you write excellent content and have a niche and popular website.

< vital>Positive and Negative SERP Adjustments aka Fools Gold

Before the bump, we typically have the equivalent of Fools Gold SERP increases. This is especially true for new websites. But not so much the case for websites that have been active and need SEO adjustments.

In the image below, you will see a consistent pattern of a giant jump followed by a nominal fall in ranking, then a subtle change in the following months.

 Search Engine Ranking Fluctuations
The long story of why I think this happens: With this particular site, it was old but never worked on. So it had a history with search engines but nothing to rank for positively due to content issues and normal SEO fundamentals.

But as we fixed the on-site issues and improved the content, search engines became excited to rank those pages. So they gave them a nice jump in the SERPs. But typically, those search results begin to fall back and then settle/stabilize. Once the SERPs stabilize, you usually start to see slow but incremental changes in search engine rankings as you implement your ongoing SEO strategy.

But this time, those results are more stable and consistent. Typically they do not drastically jump around. Unless you have a logo update or something catastrophic happens on your website.

The problem with the Fools Gold period is clients can become excited. Then quickly became discouraged when the following month, those results changed. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.

SEO is an investment

Think of SEO as a 401k approach versus a roulette approach. Your efforts will begin to compound over time and gradually deliver a greater return on investment the longer you do it versus other marketing tactics.

To understand why it takes SEO a while to start working, let’s break it down and look at the parts:

What is SEO?

As with most things, SEO success comes down to mastering the basics.

With that in mind, everyone should understand some SEO basics.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is getting traffic from free, organic, or natural search results on search engines.

All major search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo have direct search results, where web pages and other content, such as videos or local listings, are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. Payment isn’t involved, as it is with paid search ads.

Search Engine Basics

This starts with understanding the three main types of traffic companies receive from search.

< robust>Map Listings Google Maps started in 2005 as a way for consumers to find local establishments on the platform. It became the world’s leading map application, regularly adding new features.

Organic Traditional search results from Google’s search engine. We discuss more below about the algorithm that determines these rankings.

PPC Pay per Click campaigns are when a company pays for its search engine rankings through ads. These ads are traditionally on the top and right of the Google search. Pay-per-click campaigns are also called Search Engine Marketing.

Four Determining SEO Factors

1. Keywords and Search Phrases

Keywords help you drive the targeted traffic that you want to your site. With all of the changes Google has made over the past year, you need to create quality traffic that your visitors will also like.

When you can do this successfully, you have the power to find the quality clients you want for your business. It is not easy, but with the ideas above, you have the strategies to make it work for your business.

2. Your Domain Name

At the root level, your SEO revolves around your domain name. Does your domain have keywords in it? Having a domain name with keywords in it can accelerate your SEO efforts. But it’s not a silver bullet technique. Even domain names with SEO-rich keywords can rank horribly.

Did you buy your domain name? Relationships built on the internet with search engines revolve around trust. Mimicking real life to determine trust, search engines must determine you know what you are talking about. They also factor in the age of your domain to determine the legitimacy of your information, website, and business.

Is your domain penalized? If you bought your domain name from a third-party auction site, it may be abused and discarded. If it were involved in malicious activity or black hat tactics and flagged by search engines, it would take a long time to reverse the damage.

Did a business own your domain outside your geographical area? Sometimes, when a business closes, they sell its domain name. Perhaps your company has had the.org, and now the .com is available. You might be excited because it was owned by a business in another state long before you started your business.

The only problem, in the beginning, is that the domain has a long history with the previous business in their geographical location. While this won’t ruin your chances, it does put a bit of a roadblock until you assume ownership and the internet begins recognizing the owner’s new address.

3. Your Business and Location

For starters, every business should claim and list their business with Google. It’s free and a great tool for improving your business’s online presence.

What does your business provide? If you have a niche business serving a limited clientele, you will see faster results if your clients are specifically searching for your services. For example, your company only recycles cooking oil for restaurants in Fort Myers, Florida.

If you are in a more competitive field, like dentistry, you will have more competition. Not only are there more dentists than oil recycling companies, but they are also spending money to outperform their competition consistently.

4. Your Content

Your website content needs to do something remarkable. It needs to be written so that humans will enjoy it and Google will rank it. This is a tall order for any site to accomplish. It is a primary reason so many businesses give up in disgust after not receiving enough traffic early on in their SEO campaign.

