How Long Does SEO Take

If you're starting to do search engine optimization (SEO) for your website, you might wonder how long it'll really take to see results. Here's the reality: SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, so the answer isn't straightforward. Most businesses start to see traction in 4 to 12 months, depending on key factors like website age, domain authority, competition, and the quality of website content.

I'm Henry Purchase, founder of SEOSpace, the SEO plugin for Squarespace, with extensive experience helping businesses rank in search results. In this article, I'll explain what you can expect from your SEO efforts within a 12-month timeline and how to realistically apply these strategies for success.

Start With A Website Trial

Why does SEO take so long?

SEO is all about making your website more appealing to search engines so it ranks higher in search results. This doesn't happen overnight, because search engines use complex algorithmsto decide where your site stands, and they consider many factors, such as:

1. Keyword use

2. Website authority

3. User experience

4. Your competitors

5. Your website's history

Unlike paid ads, which can bear results in a matter of days, SEO is a long-term strategy that can take months before you see significant changes. There can be a delay in seeing SEO results due to a few common reasons.

1. Building authority takes time

One important part of SEO is building authority through backlinks, which are links from other trusted websites to yours. These backlinks act like votes of confidence, telling search engines that your site is credible.

But getting these links takes time and effort because it involves creating great contentthat people naturally want to share and forming partnerships with other reputable sites. This is why SEO content can't be rushed if you want to maintain quality.

2. The Google Sandbox theory

New websites often face a delay in gaining visibility, a phenomenon known as the Google Sandbox. This is an unofficial term for the period, usually 1 to 3 months, during which new sites may not rank well in search results. Even though Google hasn't confirmed this, many believe it's a way for Google to evaluate the trustworthiness of new websites before giving them higher rankings. So patience is key in the period right after you launch a new website.

3. Technical SEO and user experience

Optimizing technical aspects like mobile-friendliness and page load speeds, as well as fixing broken links, is essential to SEO success. These improvements enhance user experience but require careful planning and time to implement effectively.

Many people aren't checking their page loading times or links with every website update they make, but it's a good idea to do so. Leaving these issues unaddressed can slow down your SEO growth.

4. Budget and resources

SEO requires a dedicated budget and resources. If you don't have budget to dedicate to SEO tools, it's still possible to achieve your goals, but your decisions or strategy may be less precise, which can make progress slower as you test and adjust.

Similarly, if you don't have the time or budget to spend on creating SEO-friendly content or pursuing partnerships and other opportunities, there are fewer chances for your brand or website to get discovered. People will still be able to find your website through search, but you won't have those additional chances for discovery that blogs or other content could create.

5. Search competition

The level of competition in your niche and the difficulty of the keywords you're targeting can influence how quickly you see results, too. For example, if you're selling athletic wear, you'll find yourself competing against major global brands with plenty of resources and high brand authority. Appearing in searches might take longer for you than for someone selling a niche item like locally themed candles.

If you're going after keywords that have a lot of competition, it may also take longer to see results. For example, that athletic wear business might struggle to show up in searches for "sportswear" but might have better luck with "high-performance tennis apparel". Tools and expertise can help you identify your best opportunities.

6. Algorithm updates

Search engine algorithm updatescan introduce volatility into search rankings, affecting your SEO progress. Volatility in SEO refers to major fluctuations in the ranking of results generated for keyword searches.

Algorithm updates tend to roll out over several weeks, so it's best to wait until one has finished rolling out before making any changes to your SEO strategy. But it's important to be aware of when updates are happening and what they're targeting. You can find this information in SEO communities and blogs, then adapt your content if necessary to address any changes in your rankings.

7. AIO takes time, too

AI (artificial intelligence)search tools like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Gemini are changing how people search for information. As a result, SEO is now evolvingto include what we call AI optimization (AIO). While traditional SEO helps your website show up in search engine results, AIO is about making your content discoverable in AI search results. These results can show up as citations, direct recommendations, or summaries of your website copy.

While precise AIO factors are always evolving, wide-ranging proof of a website's authority and trustworthiness seems to be a factor. That includes reviews, testimonials, and discussions about your brand on third-party sites. These references take time to develop, since they need to come from outside sources.

AI can help scale up content generation and research or change how people discover your website, but the fundamentals of earning visibility, trust, relevance, and authority still take time to build in both SEO and AIO. Lasting success comes from consistent effort and high-value content, not quick fixes.

Try Squarespace

Timeline: A 12-month SEO overview

It's important to have realistic expectations before you begin your SEO journey; you should be prepared to wait some time before you start seeing results from your SEO efforts. The timeline can span about a year, but the wait is worth it if you want sustainable growth and visibility.

Here's an overview of what you can expect within 12 months. However, before we begin, here are a few notes to bear in mind:

• Since every website is different, the actual approach you'll employ might vary, but this timeline reflects the general approach my SEO agencyuses.

• If you run a local business, improving your local presence with local SEO and listing your business in directories should be done earlier, and not in month 12.

• Certain tasks are constant throughout the SEO journey, like generating high-quality content and backlink building.

Month 1: The foundational phase

In the beginning, the focus is on building a solid foundation. This phase involves:

• Optimizing SEO titles, SEO descriptions, and URLs

• Researching keywordsand planning a strategy to implement them

• Assessing your website to identify any existing issues that might hinder SEO success

On Squarespace, you can use SEOSpaceand Squarespace's built-in SEO tools to identify areas of improvement on your site. Things to look out for include broken links, oversized images, missing page titles or descriptions, and images missing alt text.

These steps are crucial as they lay the groundwork for future success and make your site more appealing to search engines.

Months 2-3: Implementing initial changes

As you move forward, the next few months typically involve implementing initial changes and refining on-site elements.

