“How long does SEO take to rank my new website?”
At SEO Assassin this is one of the most common questions we’re asked. With more and more Australian businesses seeing the value of a digital presence, launching a website isn’t a luxury - but a necessity.
With over 200 factors influencing Google’s algorithm, a timeline for getting your newly launched website ranking is almost impossible to provide.
Almost.
There’s nothing worse than SEO agencies who sidestep questions and leave you with vague answers and half-truths. In this guide we’ll tell you when your new business can expect to rank, what obstacles stand in your way, and what you need to do TODAY if you want to boost your rankings in the future.
Ranking in the #1 position for a keyword with reasonable monthly traffic is no easy task. But it’s not impossible. If you’re looking to move your new site to the top of Google, here’s everything you need to know.
This Is Why SEO Takes Time
Search engines like Google have one goal - provide search engine users with the most relevant results to satisfy their queries.
With millions of websites competing for the same audiences, Google needs a system to identify, organise and rank each website for any given query. This includes crawling (finding your site), indexing (cataloguing your site), and finally ranking (delivering your site to people).
For example, if you were looking for an article on growing your business in 2022, you’d only want websites with proven strategies, up-to-date statistics, expert opinions and a track record of delivering valuable content.
To make sure you’re being served the best results, Google’s algorithm goes to work to judge the authority and relevance of every possible website before showing you the most valuable. This algorithm is backed by innovative machine-learning, but it takes time for Google to find, store and trust your website. This is why SEO takes time.
✔ Features of a high-ranking website include:
✔ Relevance to a searcher’s query
✔ Reliability and trustworthiness of content
✔ Keywords that match a searcher’s query
✔ Content that matches search intent
✔ Number of backlinks from relevant sites
✔ Quality of backlinks from relevant sites
✔ Positive user metrics like time on page
✔ Fast load times on desktop and mobile
These represent just a fraction of Google’s 200 ranking factors - though they are considered the most important in terms of moving the needle on your rankings. If your new website can tick these boxes you’ll be optimising for higher rankings.
Looking to improve your SEO? Discover 28 ultra-powerful SEO tips drive more traffic
The 3 Factors That Will Determine Your SEO Timeline
Strategic SEO Timeline Run a quick Google search for the question “how long does it take for SEO to work” and you’ll see a common answer.
6-12 months.
The problem with taking this figure as gospel is it doesn’t take into account the 3 factors that determine YOUR SEO timeline. Some websites will see results in 2 months, some in 6 months, and some in 12 months.
If you want to speed up your SEO results there are 3 factors to consider. These include:
- Content
- Backlinks
- Competition
Let’s break down each factor in simple terms to give your new website an advantage.
How to Optimise Your Content for Faster SEO Results
With a newly launched site, the content you publish can speed up your timeline of SEO success.
Google wants to serve the most relevant content to search engine users, so your content needs to be high-quality and well-written. There’s no target word count for you to worry about as each query could be answered in varying amounts of copy.
For example:
- How to boil an egg
- How to install a new hot water system
Boiling an egg may take 100 words to explain. Installing a new hot water system may take 1,000. Studies show the average length of content on the first page of Google is 1,890 words, though this should be used as a guide not a definitive target. Don’t be afraid to write a decent amount of text to explain the subject properly, remember – you are only targeting a small percentage of searchers – who will become customers, so aim for high quality.
When you publish great content you give Google more ways to find you (crawl your new site), and index you. When search engine users head online to find information, products and services, you’ll have more pieces of content that may rank.
Put simply, publishing 10 x amazing, awesome, in-depth pieces of content optimised for 10 unique keywords gives you 10 possible ways to rank. In contrast, publishing just 1 x piece of content limits your ability to rank. So publish great content, and publish regularly to speed up your SEO results.
Bonus Content Optimisation Tips
The keywords you choose to target will impact your content’s success.
At SEO Assassin we recommend selecting two or three higher volume search terms with medium to high competition for your home page. Keywords with high competition are difficult to rank for, so look for a middle ground where people are searching but the competition isn’t too fierce.