More SEO Advice for Beginners

For more basic but in-depth advice, Search Engine Land’s Periodic Table Of SEO Success Factors introduces you to all the key concepts you need to know.

Guide To Local SEO

As a companion to this post, our 10 Local SEO Ranking Factors explain the ranking factors and provide tips and advice on implementation.

Conclusion

It’s important to be patient and persistent when it comes to SEO. It takes time to build up the authority and trust that Google needs to rank your website #1. However, if you’re willing to put in the work, it can be a very rewarding process.

Here are some additional thoughts on the topic:

  • SEO is a long-term game. Don’t expect to rank #1 overnight. It takes time and effort to build up the authority and trust that Google needs to rank your website highly.
  • SEO is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The best SEO strategy for your business will depend on a number of factors, including your industry, your target keywords, and your budget.
  • SEO is an ongoing process. You need to continually optimize your website and build backlinks in order to maintain your rankings.

If you’re serious about ranking #1 on Google, I recommend that you work with an experienced SEO agency. They can help you develop a customized SEO strategy that will help you achieve your goals.

141 responses to “How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working?”

  1. Mark says:

    Great article!

    As far as how long do rankings take… we’ve found that shorter keywords, especially more competitive keywords will take 9months to more than a year to get to the top of page one.
    Google has really been slowing this down in the past year. A few of our sites, had some of the best SEO work we’ve ever done applied to it, and we took it from brand new site to the top of page 2, where is sat there for like 8 months… then without changing anything, it started to climb up to the #1 spot (which took 4 months). We’ve been able to replicate these results over and over with out test sites, point is rankings take time, and Google will intentionally (and randomly) hold your site back for a period of time before it let’s you take that all elusive #1 spot.

  2. Charlie says:

    Hey Mark, Thanks for the insight on your experience with ranking sites! – Charlie

  3. Yash Gautam says:

    Thanks for this Great Article, Really Appreciable post by you, many thanks to you. 🙂

  4. Mo says:

    How long did it take to go from brand new site to top of page 2 for you?

  5. Thomas says:

    Great article.. How do we know if this still works ? I heard 2017 is different ?

  6. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey Thomas, Its always “different” but consistently stays the same. Gravity pulls down. – Charlie

  7. Thank you for this, I have been wondering how long does it takes to see any results, I have been doing some work on my site, another thing I am wondering is that If we do all the SEO work and what we should do to maintain a site in the top #10 of google?

    Thanks

  8. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey Edwin, SEO is like exercise…the day you stop is the day you begin to lose strength and endurance. You have to constantly manage your site and stay up to date with major algo changes. My guide helps lay a firm foundation of SEO knowledge. Link: https://www.seomechanic.com/book/seo-small-business-guide/ – Charlie

  9. Thank you, Charlie Rose, for answering my question, I will be reading your guide for small business.
    I really like your work.

  10. Kunji Meena says:

    I got really some useful ideas from this article.
    I have started seo for my new website http://www.kunjimeena.com

  11. Jaime Olaer says:

    Hi Charlie,

    I wrote an article about this topic. However, in a different perspective.

    One thing that I have emphasized in this blog was the changes in Google Algorithm. Since 2011 to 2016 there are approximately 106 known changes in Google’s algorithm, which I believe affects our SEO effort.

    Cheers,
    Jaime

  12. Joe Dalton says:

    Thanks Charlie, Its a good read. I like the way you have set up your offer, “Free SEO report”. Very clever.

    Have a look at my SEO infographie.

    Cheers

    Joe

  13. Hossam says:

    Hi,
    I have my website for more than a year now but just indexed the website since 3 months. My question is how long SEO will take to bring some results, is it calculated from the time I registered the domain and published my website or from the time I indexed the website?
    Thanks

  14. Yash says:

    Thanks for your well written article.

    It took me over a year to see results and rank on Page 1 of Google.
    I have strong backlinks and lots of content however my industry is very competitive and I’m competing with sites that have been in the business for over 7 years.

    One thing Ive noticed is pages with great content immediately outranks others within a few weeks. So focus on content more than on page and off page SEO.

  15. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey Yash, yes content plays an important part in search algorithms.

  16. Alex says:

    My website is about 5 years old. At some point i had the first 3 positions on google. Then i hired an seo company and i ended up in the page 105! Since then i sorted out the issue and the site is keep moving. One day i am on the first page, 5th or 6th, then i am sent to page 20 the next day. This is going on for 2 years now. One day i am busy like hell & the next day relax big time.
    I had few website health checks but nothing wrong comes up (beside small things)

    I wonder if you have any idea how to stop this daily movements?

