- April 23rd 2025
- Blog,Content Strategy,SEO,SEO Strategy,YouTube
How long should it realistically take for an SEO strategy to work?
When we look at SEO as a marketing strategy it’s a total no-brainer… OF COURSE you want your website to be on Google page 1 when a potential customer searches for things related to your business. Getting there is a whole different matter, since it takes time, effort and expertise. The short answer (if that’s what you’re here for) is that you’re most likely to start seeing tangible SEO results in around 4 to 6 months.
Of course, the deeper answer isn’t that basic. Say your website moves up to page 1 for a couple of key search terms after 6 months of SEO activity. Great! Does that mean your SEO strategy has ‘worked’? Have you completed SEO? We’re afraid not. Search engines are dynamic; they’re shifting sands. Which means that you never get to the end. Sorry.
The crucial word in our titular question is ‘realistically’. It will help if you are realistic in your approach to SEO. We don’t mean conservative, or pessimistic though. Being realistic means understanding the process so that you can set targets that are functional and progressive. It means that you can work out your strategy in a constructive way that has both short term and long term results.
SEO for visibility
When you look at SEO as a holistic strategy, an overarching target will be to improve visibility. With millions of websites competing for attention, breaking through the noise may feel virtually impossible. Gradually, though, as you appear higher in search results, more people see your website, which means increased visibility.
Overall visibility is a really important building block in creating long term authority, trust, and brand awareness. As the momentum builds, it becomes easier to leverage that visibility into specifically targeted SEO campaigns. The groundwork that goes into visibility is far less exciting than subsequent campaigns that create lead generation. It is, however, vital.
SEO for lead generation
When you reach the point when enquiries and sales leads come in through organic traffic, it can feel like hitting the jackpot! Organic traffic matters because unlike paid ads, organic traffic from SEO is free and sustainable over time. With a solid base of visibility, you can direct your SEO activity to target specific audiences depending on the campaign.
This means that you attract users who are actively searching for your products or services. The resulting engagement underlines your existing lead generation activity, which maintains visibility and boosts brand confidence. When SEO is done right, your website lands the right kind of visitors who are primed to convert into leads, creating a reliable funnel for business growth.
What an SEO strategy involves
So what actually needs to happen during the first 4 to 6 months of an SEO strategy to get results? Spoiler – they’re the same things that keep needing to happen so that your website stays being seen! You’ll need patience and consistent effort in the undertaking of SEO activity. Which is why most businesses partner with an SEO agency who can dedicate the focussed attention needed to move you up the rankings AND keep you there.
Keyword research
This is all about identifying and targeting the right keywords for your audience. What search words do people use to find your business? They’ll use different terms depending on where in the sales funnel they sit, so approach your keyword research from varied perspectives. Broader, shorter search terms can be extremely competitive, which means they will take longer to see results in. So, in the first instance certainly, work out some more specific searches with long-tail keywords.
Technical SEO
This is all the stuff that happens on your website. It involves coding and on-page activity like optimising title tags, meta descriptions, internal links, images, and structure. While some changes show results within weeks, some ranking improvements take months. Initially, focus your attention on more critical and straightforward fixes, moving on to improving non urgent items. With regular audits, you can ensure your site is fast, mobile friendly, crawlable, and indexed by Google. It’s worth getting this bit right by using a specialist agency.
Off-page SEO
These are all the signals that Google picks up around rather than from your website. It’s to do with your local profile, listings, presence across the web, and how well networked your website is. You should optimise your Google Business Profile and make sure your NAP (name, address, phone number) are correctly displayed both across your website and in external listings sites. Backlinks are also a key ranking factor. Earning links from reputable websites won’t happen overnight. It requires solid outreach and valuable content. Again, agency professionals are adept at building these links with speed and authority.
Content creation
Your content is everything that is seen (and heard) from your website. It’s your landing pages, catalogue copy, blog articles, images, videos, brand colours, font choices, and more. The most important thing to remember is that all content should be user-centric. The content journey that a user takes around your website in order to get to the information they need must be concise and intuitive. You should regularly publish high quality, engaging content that is in line with searcher intent. In short, it should address the pain points that your customer base is likely to have.
Monitoring and reporting
Solid reporting will make sure you keep track of how you’re ranking, and allow you to tweak your strategy when needed. SEO isn’t static because the internet isn’t static. It has to evolve based on user behaviour, algorithm updates, and competitor activity. Easy to comprehend, instructive reports are incredibly valuable to inform these ongoing decisions.
SEO is for life
Unlike paid ads, which generate instant results but stop when your budget runs out, SEO focuses on creating a lasting foundation for your online presence. Don’t get us wrong – Google Ads are a central part of many online marketing strategies, and can work really well alongside organic SEO. Successful SEO requires consistent attention because its environment is changeable.
Authority and momentum
Search engines consider how long a website has been active and how consistently it delivers relevant content. Trust and authority don’t develop overnight. Genuine consistency cannot be replaced. This is why regularly producing and updating high quality content demonstrates to search engines that your site is active and valuable.
Changing environment
The competition isn’t standing still. New websites join the race, and existing ones strive to improve their rankings. Staying ahead means ongoing optimisation. Similarly, Google updates its algorithm regularly. SEO strategies must adapt to new rules or risk becoming obsolete. These changes mean that your website, too, must show movement. As well as ongoing technical improvements, things like updating or removing expired content can really help.
Evolving Search Behaviour
The way people search changes over time. This might be in the search terms they use, or the platform they choose. In 2024 Google received 373 times more search volume than Chat GPT, but the latter is undoubtedly growing. Similarly, YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google and has driven the increasing importance of video content. An SEO strategy should remain aware of these changes and learn to adapt.
At Leapfrog, SEO is our field, so obviously we think it’s pretty central to life. We also appreciate that it’s a bit niggly and technical. And it’s rather needy, with constant demands for attention! It gets complicated, and that’s why we’re here. Get in touch to find out how we can bring your SEO strategy to life.
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