Welcome to another episode of The Engaging Marketer podcast, hosted by me, Darren Jamieson. This week’s topic is one that many business owners and digital marketers frequently ask about, and that is:
How long does SEO take to work?
I’ll be diving deep into the realities of SEO (search engine optimisation), what expectations businesses should have, and how SEO compares to paid advertising like Google Ads.
Now, I want to talk about something digital marketers, especially those involved in SEO, get asked a lot by business owners: How long does SEO take to work? How quickly can I see results if I start doing SEO on my website? When am I going to start seeing a return on investment (ROI)?
As with most things in SEO, the honest answer is: it depends. But let’s explore some realistic outcomes.
We recently worked with a client who wanted to see results very, very quickly. They didn’t get the conversions they expected within the first couple of months and were disappointed. The truth is, they were in a consultancy business, which makes it harder to generate quick conversions. Building awareness, getting people to visit your website, and engaging them with your services takes time. On the other hand, if you’re selling a simple, snap-decision product like candles, people are more likely to buy right away without too much deliberation.
But the point is, SEO takes time to get results. It’s not an immediate fix. It’s not like turning on a tap. If you’re looking for quick, instant results, then SEO might not be the right strategy for you in the short term.
If you want results that happen immediately, if you want to start seeing sales or conversions from day one, then you need to be looking at paid advertising, like Google Ads.
Paid advertising, like Google Ads, can get results very quickly because you’re putting an advert right in front of someone when they’re actively searching for a solution. For example, if someone searches for a plumber, your ad pops up, and they click it. It’s highly transactional, and you’ll see results fast. However, the downside is that it can be expensive. You’re paying for each click, and if lots of other people are competing for those same keywords, the cost can skyrocket.
Plus, once you stop paying for Google Ads, the leads stop. It’s literally like turning off a tap. With SEO, it’s different. SEO is a long game. You’re building awareness, trust and authority with Google, and that takes time.
Now, just because SEO is a long game, it doesn’t mean you can’t see some instant results. If your website is well-built, with a strong structure, internal linking, and no indexing issues, you can publish new content and have it indexed by Google in as little as an hour, maybe even less.
I remember when I was starting out in SEO. Someone asked, “How long does it take for a page to get indexed by Google?” People were saying it would take days. I answered, “It can be pretty much instant.” And that was the correct answer. So, in that sense, you can see quick results in terms of traffic, but actual business results—leads, sales, referrals—that’s going to take time.
I always refer back to something a financial advisor, Richard Hadlow-Powell from Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management, told me a while back. He explained the power of compound interest by using an analogy with a child’s pension. If you pay £3,600 per year into a pension for the first 10 years of a child’s life, by the time they’re 65, it’ll be worth around £1.3 million. That’s the effect of compound interest—and that’s exactly how SEO works. You can’t expect results overnight, but over time, the compound effect can be massive.
That’s why you can’t approach SEO with a short-term mindset. Saying “I’ll try it for three months” or even six months won’t cut it. It’s a long-term investment in your business. We’ve had clients who have been with us since we started our company back in 2009. One client, for instance, has over 6,500 pages on their website. They’ve written content on every aspect of their industry, answering every conceivable question their customers might have. As a result, they’re ranking well in Google and getting consistent traffic and sales.
Had they stopped after six months, thinking SEO wasn’t working for them, they’d still be relying on Google Ads, paying through the nose for every click. But because they committed to SEO over the long haul, they’re now reaping the rewards.
That’s why SEO is such a powerful strategy – but you’ve got to stick with it
It works hand in hand with other forms of marketing, too, like Google Ads and Facebook ads. For example, you might get someone to your site through an ad, but they don’t convert right away. That’s where re-targeting with Facebook ads can help bring them back to convert later.
So, when thinking about your marketing strategy, don’t ask yourself which is better—SEO, Google Ads or Facebook ads. Think about how they can work together. SEO is a long-term investment, like investing in a pension. It will set you up for life if you do it right and commit to it. But if you need instant results because, say, you have a tax bill due next month, SEO won’t deliver that for you—Google Ads might be a better fit.
I hope this episode has helped answer your questions about how long SEO takes to show results. If you enjoyed it, please give me a like or a follow, drop a comment, or even send a carrier pigeon my way. I’ll catch you on the next podcast.
About your host:
Darren has worked within digital marketing since the last century, and was the first in-house web designer for video games retailer GAME in the UK, known as Electronics Boutique in the States. After co-founding his own agency, Engage Web, in 2009, Darren has worked with clients around the world, including Australia, Canada and the USA.
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/engaging-marketeer/id1612454837
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenjamieson/
Engaging Marketeer: https://engagingmarketeer.com
Engage Web: https://www.engageweb.co.uk