    Great content!

  17. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey Alex, Great SEO question! It could be a number of factors. If you have time sign up for our SEO forum and post more details. Link: https://www.seomechanic.com/register/. We an also track the conversation better.

  18. Mike says:

    The biggest mistake I see business owners, entrepreneurs make when it comes to their SEO is a lack of patience. In order to see good results, they’ll have to wait for up to 8 months depending on the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes a year or two if they had any penalties or back hat SEO in the past.

  19. Thanks for sharing the list of blog commenting. It is such valuable information. It will help us for building a backlink.

  20. Yogi says:

    Is it possible to get worldwide traffic with .in domain name ?

  21. Charlie Rose says:

    It depends on they type of content you have on your site. Here’s a good article to read on that subject. https://moz.com/blog/why-cctlds-should-not-be-an-automatic-choice-for-international-websites

  22. Love the way you arrange all post. Not just nice design but informative even for pro. Thank you so much Keep going. Thankyou for your nice info. So much informative article.

  23. Emma says:

    Thanks very much! Several years ago, we inadvertently discovered ourselves at number 1 for quite a few keywords for another website we ran. So began my study and fascination with SEO! Can’t stop reading about it, there’s always more to learn.

  24. Victor says:

    Hi, I’m thinking of procuring SEO for a really competitive industry Could you please refer me to your SEO company

  25. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey Victor,

    We are the SEO Company :o)!

    Charlie

  26. Deepheavy says:

    hey, please tell me , i have a blog who’s name ezzyweb.com and i have install yoast seo plugin on wordpress . i have done my good level of seo with yoast . i have followed all the instructions.there is showing green signal . so how long time it can take for ranking on google.

  27. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey,

    Check out this Forum post on keyword density related to the Yoast plugin.

    Link: https://www.seomechanic.com/forums/topic/how-to-use-keywords-throughout-the-post/

    Feel free to post a question on that thread and we’ll answer them.

    Charlie

  28. Thanks for your info. I wasnt aware that it takes such a long time for SEO to work. Hopefully with some of your tips and advice I will be able to get more traffic to my blog http://www.combatsportsfitness.net

  29. Charlie Rose says:

    Yep it can take a long time to rank depending on your industry and location.

  30. […] that give up! Let us help you get your SEO in order. Click here to get in touch today! Thanks to seomechanic.com for the information sourced in this […]

  31. […] Rose, C. (2017, August 15). SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? Retrieved from SEO Mechanic: https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  32. Katie says:

    Hey, Thank you for sharing useful factors. I would say ranking totally depends on keywords competition as well as search engine optimization. IF you doing in a right way it will not take much time to get up in google searches but as you know Google is updating day by day which may affect SEO effort sometime. The post is really helpful for me and my fellows. Thank you

  33. Very nice article. I will apply in my website.

  34. James says:

    Great article with so much information regarding how to get ranking in a good way. Indeed, Content and keywords are really important in search engine optimization. Totally agreed with all above points. We really need to be consistent.

    Thank you, Sir.

  35. Anjali says:

    Brilliant article. The information I have been searching precisely. It helped me a lot, thanks. Keep coming with more such informative article. Would love to follow them.

  36. S. Gupta says:

    Hi,
    Very nice article, i appreciate your article hope this article will be help me surly. i have one web named http://www.comedymood.com now his ranking above 1 lac but i want below 6 thousand. After reading your aricle i will improve my SEo work
    Thanks

  37. I do write on seo as well, and must say these are really helpful tips. Thanks for sharing.

  38. gk questions says:

    Thank you for sharing such valuable info.

  39. First, I’m Joey and this is the first time I come with seomechanic.com – a beautiful design!
    You using Private Blog Network for your website? Should or not in 2018? And How to Build a PBN in 2018?
    Thanks for sharing list blog commenting!

  40. Charlie Rose says:

    Hey Joey! No we don’t use a PBN. That’s a dicey thing to do these days. Its not 100% up to White Hat SEO Standards. ~ Charlie

  41. Gary says:

    Hiya – how do you know if you have been penalised, is there a specific notification or is it just a ranking change? interested to find out. I use both MOZ and SME (free tools) but can’t see anything obvious.