During this period, your primary objectives should be to:

• Enhance the quality of your website content

• Optimize technical aspects like page speed and mobile compatibility

These improvements can enhance user experience (UX). Also, high-quality content, such as in-depth guides, infographics, and case studies, are more likely to be referenced by other websites, generating backlinks in the process.

Months 4-5: Optimizing internal structure

Next, focus on optimizing your website's internal linking structure. This involves improving navigation within your site to make it easier for users to find what they're looking for while also effectively making sure every page is interlinked. A well-structured siteis like a well-organized library, where every book has its place and can be easily accessed.

Months 6-7: Building authority and trust

Around the midpoint of this journey, start to prioritize building authority and trust. This is where the concept of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) comes into play.

By producing high-quality content that positions your brand as a thought leader based on your firsthand experience in your niche, you enhance your credibility in the eyes of both users and search engines. As you become a trusted expert, web users know they can rely on you for accurate and valuable information.

Months 8-9: Enhancing brand visibility

Improving your brand's visibility through strategic public relations efforts plays a key role in your SEO approach. Engaging in activities like press releases, guest blogging, and influencer collaborations can significantly boost your visibility and help acquire high-quality backlinks.

Business owners can also encourage clients or customers to share reviews or testimonials on their website and other platforms, like Google Business Profile (GBP). These efforts help spread the word about your expertise and attract more people to experience what you have to offer.

Also, if you're running a business, it's important to ensure your business' name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across directories like GBP, Yelp, Bing Places, etc. Consistency in NAP across these directories signals to Google and other search engines that you're credible, helping you rank in local search results.

Months 10-11: Reviewing and adjusting strategies

As you progress through your SEO journey, reviewing and adjusting your strategy based on performance data is essential. Compare month-over-month data to get a picture of your performance on key metrics like traffic from search engines and search keyword rankings.

Analyze what's working and what's not, then refine your approach for the remaining months. For example, if you're struggling to attract search traffic, consider whether you need to target different keywords.

Month 12: Expanding local presence and trust

As you approach the latter part of the year, expanding your local presence via local SEO and enhancing trust signals becomes important. Optimizing for local search helps establish your credibility within your community, while efforts like ensuring site security and clear privacy policies build trust with both users and search engines. These actions help solidify your reputation and enhance your standing in search results.

By the end of this 12-month journey, you should start seeing some noticeable results. But remember, SEO is an ongoing practice and search-both what people are searching and how AI and search surface results-changes over time. You should expect to tweak your approach over time to ensure long-term success.

Ways to accelerate your SEO progress

There's no guaranteed solution to speeding up your search success, but some best practices can benefit both your website and your visitors.

1. Focus on the user, not just the algorithm

While it's tempting to optimize solely for search engines, remember that users are your ultimate audience. Create content that addresses their needs, answers their questions, and provides real value.

Search engines, after all, aim to deliver the most relevant results to their users. When you put users first, you're giving search engines what they demand. Opt for user-friendly website navigation, engaging visuals, and high-quality, informative content to improve your SEO timeline.

2. Integrate new keywords and address industry trends

Staying ahead of industry and SEO trendsis important for maintaining a competitive edge. Continue to research new keywords and incorporate them into your website to ensure your content remains relevant. This strategy can help you capture a broader audience using terms you might have omitted.

3. Be patient, track results, and stay updated

Patience is essential to ensure the success of your SEO strategy. While it might feel counterintuitive, effective SEO takes time. Making changes before they have a chance to make an impact could actually delay your SEO success. While you wait, continue to track the results of your SEO efforts and make changes where necessary.

Also, take this time to keep yourself informed about the latest trends and algorithm updates. Regularly review credible sources like Squarespace's blogs to help you adapt your strategy as needed. Ultimately, if you do the right thing, it'll reflect in the results.

Practical tips to measure SEO success

Tracking results is key to ensuring you're approaching SEO the right way. Here is how to know if your efforts have been worth it:

1. Connect to Google Search Console

Integrate Google Search Consolewith your website to collect performance data. This tool offers insights into your site's page views, interactions, and the keywords driving traffic to your site.

With Squarespace, you can easily connect your website to Google Search Console from the Squarespace admin dashboard. For other website builders, you can go to the official search console website to submit your website URL.

Squarespace users can also track metrics like traffic sources and geographical insights using the Squarespace Analyticstool.

2. Focus on critical metrics

To effectively gauge the success of your SEO efforts, it's important to focus on vital performance metrics. Increasing organic traffic is often the most telling indicator of SEO success. But you can also look at click-through rate (CTR), which is how often people click your site's links in search engine results pages (SERPs). A high CTR indicates that your SEO titles and descriptions are resonating with users.

Beyond just tracking traffic and clicks, having clear conversion goals helps you to measure SEO success more tangibly. The rate at which you achieve your goals can help you evaluate whether your SEO efforts are driving actions that align with your objectives.

Examples of such goals can be:

• Making a purchase

• Signing up for a newsletter

• Filling out a contact form

3. Use tools for tracking

Lastly, use a tracking method to record your SEO tasks and performance. Keeping a good record helps you map out your SEO strategy, set deadlines, and monitor progress in an organized manner.

You can create a comprehensive spreadsheet that includes tasks, responsible team members, deadlines, and status updates. This approach not only keeps your SEO efforts on track but also provides a clear overview of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done.

As you continue to monitor the results of your SEO efforts and make necessary changes, ensure you stay updated with the latest SEO updateson Squarespace. Remember: Website owners who approach SEO as an ongoing practice will position themselves to earn consistently high rankings on search engines over the long term. Be patient, set realistic expectations, and continuously review your approach.

Get Started