SEO Timeline – How long does it take for SEO to work?

First Month of SEO

The first month is dedicated to the research phase. During this period, SEO analysts commence with keyword research, website audits and optimization planning. This includes a thorough research of keyword volume and competitiveness, an assessment of current content, an investigation into tactics that work for the client versus those which do not, competitor research, and geo-targeting decisions.
If the research needs of the campaign can be met within the first month of SEO, analysts can then proceed with technical changes.

Second Month of SEO

In the second month of SEO, we begin by implementing the changes finalized from initial audit results and research. If there is a need for massive overhaul, this phase can actually take months to complete. Moreover, technical changes instituted during this period need to be accompanied by effective content building efforts for the website. This typically means that clients, even at top digital marketing firms, will not see an impact of the SEO effort until the entire website overhaul is complete.

Third Month of SEO

During the third month, analyst focus shifts to content management, specifically the improvement of current pages, the addition of new content where needed, and more effective content marketing over all. This period should be dedicated to publishing blogs, press releases, whitepapers, articles, FAQs, etc. In this phase, we start to focus on inbound traffic. Blogging, in particular, can increase page count, keyword ranking, and increase the chances of being found in search results. Search engines love fresh content, and work on this front can significantly boost organic search traffic, provided blogs are relevant and appeal to target audiences.

Fourth Month of SEO

This month is all about fine-tuning: continued content building, technical optimization and maintenance, including website crawling and new page/content indexing. In addition, SEO analysts should also use this time to develop healthy backlinks and clean up any low quality URLs if needed. Clients should begin seeing a change in traffic around this time, either in the form of an increase in traffic, or a drop in traffic accompanied by more qualified leads and lower bounce rates. In the latter case, SEO efforts should be recognized as improving website visibility to the audience that really matters – that is, the audience more likely to buy client products/services.

Fifth Month of SEO

This month is committed to publicizing improvements in content management and user experience through SEO efforts. In particular, social media will need to be actively engaged, and SEO analysts should focus on sharing press releases etc. to amplify the visibility of content created to larger audiences, with the goal of increasing referral traffic to the website. The SEO should also focus on link-building by submitting blogs to reliable press release forums.

Sixth Month of SEO

The sixth month should be about maintaining and updating ongoing SEO efforts. This can take the form of continued content creation, optimization for any new keyword targets or audiences, and updating websites with any new product/service offerings. For the latter, content generation should include both text and visual templates. It is safe to say that SEO analysts serves many titles in the course of their work, including writers, editors, web developers, and graphic designers. The best digital marketing firms are ones that combine technical expertise with intelligent creativity, especially in their Search Engine Optimization campaigns.

Contact Our Experienced Team

Since our beginnings in 2001, the SEO team at AVX Digital is extremely familiar with the steps involved in search engine optimization. As digital marketers, it is important to make sure that clients and business owners are aware of the timeframe for achieving success in their SEO efforts. Companies which limit their internet marketing budget for less than six months should be careful of underestimating the time and effort required for an effective campaign, and giving clients unrealistic expectations. SEO is a long-term marketing tactic that requires proper investment, and the most valuable changes in website traffic, leads, and sales can take anywhere from 6 – 12 months.

If you’re looking for tips to help you execute better SEO campaigns, stay tuned on our digital marketing blog, or you can contact us today to get started.