How Long Until SEO Results Are Seen?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way to get more people to visit your website. It can be accomplished through a variety of methods. And often, a variety is exactly what’s needed to see the best results.

People don’t tend to stray too far down the Google results page when they type in a query. So the closer you are to the top, the better chance you have at convincing them to visit your website.

But what determines the time it takes to see results from local SEO efforts?

Continued Effort
Content & Metrics
Quality Content & Longevity
Keywords & User Intent
Local SEO
Patience

Continued Effort Towards Optimization

There is no straightforward answer to this question. There are simply too many factors that change the equation from one website to the next. The main idea is that you should understand local SEO efforts aren’t going to bring you to the top of the search results right away. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. And like a marathon, preparation and continued effort will yield the best results.

But as a general goal, you can put six months as your benchmark for when results should start to be seen. Again, there are a lot of extenuating factors that can push this number either forward or back.

Content & Metrics That Affect Your Return on SEO

Your website is not like anybody else’s website. The content, pictures, and links are all going to be different from another website even if you use the same template. And these differences are going to set the baseline for your search result rankings.

For example, a website that has been around for years is going to have a larger backlog of content and engagement. So it’s baseline of search result rankings is going to be a little higher when compared to a website that is just getting started. A newer website can expect to see a bigger impact by incorporating SEO tactics, but that doesn’t mean a more established website has nothing to gain.

There are also different metrics that can affect the speed of your return on SEO. For instance, a shoe store can target their local market and see better results than if they target a global market.

Managing your expectations and solidifying your goals will set you up to better interpret the results of your SEO efforts and guide you toward success.

Quality Content & Longevity

We mentioned the necessity of continued efforts. Specifically-constructed, quality content is what attracts the attention of search engines. The more content you have optimized, the more chances you have at receiving clicks from interesting searchers.

Continued SEO efforts will result in a large backlog of content from blogs, optimized website copy, quality links, and relevant tags on pictures. All of these things can add together to increase your online visibility.

Websites which are new to SEO simply don’t have the quantity of quality material. This means they are going to have a tougher time competing with those who have been focused on SEO for a long time.

But that doesn’t mean new websites can’t compete. It simply means it will take a little bit of time. The positive results from local SEO efforts will happen after a little time is invested in the practice.

Keywords And User Intent

The keywords you choose to target are specialized phrases and words that your potential customers will use to find your services. However, it won’t help your business to target the wrong keywords. It might be easier to rank for lesser keywords but you won’t see an increase in customer engagement if they don’t actually relate to your services.

Bounce rate measures the tendency of visitors to leave your website without clicking into another page. This signifies that the visitor either didn’t like what they found or decided it wasn’t relevant to their needs. This can be used as a sign that your keywords need to be updated.

There are also keywords that are more generic and therefore much more difficult to target. Let’s go back to the shoe store example. They could target “shoe store Nashville” or the more generic “shoe store.” They stand a much better chance at ranking for the specialized version of the keyword because their competition is far less. There are maybe a hundred shoe stores in Nashville while there are millions of them worldwide.

Targeting the right keywords will help your website see results from their SEO efforts much quicker.

Local SEO

Local SEO can be a great help to your Nashville business. Local SEO will usually see faster returns than National SEO. Those who live in your area are more likely to see your business in the local map on cell phones allowing users to visit your business or buy your products and services. So how do you target the locals? You make sure you optimize your content to show up in their search results when they are looking for your industry.

Patience

Patience is key to a successful SEO campaign. Websites shouldn’t get discouraged if they don’t see their name at the top of Google’s search results immediately after starting to focus on SEO. It will take some time. But continued attention and knowledgeable guidance from the experts at Horton Group gives you a great chance at seeing your name climb the search results page.