How long does it take for SEO to work?

Have you just gotten started with search engine optimisation (SEO) for your website and are now wondering when you will see the first signs of success? The honest answer: SEO is not a sprint, but a marathon. Most companies notice the first noticeable improvements after 4 to 12 months.  

How quickly you see results depends on several factors: the age of your website, its authority, the competition in your industry, and the quality of your content. 

In this article, we’ll show you what to expect in the first 12 months of your SEO work and how to set realistic goals. 

Why does SEO take so much time?  

SEO is all about making your website more attractive to search engines so that it appears higher in search results. This doesn’t happen overnight because search engines use complex systems to decide which page is where. Many factors play a role in this: 

• Using the right keywords 
• The trustworthiness of your website 
• How user-friendly your site is 
• What your competitors are doing 
• The history of your website 

Unlike paid advertising (for example Google Ads), which can bring results after just a few days, SEO is a long-term investment. Let’s take a look at the main reasons for the waiting time. 

Building trust takes time  

An important building block for good rankings are backlinks, which are links from other trustworthy websites to your site. These links are like recommendations that show search engines that your page is valuable. However, you can only get such recommendations if you create great content that others are happy to share. It doesn’t happen overnight. 

New websites have to prove themselves first  

Freshly launched websites often have a harder time becoming visible. Many SEO experts refer to this as the “Google Sandbox”, a kind of probation period of 1 to 3 months during which new pages don’t rank well. Google wants to see if a new website is trustworthy before it gets better rankings.  

Technical optimisation and user experience  

Your website needs to work flawlessly: it should look good on smartphones, load fast, and have no broken links. These improvements make your site more user-friendly but take time to implement. Many website owners forget to regularly check loading times and links, which can slow down your SEO success. 

Budget and resources  

SEO works even without a big budget, but it’ll progress more slowly. Without professional SEO tools like Rank Math or Semrush, you’ll have to try and readjust more. If you don’t have time or money for good content and partnerships, you have fewer chances that people will discover your website. 

The competitiveness of your industry  

The more competition you have and the more popular the search terms you want to use, the longer it will take. For example, if you sell sportswear, you’re competing with big brands that have a high budget and existing brand awareness. A supplier of handmade candles with a local connection has it easier. 

Search engine updates  

Search engines continually change their evaluation criteria. These updates can mess up your rankings. It’s best to wait until an update has fully gone through before making any major changes. Stay informed about SEO news and adjust your content as needed. 

AI search also takes time  

AI search tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews are changing how people search for information. In addition to classic SEO, optimisation for AI search is now also becoming more important. Your content should be prepared in such a way that AI tools can use it as a source. For that, you need reviews, recommendations, and mentions on other sites — and that only evolves over time. 

Tip:  

Let us help you! Put your website’s SEO optimisation in the hands of SEO experts who know how to win in search engines and drive quality traffic to your website. Our SO experts will be happy to bring you and your website to the top!  

The 12-month plan for your SEO success  

Before you start, you should have realistic expectations. SEO success takes about a year of continuous work. But the wait is worth it for sustainable growth and better visibility. 

Month 1: Laying the foundation  

In the first month, you’ll lay down the basics: 

• Optimise page titles, descriptions, and URLs. You can find more about this in our article about SEO metadata. 
• Research the right search terms and plan their use. 
• Check your website for technical issues. 

Look for broken links, images that are too large, missing page titles, and images without alt-text. All this work sets the foundation for later success. 

Months 2-3: Implement initial improvements  

Now it’s time to start making improvements: 

• Improve the quality of your content 
• Optimise loading times and mobile responsiveness of your website.  

These measures improve the user experience of your website. High-quality content, such as in-depth how-to guides or case studies, is more likely to be linked from other websites. 

Months 4-5: Optimise internal structure  

Improve your website’s navigation. Visitors should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly, and all pages should be well connected. A well-structured website is like a tidy library where every book has its place. 

Months 6-7: Building authority and trust  

Now it’s time to position yourself as an expert. Create high-quality content that showcases your experience and expertise. This will make you a reliable source of information for users and search engines. 

Months 8-9: Increase visibility  

Increase your awareness through targeted public relations: press releases, guest posts and collaborations bring you high-quality backlinks. Ask happy customers for reviews on your website and Google. Make sure that your contact details are consistent throughout the internet. 

Months 10-11: Review and adjust strategy  

Look at your previous results and compare monthly data on visitor numbers and rankings. What works well, what doesn’t? Adjust your strategy accordingly. If there is no traffic, you may need other search terms.  

Month 12: Strengthening local presence and trust 

At the end of the year, you optimise your local findability and strengthen trust signals. Ensure website security and clear privacy notices. This will consolidate your good reputation with users and search engines. For data protection compliance, you can also use a tool such as e.g. Termly.  

After this year, you should see the first clear successes. Remember: SEO never stops. You need to adjust your strategy regularly to stay successful in the long run.  

For further SEO, check out this article for our best tips for getting top rankings on Google: 25 Ultimate SEO Tips. 

How to accelerate your success with SEO 

There are no shortcuts to SEO success, but these tips will help you see results more quickly! 

Think about your users, not just search engines  

Create content that adds real value and answers questions. Search engines want to provide their users with the best results. If you make your visitors happy, you will also make search engines happy. Ensure clear navigation, appealing images and informative texts. 

Stay on top of new search terms and trends  

Regularly research new search terms and incorporate them into your website. This keeps your content fresh and you can reach more people with terms you may have missed. 

Be patient and measure your successes  

SEO takes time – that’s normal. Changes made too early can even delay your success. Use the waiting time to track your results and find out about new developments. If you do the right things, the results will show. 

How to measure your SEO success  

Keeping track of whether your numbers are going in the right direction is important to know if your SEO work is working: 

Connect to Google Search Console  

Google Search Console shows you how your website is performing in Google Search. You can see which search terms lead visitors to you and how often your pages are displayed. The setup is free and gives you valuable insights. 

Pay attention to key stats  

The most important sign of your SEO success is clear: getting more visitors to your website via search engines.   

Additionally, you should look at how often people click on your links in search results. A high click-through rate shows that your titles and descriptions are engaging. 

Set clear goals such as number of newsletter sign-ups, contact requests, or sales. This allows you to measure whether SEO brings not only visitors but also customers. 

Stay on top of things  

Führen Sie eine Liste mit allen SEO-Aufgaben, Verantwortlichen und Fristen. So behalten Sie den Überblick, was erledigt ist und was noch ansteht. Eine einfache Tabelle reicht völlig aus. 

Professional support for your SEO success  

Doing SEO yourself is possible, but it takes a lot of time and learning effort. At one.com, we are happy to support you in becoming successful online. With our SEO services, we analyse your website, find the right search terms, and optimise your content for better rankings.  

If you don’t have a website yet or are planning to start a new one, our website creation service will help you. We’ll design a professional, search engine-optimised website for you that has everything needed for high rankings right from the start.  

With our website builder, you can alternatively create a website yourself and benefit from our SEO tips. 

Remember: SEO is an investment in the future of your online presence. With patience, the right strategy and continuous work, you will be successful in the long run. Stay tuned, measure your progress, and adjust your strategy as needed. Success will come!