How Long Should I Need to Perform SEO?
Almost every business owner that works with a digital marketing service has a similar set of questions that are, “How long do I need to perform SEO to gain better ROIs?” and “Is investing in SEO worth the cost?”
Well, let us clear one thing: SEO is not something that can start showing results in a day or two of deployment. It cannot be abandoned after a few weeks. In fact, SEO should become a part of your long-term marketing strategy as long as you wish to appear on the top of the search engine.
Why is SEO needed?
As per Internet Live Stats, 5.2 billion searches happen each day on Google. And Backlinko says that only 0.78% searchers on Google consider clicking on the results available on the second page. So if your brand is listed on first page of Google search results, it has the maximum attention of users.
Hence, if you want your website to generate organic traffic effectively, then performing SEO is a must every time.
Even BrightEdge clearly says B2B Companies generate 2X more revenue from Organic Search than any other channel.
Smart marketers would definitely want targeted SEO to help them meet this competitive differentiator for their clients.
What is SEO?
Well, we are sure that you might have heard SEO (Search Engine Optimization) from a handful of people. But do you know what it is exactly?
SEO is a process that improves both the quality and quantity of traffic on your website compared to other websites and webpages. In simple terms, SEO can make the web pages/website visible to the search engines so that they can be visible in unpaid and organic search results.
How long does it take for the SEO to move your business on the first page of search results?
Well, we know you are curious about this question, but let us tell you a fact, it is impossible to pinpoint the exact time period of when the implemented SEO can boost your website. This is because search engines like Google employ 200+ ranking factors. And since every company has hundreds, if not thousands of competitors, every keyword you attempt to rank will have its own group of competitors.
So, it is fair to say that the answer to your question depends upon the situation and strategies used by digital marketing services.
But again, a website can move to the first page of a search engine overnight or never at all. But, if your website has a history of fair SEO practices, offers a better user experience, loads fast, and exhibits quality content along with an excellent amount of backlinks. Then on average, it will take three to six months or even a year for your website to jump on the first page.
Why do you need to focus on SEO for the long-term?
Many business owners have a misconception that once they reach the first rank of search engines, they no longer need to implement new SEO strategies or even work on SEO at all. They may even feel tempted to invest the money in new marketing efforts.
Well, let us stop you right there.
SEO is like a puppy that needs continuous pampering even after it is fully-grown.
Want to know why? Here are some important reasons why you must stick to and strategize your SEO campaign.
1- SEO needs constant updates:
The concept, build it and leave it doesn’t quite match with SEOs concept. In fact, you will require to think of SEO as any other type of marketing.
For instance, suppose you have successfully sold product A, and now you want to launch product A.0. And this new product has many advanced features, meaning using the old marketing strategy will not work to attract the customers unless you make a few tweaks and let the customers know about the advanced features.
So, in simple terms, marketing is a continual cycle. If you wish to gain desired results, then you will need to gather data, strategize, measure previous success, revise and fine-tune everything before creating a new campaign.
And the same things happen with SEO. After all, it is just a section of marketing.
2- Search engine algorithms fluctuate every now and then:
Search engines keep on updating the algorithm every now and then. Let us take Google as an instance; Google is notorious for constantly updating and revising its search algorithm. Well, the intention behind most updates is to improve the user experience.
But, when your website fails to keep up with the algorithm or the revised guidelines, the chances of your website receiving a penalty becomes higher, thus, affecting the rankings.
So, it becomes vital that you work with a digital marketing company that can aid in keeping the SEO strategies in line with recent algorithm updates.
Next time if you see that your ranking is affected, then consider checking the Google Guidelines to comprehend what your website is lacking or is doing wrong. And if you are lucky, then you might just be able to make changes before getting penalized as a few penalties take longer to fix.
3- You want to stay above all the competitors:
Even after Google ends up indexing and discovering your website or application, you will require to fight to get higher so that users can see your link on search engine and then click it.
In simple terms, you want to rank higher than your competitors in the organic search result or steal the clicks in both paid and organic results by becoming more visible than your competitors.
One of the best ways to stay relevant on search engines is by generating excellent page titles and meta descriptions.
a- Page title appears in blue on search engine
b- and the two-sentence information that appears just below the search engine is known as Meta description.
4- To surpass emerging and hardworking competitors:
You may be the sole person selling a particular product or service online. And this situation may make you think that you do not have any competitors.
Well, as long as search engine exists, so does the competitors.
Are you confused? Well, lets us clear it for you.
On search engines, you are competing for a space for you on the same page as the other businesses. If a user comes across a link before yours, then he/she may click on it and may not see yours. In such cases, your meta description or the title can come in handy; you will need to inspire the people through these factors to gain a click.
Sometimes, Google will offer millions of search results for irrelevant information. Like for instance, even if you type something gibberish, you will come across millions of links in a few seconds.
So, hypothetically speaking, if you were selling something closer to the gibberish you typed in the search box, then you might have had to compete against those millions of search results to reach your potential buyers.
Why does SEO take longer to show its impact?
SEO isn’t one single big thing. It is, in fact, broken into multiple sub-categories. And that is why it is impossible to experience the result right away.
The search engines require time to determine a few things before they can rank a particular page, such as:
- The relevancy of your website as per the user’s interest
- Type of search intent your website caters to
- Reliability and credibility of the information on your website
- The legitimate use of keywords
- Relevancy of the images and videos throughout the website
- Webpage’s loading time
- Types of backlinks and how many backlinks your website has
Based on this information and many more, search engines determine where your page stands compared to other pages to allocate a ranking on SERP (Search engine result pages).
Also, you must know that Google crawls through your website and indexes the contents before ranking.
Well, the notion of Google or other search engines is to provide the users with the most relevant detail and excellent user experience, meaning the more authoritative your website is, the greater is your website’s chance to acquire higher ranks.
Over to you
Well, it is quite evident from the blog that if you wish to stay on top of your competitors, then having an SEO optimized website 24/7 is a must. And regardless of what services and products you sell, ROI will always be your first expectation.
So, avoid being careless with your website’s needs and make an appointment with a digital marketing company that is capable of delivering exceptional yet custom made SEO services.
