SEO Learning Center >> How Long?
How Long Does SEO Take?
Whenever somebody asks me how long search engine optimization takes, I counter by asking them, "How long does marketing take?"
My point is that SEO is never finished, just like marketing and public relations are never finished. This is the first thing I want my clients to grasp — SEO is a long-term strategy that needs to be a permanent part of how you operate online.
It's my duty to inform you that there's no such thing as "SEO in a hurry." If you're in a situation where your success depends on immediate search engine visibility, you've already failed by putting yourself into that situation to begin with. If you need search engine visibility in a hurry, you should be looking at pay-per-click, not SEO.
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Now that I've got my important disclaimer out of the way, let's talk about the long-term nature of search engine optimization. I've even come up with an acronym for you — the 3 P's of SEO.
The Three P's of Real Search Engine Optimization
Patience - When practicing SEO, you need to pack your patience. It's a common misconception that a website should pop up in search engine results immediately after its creation. Nothing could be further from the truth. A search engine first has to find and index your website (add it to the database), and that's only the first step to ranking well.
Depending on how competitive your market and search phrases are, it can take weeks, months or even years to rank well in the big search engines. And that's assuming you're doing things properly from an SEO standpoint. New websites, in particular, have a long road ahead of them. That's because Google and other search engines reward older websites with higher ranking.
I don't tell you this to discourage you, but to set your expectations within the realm of reality. Earning "Page 1" position for your key phrases takes time and patience. Anybody who tells you otherwise is lying to you, and I'd be happy to debate the point with them!
Persistence - Search engine optimization is a marathon, not a battle. It's not a single act, but a long series of interrelated actions. But that doesn't mean you should abandon hope. On the contrary, gaining first-page position in a major search engine can do amazing things for your company, your business model and your bottom line. It's a worthwhile venture, so you have to stick with it (or pay somebody to stick with it on your behalf).
Progress - The web is constantly evolving, so the way we practice search engine optimization must evolve as well. I personally do about two hours of reading a day to stay up on the latest web technologies, how my clients might use them to their advantage, etc. To progress over time, you have to keep learning over time. Commit yourself to perpetual progress, and you'll commit yourself to success.
Results Vary Based on Many Factors
It's also difficult to say how long SEO takes because every scenario is different. I've worked on older websites that only needed minor adjustments to get onto Page 1 of Google. On the other hand, I've worked brand new websites in competitive markets that won't see Page 1 results for six months, 12 months, or a couple years.
That's why I tell people not to rely too heavily on search engine placement, and to use many other marketing channels both online and off.
To learn more about the factors that affect search engine ranking, read the related article below.
Related item: How do search engines rank websites?
