Why does SEO take a long time?

How long does it take to work on search engine optimization of a website to get the first results? For a business owner, the result is an increase in traffic and sales from the site, for an SEO specialist – an increase in positions, search traffic, and an increase in conversion.

Previously, SEO came down to three main steps:

1. Search for the most popular keywords.
2. Optimizing the site for these requests.
3. Bulk purchase of links.

Over time, this strategy showed its ineffectiveness. Sites that used such “quick” methods to reach the top of search results could not stay in these positions for long. They could easily be displaced by competitors who bought more links, and both sites could fail to meet user expectations.

Search engines are constantly evolving, introducing new filters and improving ranking algorithms. Bulk purchasing of links or excessive optimization can now lead to sanctions. This suggests that old methods of promotion are no longer effective, and any mistake can lead to blocking of a site on which many specialists worked.

Factors influencing the speed of SEO promotion

Website optimization is a complex and lengthy process consisting of successive stages. Many factors influence how long it will take. We will look at them below.

Search engine algorithms

This is the first variable that influences success SEO promotion. Previously, you could write a text without much structure, add a lot of keywords, and this would automatically raise you to the TOP. Now success requires taking into account many different factors:

1. Improving behavioral metrics. You need to create a website that effectively solves user problems.
2. Increasing the authority of the site on the Internet. It is important to get links from reliable and authoritative sources.
3. Working on content. High-quality and useful expert content is needed.
4. Accounting for commercial factors. It is important to demonstrate your cases, reviews, photos of your work process, shoot videos, post details, etc.

And this, of course, is not all, since there are more than 200 ranking factors. Some have a greater influence, others less, and this can only be determined through testing. Each project is unique, and each niche requires an individual approach to working on various factors.

To implement all this requires a significant amount of working time. Now a specialist needs to optimize a website for a constantly changing product, which, in fact, is a search engine. To successfully solve such a problem, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of the changes applied, make adjustments, evaluate the result again, etc.

Analytics and research before making changes

Each project is unique, and first it is necessary to identify growth points and develop a strategy for the next 6-8 months. The level of competition in different business niches has different indicators, which should not be forgotten. Successful optimization requires an understanding of the specifics of the business being promoted and the target audience.

Analyzing competitors’ websites, working with semantics, writing high-quality content, posting it on the site – all this also takes time (at least a month and a half), but does not bring you closer to getting into the TOP, although it is an important stage of the process.

Technical website optimization

Technical optimization of a website directly affects both speed indexing pages by search bots, and on the behavioral characteristics of site visitors.

Planning work on a website should begin after studying the technical aspects. For successful promotion there should not be:

• duplicate pages;
• problems with resource indexing;
• technical problems that affect its operation.

In addition, the project must be adaptive, meaning changes can be easily made if necessary. If difficulties are nevertheless identified, you first need to prepare a technical specification and implement it. Preparation of technical specifications and its implementation usually takes about 1-3 weeks.

Site age

Important factors for search engines were and remain age, authority and trust in the site. The domain registration could have been done 10 years ago, but if during this time it has not turned into a full-fledged website, there will be no benefit from the “aged” domain. If a website already exists on the domain, it is important that the theme of the new project matches the previous one.

“Young sites” can remain in the so-called “sandbox” for a long time. During the year, the site may not show activity in search results, but over time, positions will begin to appear. This does not mean that the efforts were in vain.

This process is one of ranking factors, in which search engines give preference to sites with high authority. Search engines treat young domains with caution, but this does not mean that the new site will necessarily remain in the sandbox for a long time. Sometimes positions begin to appear after 4 months of work.

Content creation and posting

Creating high-quality, relevant and unique content takes time both to implement it and to get it recognized (indexed and ranked) by search engines.

It is also important to promote your content wisely. Search engines will evaluate how users interact with it, monitor the number of people attracted and those who are not interested in the content. The number of links also plays a role, with links from different sources conveying different information about your content to search engines.

Content should be so well thought out that search engines recognize your site as an authority on the topic. Moreover, the content should quickly answer visitors’ questions about you and your products. Achieving high quality will take time, because hastily written texts are unlikely to satisfy both the explicit and hidden expectations of potential clients. A thoughtful and thorough approach is important here, and therefore time.

Indexing and applying changes

It is not enough to simply make changes to the site; it is important that the search engine indexes and takes them into account. This does not happen immediately after making edits. Sometimes indexing happens quickly, within a day, but in some cases the process can take several weeks.

Even if a search engine quickly indexes changes to a page, behavioral metrics will not be measured overnight. This requires time to gather the necessary information.

While you are doing your work, your competitors are also doing SEO.

While your website is actively developing, competitors are also not wasting time, investing significant efforts and funds in promotion. The times when search engine optimization was considered an afterthought are a thing of the past. Today, businesses understand that this is one of the most effective ways to rank high in search results.

Modern companies have entire SEO departments that are responsible for the functionality and content of the website. Competition in almost any industry is high, and you shouldn’t rely on luck, hoping that your website will reach the TOP on its own. Your competitors are also striving to take positions closer to the TOP 5. It is impossible to resist competitors without taking into account their actions, since professional optimizers take into account not only market trends, but also many other constantly changing factors.

Budget

It’s sad but true: the budget allocated to SEO affects the speed at which results are achieved. If sufficient funds are allocated, this allows:

• allocate more resources to implement the project;
• Conduct in-depth research on the topic and competitors;
• create the required amount of content.

Don’t forget that the higher the budget allocated for promotion, the faster all the necessary technical tasks for finalizing the site will be completed. However, this does not guarantee lightning-fast placement in the top positions of organic search results. Money allows you to complete the planned work and improve the site at all stages, and the faster this is done, the sooner the first results of SEO promotion will appear.

At the initial stage, the project will gain momentum, so it is premature to talk about financial returns. Payback is a parameter that needs to be assessed dynamically, analyzing the results over several months. This is the only way to judge the effectiveness of work on the site.

To summarize

Today, trying to get quick results from SEO can be not only tempting, but also dangerous, because… search engines have enough filters in their algorithms to detect attempts to “manipulate search results” and continue to improve them.

SEO takes time and gradual development; there is no magic way to achieve all the heights right away. If you want your site to remain at the top of search results for a long time, you need to constantly invest in its development and not stop there at the first positive results. Remember that as soon as you slow down, competitors will quickly overtake you and take even better positions. Promotion will be successful, and your business will be able to satisfy your ambitions, only if you continuously work on the project and set long-term goals.

Oleksandr Romanenko

Team Lead/Senior SEO specialist

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