    Thanks
    http://www.garynunn.co.uk

  42. THANKS A LOT
    GOOD LUCK

  43. Ayush Goyal says:

    Hi Charlie,

    Thanks for sharing the informative blog. It really helped me a lot to learn new things about seo. Keep sharing the informative blog.

  44. Shane says:

    Hey Charlie, thank you for this.

    What if we choose a key phrase that has virtually 0 competition? In that case, we are still looking at 4–6 months before Google acknowledges it? Or will it be indexed and rise to the top more or less instantly?

  45. Charlie Rose says:

    In that case it could take half as long. But it still takes longer than most people think. its not instantaneous by any means. Great question! ~ Charlie

  46. Ian Mathieu says:

    Thanks for talking me off the ledge. Been working at it non-stop. Even started taking on some clients of my own to avoid “Over-SEOing” my site. I keep feeling like one morning I’m going to wake up and BOOM! All my keywords will be at the top. I guess I just have to be patient.

  47. Charlie Rose says:

    Yea I know the feeling! Just give it time but if it takes too long there might be something you are missing.

  48. […] overnight results. While businesses want to see results quickly, that’s not how SEO works. SEO takes time – you’re not going to see an instant traffic increase, more conversions and a rise in […]

  49. seogator.ir says:

    thanks a lot. try more and go on.

  50. Charlie Rose says:

    Indeed! SEO never stops!

  51. Thanks for sharing such informative blog. It really helped me a lot to learn new things about seo. Keep on sharing informative and useful stuffs. Great blog!

  52. Charlie Rose says:

    Thanks for the words of encouragement. Glad my SEO tips are helpful!

  53. Brian Harper says:

    Great article! I’ve been trying to find this out for a while now. My SEO is stagnant, but I know I have to be patient as my backlink profile grows. You’re the second person to say wait four to six months. Another person said wait after posts. Patience is key!

  54. Charlie Rose says:

    Yep when it comes to SEO, patience is the best medicine. Its a marathon not a sprint.

  55. Bob Moran says:

    Thanks for useful tips and for explaining why getting time to see the result is worth to do it. I’m currently concentrated on link building. Hope this strategy will help.

  56. Charlie Rose says:

    Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Glad these SEO tips were useful.

  57. […] up solid search ranking takes a bit of time – in some cases a few months to see results. Don’t be discouraged. Stay committed to your SEO efforts, and continue […]

  58. Nirav Dave says:

    The problem with new businesses is that all want their website to rank #1 in the search result instantly. Sadly, SEO doesn’t work that way as shown clearly in your article. This is a great post for those who want to understand the basics of SEO and how it works. Thank you, Charlie for sharing this.

  59. Shane Thorne says:

    It is the best article I have ever read about SEO. As a beginner I have many questions and you helped me to find answers to almost all my answers! I am going to read other articles. What can you advise for beginners as me 😉 What else should we know?

  60. Charlie Rose says:

    Yes no problem! Expectations are one of the biggest hurdles in SEO.

  61. Charlie Rose says:

    Great! I appreciate the comment. And good luck on your sites continued SEO improvements!

  62. Vernis says:

    Thanks for the article. I have recently started SEO and my client is very inpatient. He wants to see results the next month, so I have to explain to him that it does not work that way, it takes time, etc…
    SEO is hard, but possible.

  63. Charlie Rose says:

    Oh goodness those are tough ones. Managing expectations is the hardest part. And it never ends, even as your SEO business grows.

  64. Vicky Tawde says:

    Thanks for sharing this article with us. I always like to read your posts, nice work!

  65. Charlie Rose says:

    Thanks appreciate the comment! How long have you been doing SEO?

  66. […] SEO can be very beneficial long-term, it can take months or even years to kick […]

  67. 10seos says:

    Lots of useful tips, with the web becoming more and more competitive as the days go by its important to be on point and up to date with all seo tricks. Thanks for the article!

  68. Gerty Gift says:

    I thought that it was interesting that you mentioned we should see some results after about four months. My friend has decided to start using SEO to her advantage to get her business out there. I think that it’s a good little guide to have and it really helps with making some goals.

  69. […] SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? […]

  70. […] SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? […]

  71. Joan Boneb says:

    Very nice article! You put here only neccessary information so it is easy to find out what is SEO when you just start to work in this sphere!

