This is one of the most common questions that I get asked and the answer isn’t simple. The time it takes to rank depends on many variables.
So let’s look at the main factors that contribute to this and how you can get a fairly accurate answer of how long it should take your website to rank in Google.
1. You have a lot of competitors
The more competitors you have, the longer it will take to rank. And if all of those competitors have been doing SEO for years, this will add more time.
2. You’re targeting a large geography
Do you want to rank in your local suburb? Or do you want to rank worldwide? The broader you go, the longer it will take.
3. The nature of your industry
Certain industries (usually high priced products, high specialisation – think legal, plastic surgery) are full of companies who spend big dollars on SEO. Enter these markets with a long term view and deep pockets!
4. The design of your website
Google places a high value on how a visitor ‘uses’ a website. Is the information on the site easily found? Do visitors ‘bounce’ off the site and go back or do they spend time and read the content? Does the site take forever to load? Google measures this and it determines how your site ranks.
5. The content on your website
There’s no point trying to rank for ‘kitchen builder’ and all your website talks about is ‘bathroom renovations’. Create the best content you can on the topics you want to be found for.
6. The keywords that you’re targeting
Did you know that most traffic (~70%) comes to a website from keywords that get less than 10 searches per month? Sometimes, fixating on a high volume, highly competitive keyword can take you away from the bigger picture. Make sure you write high quality and in depth content – it will bring in 100’s of lower volume keywords to your site, but usually highly highly targeted leads. The lower the search volume of a keyword, the easier it is to rank.
7.You haven’t claimed your listing on Google My Business
If you want to do well in Google, you need to show them that you’re a real business. Sounds like common sense but many don’t do this fundamental step of getting trust from Google. Sign up at https://www.google.com/business/ to claim your listing.
