If you have a business or personal project that you are trying to share with others, then, you have a website. And, if you have a website, you are most likely concerned with SEO. SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is a collection of strategies and techniques that allow your site to climb up the ranks and eventually show up on the SERP – or a Search Engine Result Page.
It is easy enough to understand that, if your site appears before others on the first Google page, your brand, business, or project will gain visibility and popularity. However, once you have started to work towards optimizing your site for SEO, how long does it take for changes to happen?
The quick answer is that there is no quick answer, but most SEO experts would agree that, if your strategy is working, you should see results within 6 months. Here is all you need to know.
How Long Does It Take To See SEO Changes?
Unfortunately, when it comes down to SEO, there is not a fast answer you can receive. There are many factors that weigh on how your site is ranking on a given search engine. Of course, the keywords you have selected still play an essential role, but a lot of other factors are becoming increasingly important.
Generally, after you have started to work on your site’s SEO, you will see results within six to nine months. However, throughout the first year, you will be able to reap the fruits of your hard work. Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that search engines constantly update their algorithm, causing some SEO practices to become obsolete almost overnight.
Therefore, you should approach SEO, not as a time-sensitive, finite project, but rather as an ongoing effort. This strategy allows your site’s pages to achieve and maintain a great ranking on your desired search engine.
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Factors That Can Affect the Time You Need To See Results
For many, “SEO” is still a synonym for “keywords”. Undoubtedly, you still need to select the right ones and use them in your content. However, SEO is much more than that! The way you structure your pages, and how your users experience your site are all influential aspects to consider.
Here are eight factors that might cause you to see SEO results earlier or later than anticipated.
Your Site’s Age and Authority
Your site’s sage and authority influence your ranking. Once you have changed your SEO strategy, you will also need to review how your site is considered and whether it holds high levels of authority. If your site is old and respected, SEO changes can be much quicker. Oppositely, a new site will struggle more to climb ranks.
Understanding Users
Just changing keywords is no longer as useful a strategy as it was in the past. This is because search engines’ searches are becoming more speech-based. Also thanks to the advent of virtual assistants like Alexa, users tend to ask real-life questions. Instead of just sprinkling or stuffing your content with keywords, you truly need to understand your users’ intent and questions.
The Backlink Structure
Link building has always been important in SEO because it can increase your site’s authority. However, link-building strategies can take months or years to yield results. So, it is essential that you continue to keep up this effort alongside other SEO practices and updates. Ultimately, collaborating with other sites can be a great way to start building a solid network.
SEO-Friendly Design
Both on-page and off-page design affect SEO. in fact, your content needs to be structured in a way that is easily readable and scannable by users. However, you also need to increase their engagement and experience by making the whole site fast, modern, accessible, and highly responsive. It goes without saying that interactive features such as a chat or frequent call-to-actions, videos, and tests are a great way to keep your users engaged – and, on your site!
Content Strategy
One of the main staples of SEO is that content is king – and it is more relevant than ever! In fact, people are looking to find information from authoritative sources, and they need fast and actionable knowledge. Because of this, what you decide to publish on your site can influence how your site will rank. Make sure to have a content strategy planned out to make the most of your SEO updates.
Search Engine Updates
Leading search engines such as Google update their algorithm constantly. However, every once in a while, major updates are released, and you need to be always up to date with these changes.
For example, the most recent update released by Google was Google Core Web Vitals. This update is a way for Google to share with site owners the new factors that will be taken into consideration during the ranking process. It goes without saying that greater importance has been placed on UX!