Repeat this process for another 3 pages on your new website. For remaining pages opt for 2 keywords with medium to low search volume and medium to low competition.
Once you have your keywords and you’ve created your content, optimise your Page Titles, Meta Descriptions, and Headings (H1 and H2) with these same terms in mind. Don’t overdo the keyword density, but err on the side of readability.
Following these content optimisation tips will have your new website primed to rank on Google. And if you want to speed up the process, you’ll need backlinks...
How to Optimise Your Backlinks for Faster SEO Results
Backlinks are a crucial aspect of SEO. Writing quality content and adding it to your site can convince other websites in your niche to link to your content. These links help funnel new streams of traffic and are used by Google as ‘votes’ of confidence for your site.
The more ‘votes’ you have, the more trustworthy your site is. It’s worth noting not all backlinks are created equal. Quality trumps quantity so it’s better to earn 10 links from relevant and authoritative sites; instead of 100 links from spammy websites unrelated to your industry.
A steady build of backlinks is what Google expects – not a sudden rush. If any black-hat (dodgy) tactics are used by you or your SEO firm, you will most likely be penalised by Google. This can cripple your rankings, reputation and revenue and take twice as long to recover from. An unusually large number of backlinks in a short period of time is a red flag for Google to have a closer look at where the links are coming from. It's never worth doing.
Bonus Backlink Optimisation Tips
The most effective way to build backlinks is to make insanely shareable content that others want to share - which earns you natural backlinks.
To speed up your SEO results you should aim for quality backlinks from highly relevant sites. For example, if you sell dog food then a backlink from the RSPCA will help your SEO more than a backlink from a local Melbourne plumber.
The more links you have from trustworthy and relevant sites, the faster your SEO results. But this can become a problem if you build too many backlinks in a short period of time. This may appear unnatural and make Google think you’re trying to manipulate your rankings. Your link velocity - the speed you build links - should look natural to avoid violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
Generally speaking, the faster you earn quality and relevant backlinks, the faster your SEO will improve.
How to Analyse Your Competition for Faster SEO Results
If you face less competition for your target keywords, your SEO results will be faster. On the flipside, if your competition has been running SEO campaigns for years and sits in the top SERP spots, your SEO results will take longer.
For example, an electrician targeting one suburb of Melbourne will face less competition than a mortgage broker targeting all of Australia. SEO results typically follow a consistent pattern where it’s easier to outrank lower pages. But harder to outrank pages near the top who have high levels of authority and trust with Google. This is because high ranking pages have typically been optimised by SEO professionals who know how to give their clients a competitive edge.
Analysing the websites above you for your target keywords will show you what you have to do to compete.
Does your competition have a large number of quality backlinks?
Are they publishing in-depth pieces of content instead of weekly bite-sized content?
Have they optimised their page titles, meta descriptions and headers with relevant keywords?
Success leaves clues. If your competition all share similar traits, it’s likely you’ll need to at least replicate these traits to improve your chances of success.
Bonus Competitor Analysis Tips
Competitor analysis is a complex strategy that works best with an SEO agency or a list of paid tools. But there are ways to look under the hood of your competition without spending big.
Here are some simple competitor analysis tips to help speed up your SEO:
✘ Enter your target keywords in Google to find your competitors
✘ Use free competitor analysis tools like Moz Bar to find your competitor’s Domain Authority (DA) and backlink profile
✘ Search for keywords where ranking pages have low DA and small backlink profiles (known as keyword gaps)
✘ Browse the top ranking sites to look for clues (headline strategies, page titles, content formatting, image optimisation)
✘ Browse top ranking content to look for clues (word count, relevance, complementary topics)
✘ Check your competitor’s social media for clues (followers, share counts, engagement)
How to Hack Faster SEO Results with Your Domain
At SEO Assassin we implement search engine optimisation strategies that are lethal to your competition.
It’s true SEO takes time and requires a meticulous strategy focusing on improving your content and backlinks in relation to your competition. But there are ways for you to unleash a raid on your rival’s rankings.
