How Long Does it Take to Get Ranked on Page One?

“How long will it take my website to reach Page One on Google?” That’s a very common question, and a loaded one, too.

The thing is, a lot goes into SEO – or Search Engine Optimization. Being able to precisely answer the above question is not as easy as you might think. Actually, the real answer is, no matter what you try, there is no guarantee you can make it to page one.

Here is a list of elements that can impact your SEO rankings:

Google is Always Keeping Us on Our Toes

Not only does Google always throw out an update here and there – including Panda and Penguin – they’re always putting out a new crawl that’s always causing volatility in page rankings. They’re deeper crawl also runs more predictably and indexes a bigger chunk of what’s out there on the internet. Websites, pages and links take time to propagate, after which they are then ranked against countless searches.

So much goes into the Google formula that it’s almost a mystery to most. All we can really do is look at a moment in time to see what the current website looks like versus that of another. Then it’s possible to pinpoint areas that require improvement in rankings over time. A general timeframe can then be provided by your website developer, based on what can be expected according to past experience.

The Quality of Your Website Plays a Part

It will take a lot longer to climb Google rankings if your website is of poor quality and is not updated often enough. If your site has been penalized at some point in the past, because you “stuffed” your website with keywords, or used other blackhat techniques, you may never come back to the top.

Competition Cannot Be Controlled

While there is a lot that can be done to control our own website and all the perks that come with it, there’s little that can be done to keep a lid on our competition. That’s why it is so important to always keep an eye on what they other guys are doing, and make sure you are doing your best to stay one leg up on them. Many times it can be tough to find out whether your customers are finding you online because of your website’s strength, or because your competitors are currently not marketing at that moment.

Search Engine Optimization Does Not Have an End Date

Trying to maximize your site for SEO purposes and getting it to climb the ranks doesn’t necessarily come with a hard-fast start and end date. It’s often a long-winded branding technique that takes a while to achieve.

At the end of the day, what’s important is not how fast you get to Page One, but how well you’ve been able to market your brand and establish yourself as an expert in your niche. The more people believe you are a trusting business, the more they will flock to your site, and the more likely Google will consider your website and content important to visitors.