  72. […] SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? […]

  73. Lex Reyes says:

    I agree with you “SEO is an investment” it really is! time and efforts are very put in to effort in doing SEO some may be wasted but mostly of those are worth the “investment”

  74. Once again Charlie thanks for the article. In my opinion everything you point out is bang on here. The increase in time that it takes to rank new sites now makes complete sense, and also ends up with the user having a better experience. One of the reasons that over 75% of searchers don’t leave the first page is because improvements to the search engine algorithms have resulted in much more relevant results to the searchers.

    I can recall, years ago, entering a search term “real swords” and having google return a SERP that contained a variety of sites that included everything from aliens, to sports, to porn.

    That just doesn’t happen any more thank goodness.

  75. Drell Torres says:

    Amazing and well written article! I learned a lot from this article. I hope many people would be inspired and motivated in involving their business in SEO field. Thanks a lot!

  76. DURU says:

    Really enjoyed reading your article. Makes a lot of sense.

  77. kuber sir says:

    This is the best article for beginner thanks you sharing for the wonderful information.

  78. […] Rose, C. (2018). SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? – SEO Mechanic. Retrieved from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  79. […] Rose, C., M., C., M., Gautam, Y., T., . . . DURU. (2018, June 01). SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  80. Irvin says:

    Hello i have website with 44 articles,last 1 month i have index some of page to top of search engine first page.my questions is how long to visitor start to come.my hope is 100 articles end of year.I have low compotitions and good search monthy between 1k to 10000 and 10000 to 100000
    Will my progress will be good after 1 to two year

  81. Charlie Rose says:

    SEO is a lot like a diamond. It takes time and pressure ;o)!

  82. viva traffic says:

    Knowing a time frame could guide us and helping us avoid a mistake from being inpatient, thanks for the article !

  83. This is great insight. I have been wondering if I was doing something wrong. But I guess its time to let it simmer and monitor it for the time being

  84. ragini says:

    nice article,thnaks for sharing this information.

  85. jasmine dora says:

    It’s just an amazing blog. I found much information from it. Really this blog is very informative. Thanks for sharing the determining factors of SEO. Besides this, all information is outstanding. Keep it up.

  86. Vabhes Roy says:

    Good Article, Well Written and simply executed to understand everything. Thanks for writing such a good Article writing on this Topic . I am really impressed with your ways of article writing with this depth.I enjoy this post and will try to read and review more.

  87. Kevin says:

    Fantastic article, but the question I can’t seem to find an answer for anywhere is about established pages. I get that it takes a long time for newly published pages , but I can’t find any case studies on pages that have been there for years, and I decide to go back and update and add better content etc. Is the timeline the same?

  88. […] the whole, most information resources agree that it takes between four to six months on average to start seeing the results for your SEO […]

  89. […] fresh content – Google looks for sites that provide value. The best way to deliver value is content your customers will enjoy. That means your website needs a fresh take to stand out from others in […]

  90. […] Your MSP blog will attract target demographics through SEO. SEO deals with the subject matter of your blog, keywords, structuring, pictorial aspects of presentation, video aspects of presentation, meta tags, meta descriptions, and regular installments of new content. Guest blogging and on-site resources additionally round out your SEO profile. A properly managed blog will incorporate all these elements, refining it to be most visible for your target demographic. Effectively, given time, it drives traffic to your site– about six months on average. […]

  91. ramakrishnan says:

    You have furnished the right information that will be useful to anyone at all time. The points mentioned in this article are very unique and important. Thanks for sharing such informative article on SEO strategies.

  92. […] love this analogy from SEOMechanic, https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/, “SEO is an investment. Think of SEO as a 401k approach versus a roulette approach. Your efforts […]

  93. Sammy says:

    Well, nowadays Google ranks a website really fast if there is huge traffic coming a staying to our website. A few years back building a large number of backlinks were given importance but nowadays that is a pretty time waste. So the question is how to get that huge traffic. Well, the simple answer is on-page optimization and a strong Social media presence. Yes, Social media marketing is very important now.
    and we must increase the site speed and reduce its bounce rate by improving the UI UX of our website.

  94. john evans says:

    The title depicts about duration of learning seo and how much time will a user will take to learn seo and this article shows all data above and a complete way to learn it.

  95. John Evans says:

    Thanks for sharing the information. SEO is anything and everything a website needs to rank on search engines. It is moreover optimizing a website to make it more search engine friendly.

