How Much Time Does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Take?

How Much Time Does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Take?

Optimizing a website takes a significant amount of time. It even takes much longer to see the results of these optimizations. Generally, in SEO studies, changes begin to be seen at the end of three months. But it takes at least six months to see full results. Although it may seem like a long time, the increase in organic traffic over time is worth the wait.

How Does Search Engine Optimization Work?

To understand why SEO takes so long to improve rankings and increase organic traffic, it is important to understand how it works. 

‍Research: SEO efforts should start with competitor analysis and audience research. It should be investigated which words your potential customers search for the products and services you offer in search engines, which keywords have search volume and how these words are used on competitor sites.

An SEO strategy should be planned using keywords and "long-tail" phrases that will attract qualified traffic to the website. 

‍On-Page Optimization: After SEO determines the most appropriate keywords for your business, these keywords should be optimized on the pages of your site. The scope and time this process takes is determined by the amount of content on your site. 

Optimizing a small-scale website is much faster. However, sites with little original content will need to work harder until they see SEO results. 

‍Content Creation: In addition to optimizing the pages already on your site, you will need to upload content regularly to increase search engine rankings. Regular sharing is the key here. In fact, regular sharing means longer SEO efforts.

This process, known as content marketing, signals to search engines that you are an up-to-date site. Also, by creating content, you can use the "long-tail" phrases you identified during the research phase.

Another advantage of creating new content is that it attracts attention. Thus, you can increase your ranking by gaining links from sites with high SEO scores.

Keeping the Site Updated: Keeping your site updated with content and continuing to add it is a factor that affects search engines. As you keep your site up to date, Google will notice this and increase your ranking.

Existing Content: If you already have quality and sufficient content on your site, you can achieve higher rankings with minor SEO adjustments. Title studies are included in these arrangements.  If you have such a site, you can see SEO results faster than other site owners. 

Google SEO Penalties: If you have previously worked with a digital marketing agency working with a "black hat SEO" strategy, your site may have been penalized by Google. For such a site, it will take much longer to start SEO efforts and see results.