If the new business website is replacing an older website at the same URL, the task of ranking can be easier. This is because Google will have likely crawled your site already which saves you time and speeds up your SEO. As websites age they build domain authority - which is a measure of trust from Google. The older your site is, the more valuable your domain authority is in helping your SEO.
“But I’m launching a brand new site, I don’t have an existing URL”
Not a problem. Using guerilla SEO tactics you could buy a URL with existing domain authority that previously had a website. A clean URL that matches your brand can help you speed up the timeline of SEO results.
New websites in Australia should look to secure a domain within the most popular Top Level Domain (TLD) – this is ‘name.com.au’. It can be tempting to go for a ‘name.net.au’ or the hyphenated version of the ‘name-name.com.au’. But you could end up doing free marketing for the ‘.com.au’ owner when people go searching online.
As a compromise, there are alternatives like:
- ‘name.co’
- name.store
- name.online
- name.cc
- name.io
- ‘name.melbourne’(or other city)
Although there are SEO benefits to purchasing an existing domain, starting your business’ site from scratch can actually help your SEO. The big advantage you have in creating your new site is to build SEO into the structure from the beginning - not try and retrofit SEO down the track.
How to Hack Fast Local SEO Results
As a new business you need to establish a foothold in your local area.
SEO results that take 6-12 months can be replicated in as little as 6-12 days using a local SEO strategy. This is done using your Google My Business listing, or GMB. A free listing, your GMB appears when search engine users trigger a local search. These are typically done as a result of:
[service] + [near me]
[service] + [location]
You’ve likely seen this yourself while looking for a local restaurant, pub or retail store. A quick hit on Google and you’re greeted with a map and a handful of business listings, typically 3. This is known as the local pack. 76% of people who conduct a local search end up visiting a shop within 5 kilometres, so local SEO can drive quick sales.
Here are 6 guaranteed ways to boost your local SEO and start appearing when local customers go looking:
- Create a GMB listing (it’s 100% free)
- Optimise your GMB listing with accurate information and business categories
- Ask your best customers for reviews (send a GMB review link after a sale to catch people at their happiest)
- Add photos of your business and encourage customers to post photos to create buzz
- Keep your business info accurate, including opening hours and address, so people can easily find you
- Write an engaging business description so potential customers know how you’ll improve their lives
The benefit of optimising your local SEO comes in the form of quick wins. This can help drive clicks, map directions and conversions while your broader SEO campaign takes time. Imagine selling more products and services to local customers while your content and website builds authority and gradually moves up Google?
With these local SEO ‘Quick Wins’, you can.
Final Thoughts
9 out of 10 Australian businesses ask how long SEO takes.
The remaining business owner knows that SEO results improve over time, and asks “how long until I can start my SEO campaign?”
Once you work your way onto Google’s first page, the benefits of organic traffic and exposure improve month on month. SEO takes time so Google can find the most relevant website and deliver it to people searching online. This includes the roughly 200 ranking signals - from a fast loading site to an easy mobile viewing experience; a low bounce rate to a high time on page compared to your competition.
The websites in position #1 have typically been running SEO campaigns for months, or years. Only 5.7% of all websites rank on the first page of Google within a year. This is why it’s crucial to start your own SEO campaign today if you want to experience faster SEO results.
At SEO Assassin we unleash a guerilla assault on low competition keywords as our targets. Using local SEO strategies and our proven framework of SEO, you can expect ‘Quick Wins’ within 6 months. For more competitive keywords, you can enjoy compounding benefits at the 12 month mark, and again around 18 months.
If you intend to be in business for another 5 to 10 years, SEO is worth investing in. With SEO leads converting at an average of 14.6%, and the top 3 spots on Google attracting 75% of all traffic, there’s proven ROI for your new business.
If you’re ready to enjoy faster SEO results, get started with a FREE SEO analysis to unlock quick-wins and ranking opportunities for your business. Contact us online to speak to an Australian SEO manager and find out more.