  96. […] you precisely once they want you — and even higher, once they wish to buy one thing. Conventional search engine marketing can take months to construct as a result of it takes numerous content material writing and constructing your on-line […]

  97. Montana says:

    if you get a backlink from a good site and the post where the backlink is residing is indexed in google news, bing ETC does the backlink take effect immediately?

  98. […] exactly when they need you — and even better, when they want to purchase something. Traditional SEO can take months to build because it takes a lot of content writing and building your online […]

  99. Charlie Rose says:

    Highly unlikely unless your site has a high authority. Our experience with 50 -100DA sites will get extra love much quicker from search engine indexes. Would be a great study. Thanks for leaving a comment!

  100. Roar Info says:

    Hi ,
    I have just started learning about the mechanics about seo. The way you have presented this article, It’s really helpful and made me understand. Thank you very much!!!!
    dikshyant

  101. Charlie Rose says:

    Glad it was helpful. Take your time and consider reading this article on how seo works.

  102. […] Rose, C. (2018, August 26). SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? Retrieved November 6, 2018, from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  103. Yes SEO takes time to drive good results. If you think you can have results overnight it is not possible at all by doing whitehat. Thanks for your sharing such a great stuff.

  104. Sahil says:

    Thats great insight and analytical overview.

  105. […] exactly when they need you — and even better, when they want to purchase something. Traditional SEO can take months to build because it takes a lot of content writing and building your online […]

  106. Naveen Kumar says:

    These are the real stick facts about the SEO! Thanks for sharing this awesome post.

    Please keep posting such great things about digital marketing.

  107. […] 1 month may not be enough time to generate enough traffic to the site […]

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  109. […] viewing it from a financial standpoint, technically, SEO is for free. However, when it comes to time and resource investment, then SEO is not entirely […]

  110. Chase Huff says:

    Great information. Been working on SEO for a few weeks now and it’s been a huge learning curve for me.

  111. charlie@funnls.com says:

    Its gets to be a deep hole. I’ve been working on SEO for the past 20 years ahhhh!

  112. Alex says:

    Great guide to SEO here. Really impressive. Does anyone know how to block ahrefs and pbn hunter? I can’t seem to get anything to work in my “htaccess” file?

  113. charlie@funnls.com says:

    Great question! Do you want to block them from crawling your site or just showing up in Google Analytics?

  114. […] SEO initiatives generally takes 4 to 6 months before we see results, you […]

  115. Caden Dahl says:

    I do like that with SEO, it does take about four to six months to see results. If I had to get that, I would know that I’d have to be patient as it doesn’t happen overnight. That and with whatever SEO work I would want to be done, I’d just be sure to have it done by a professional.

  116. […] The first words a company – whether it’s a one man operation or an international conglomeration – is going to ask its marketing department when starting a campaign is typically, “How much is this going to cost me?” In today’s world of social media presence being “THE” thing, and search engines like Google running the place, the answer to that question isn’t always straightforward. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, always seems like the best answer, especially if your marketing department consists of, well, you. It’s free and relatively easy, right? Not always. And let’s not forget the old adage, you must spend money to make money. That is where SEM, Search Engine Marketing, comes into play. And spending that little bit can get you big returns quickly. While SEO doesn’t cost you hard, cold cash at its offset, it DOES cost something that may be just as, if not more, valuable – time and energy. If you are working to build a small local business, something that generates traffic to your website organically, rather than through paying for advertising, may seem like the best – sometimes only – option. However, chances are you are working day and night at the business side of your business, with little time to spare on blogging, ensuring your website is relevant and current, and developing keyword search strategies with the analyzed data that you collect every day. And, yes, in order to see long term returns on your investment into SEO, those are just the beginning. When I say “long term”, I do mean it – as Charlie Rose notes in his 2018 article “SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working?”, those seeking to see results from their hard work at SEO shouldn’t expect to see them for four to six months – at a minimum (Rose, 2018). Rose also links the graphic below from Search Engine Land, which is a great tool to helping folks begin their SEO journey, as well as getting a comprehensive checklist of what the right stuff is. It can be done – with little to no upfront capital – but unrealistic expectations can frustrate the best of us, and this is a long haul approach to marketing. When you get to that final page of Google Ads asking you to enter your credit card information, you cringe while doing it. What if there are a ton of clicks that lead to nothing? The truth is, this is a possibility – however highly unlikely. With the right keywords, targeting your market well and efficiently – partnered with great content written, a strong social media presence and a killer website – the PPC (pay per click) approach is a very wise and low risk financial investment. But wait? Everything mentioned is exactly the same recipe for a great SEO campaign too, right? That’s absolutely correct. The key is a combination of these two – developing a great SEO strategy can help your business retain its growth in the long term, while SEM can help cut down on the time it takes to build that momentum, by placing your business front and center quicker.The Periodic Table of SEO Success Factors. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://searchengineland.com/seotableRose, C. (2018, January 15). SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? • SEO Mechanic. Retrieved from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  117. […] Rose, Charlie (2018) SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? Retrieved from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  118. […] Reference; Rose, Charlie (2019), seomechanic.com, retrieved from, https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  119. […] Rose, C. (2018, August 26). SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/ […]

