Most of our clients directly want to know the timeline for local SEO efforts to show results. Well, we feel it is quite a puzzling question since SEO efforts vary based on several factors. Determining an exact timeline usually is not that straightforward an answer.
However we believe in fair practices and try to answer the questions in the best possible way and with full honesty. So that client can build a strong understanding of the local SEO
But What Is Local SEO, After All?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence in such a way that it attracts more traffic from local searches. It is a powerful tool, especially for small businesses, but works well for larger companies too. Put simply, any business with a physical location can benefit from local SEO strategies.
Therefore, if your business site is not optimized for local search, you are at the risk of losing most of your potential customers or even staying relevant.
Three Scenarios On How Long It Would Take To Rank
Defining success and setting timelines is a subjective point for different businesses. So let us look at three different scenarios that can determine how long it would take for local SEO to show desired results.
In Scenario 1:
A Brand New Website
If you have a brand new website, then it has its own pros and cons. New sites do not have a listing on any search engine, so positioning them seems easy. There are no dead link problems with the brand new website, which benefits the listing. But, every work has to start from the ground zero levels, which takes a long time for results to show up.
With a brand new website or business, no one can assure you about the timing. It essentially depends on whether you operate in a competitive or non-competitive sector and location. In the first case, it takes anywhere around 3 to 9 months, but in the second case, rankings can be achieved over 6 to 9 months.
If you take medium competitor keywords, then there is the possibility to rank your website in one month, but with the strong competitor keywords, it may take 3 to 4 months to appear on the first page.
Working on a new website is easy, but it is hard to frame a deadline for returns to dispense.
Scenario 2:
Website Slapped With a Manual Penalty
Google is a smart search engine, and it has a keen eye on all your moves. So, it is possible that you may have optimized your site in unacceptable ways recently, and Google hits you with a Manual Penalty, especially if they find spamming content or suspicious links. In turn, your site ranking comes down and in the worst case, the site disappears from the search engine entirely.
Black hat SEO practices hinder your reputation in the long-term. These certainly bring quick results, but such returns are often short-lived. Once your website is manually penalized, it is hard to determine the precise timeline for making your site reappear in search results. It may take months or maybe recovered in hours – totally depends. However, 2 to 3 months’ time is usually demanded to accept the reconsideration request. In the worst-case scenario, this period can stretch to almost a year!
Scenario 3:
Clients Who Have Seen No Improvements with Another Company
If you already have contracted with an SEO services provider for your website, great! But are you getting the worth of that investment? Are the results satisfactory? If yes, then no problem, but if it has been ages and it feels like you are wasting your time, efforts, and money, we have a solution for you.
SEO is a complicated process, one wrong decision or approach and it affects your site’s authority. You will not see any improvement; and will instead observe a downfall.
When clients come to us under such circumstances, we first try to find out the problem areas and then start working. Sometimes an excess of landing pages and wrong keywords can obstruct improvement in your rank. Our priority is to remove excess landing pages, target the right keywords, and employ other practical techniques. To give you an estimate, the overall process takes around 12 to 36 months times, depending upon the website’s condition.
Need Expert Assistance? We Can Help!
How long does local search engine optimization take? This is a broad question that has no standard answer. It depends on various factors as well as the individual requirements of your website.
Technically your site may start ranking within a month, i.e., 4 weeks with just a few minor tweaks here and here, especially if you have a claimed Google listing. If you do not have a claimed Google listing, 4 to 12 weeks can be the expected duration, in that case, particularly if it is a recently claimed business, needs updates, is a new domain, or has different contact details.
A more realistic timeline would be around 6 to 12 months, depending on your niche. Experts at SEO Recyclers understand these teeny-weeny (and complicated) details of local SEO techniques. We precisely know how to help individual cases. If you are looking for answers or want a professional touch to your site, we can help you make that difference.
Get in touch with our team – we would be happy to assist you with your queries and requirements!
