When it comes to marketing your business, budgets, deadlines, and goals are all important elements – and search engine optimization is no different. Knowing how much to invest, what kind of return you can expect on your investment, and how long it can take to see that return are important considerations when creating an SEO strategy or hiring an SEO agency. But how long should SEO really take? The answer, like most questions about marketing, is that it depends on your business’s needs. Here are a few factors that will determine how long your SEO plan will need:
Your Goals Determine a Time Table
One major factor in determining how long SEO services will require is by first comparing your business goals to your budget. If you’re expecting to see instant results without investing a significant amount of money, SEO may not be for you. Even with massive budgets, SEO projects will generally take a few months to have any noticeable impact on rankings. An experienced agency will work with you to accomplish your business goals within a certain budget.
Best Practices Influences Work Speed
We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘slow and steady wins the race’ before, right? This saying is especially true for SEO services for one main reason: Google. The search engine’s algorithm is designed to weed out sites that try to game the system through manipulative and spammy practices. While these practices can lead to quick gains, they’ll more often than not result in penalties that can take years to recover from. For example, if you start link building too fast, Google could penalize your site for acquiring unnatural links, which violates its guidelines. Good SEO agencies will be familiar with Google’s guidelines and recommend only strategies that follow best practices. By providing you with a realistic timeline, these agencies will help you avoid costly penalties while still providing value.
Trust Makes the Process Go Quicker
Trusting the agency you partner with can have a huge impact on the speed of your project. A lack of trust can slow down communication or progress on crucial tasks, which will cause the entire project to take longer. It can be tricky to tell how trustworthy an agency is, but there are a few ways to get a general feel for them. When you’re looking at potential companies, be sure to check out their testimonials from clients, any applicable case studies, and, if possible talk to current or former clients. On your end, trust that your agency is looking out for your best interests. If you have concerns, address them directly and have a conversation with the analyst working on your project. Regular meetings and communication will help keep the project moving and, ultimately, provide a faster return on your investment.
These are just a few factors that will determine how long your SEO project could take. Before partnering with an agency, make sure you are realistic about your goals and the budget you’re willing to invest, understand why it’s important to follow best practices, and trust who you’re working with from the start. Keeping these things in mind will help your business’s bottom line in the end.