  120. […] It means they’re going to need a lot of patience while waiting for Google to rank us as it usually takes at least 6 months. […]

  121. […] you consider search engine optimization (SEO) a waste of time and money? Are you struggling to understand why search optimization is important to your […]

  122. […] SEO Mechanic agrees with both Forbes and Search Engine Journal that it takes 4 to 6 months to see […]

  123. […] correctly, you will see results in short to medium term that both make an impact on overall sales and visibility in […]

  124. […] to SEO Mechanic, it can take 4-6 months to start to see results. Depending on the frequency of your digital […]

  125. […] advertising will send customers to your website within hours of setting up a campaign, whereas quality SEO results can take months to generate. In addition, SEO requires constant maintenance and attention to sustain the […]

  126. […] to SEO Mechanic, it can take 4-6 months to start to see results. Depending on the frequency of your digital […]

  127. Caitlin Strempel says:

    Yes! Thank you for this article. I plan to share with my onboarding clients. I typically have my clients start with the long tail keywords and then work up to medium tail keywords. MOST (not always) the time having the longer tail keywords speeds up the process slightly depending on several factors. BUT it’s still Google and SEO and still TAKES TIME! And it’s of course worth the investment 🙂

  128. […] is relatively easy to initiate a search engine marketing campaign. SEM also takes effect in a much shorter time than SEO, meaning that changes are noticeable a short while after implementation. Depending on the reactions […]

  129. Lorenzo Gutierrez says:

    Solid article Charlie.
    You made several points I agree with. SEO takes time. Most people quit too early because they dont see the results they are looking for fast enough.

  130. Ryan Hough says:

    Nice insight Charlie. I think people have this idea that Google are able to compute things instantly whereas in my opinion this is very far from the truth. It seems to me that they have a lot of inbuilt processes to actually slow things down and thereby prevent SEO’s from manipulating the search results. Links can take anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 months to kick in so a SEO campaign can easily take 6 months plus. Difficult to explain to clients that want instant results!

  131. Natalia says:

    Thanks for great tutorial! I have 6-month old website and I see a lot of ups and downs in my position in search results. Your article helped me to keep going and be patient 🙂

  132. Charlie Rose says:

    Yes! SEO takes longer than people think for sure.

  133. Peter says:

    Amazing Article amazing information for all beginners who want to learn SEO and we really appreciate for your telling us about Market Duration about SEO working start.

  134. […] still have to remember that: SEO is a long-term investment. It takes 4 to 6 months to get your results. This is why you should avoid so-called SEO experts offering shady and instant formulas. Screw […]

  135. E Thomas says:

    Do these rules regarding seo for websites and blogs apply to online podcasts as well?

  136. […]                 This is especially important when it is a matter of seeking for some local services and things to do, since it is the only way to making sure that the people searching for your company will be able to find you, without hearing about a recommendation first, or specifically seeking for your webpage bellow. But however, even though it sounds very easy, optimizing a webpage this good can be a huge challenge, and many people aren’t able to cope with it since it is a process that should be maintained on a regular basis. And for more on it, please visit https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/. […]

  137. […] is relatively easy to initiate a search engine marketing campaign. SEM also takes effect in a much shorter time than SEO, meaning that changes are noticeable a short while after implementation. Depending on the reactions […]

  138. Charlie Rose says:

    Similar but different. Depends on what podcast repository you are trying to rank in.

  139. […] you will need to start on best SEO practices now instead of waiting until the last minute. It takes at least 3-4 months for SEO to see movement in your rankings, because algorithms like to see a bit of history when it comes to […]