Is SEO Worth The Wait? Why It Takes So Long to See SEO Results

There are numerous reasons why businesses, big and small, choose not to invest in search engine optimization (SEO). For some, it’s simply too costly. Others might fear they won’t be able to keep up with the constantly changing trends and best practices. However, the primary reason why businesses are hesitant to invest is because it takes time to produce results. In this article, our experts will share some examples of long-term SEO success and why this effective digital strategy is worth the wait.

SEO is a Long-Term Digital Marketing Strategy

Business owners want to see growth and return on investment right away, so waiting for SEO efforts to produce results requires patience. Although sometimes you will quickly see spikes in organic traffic, SEO is usually an ongoing, long-term digital marketing strategy that produces lasting results and gains momentum over time.

Why Does SEO Take So Long?

There are a lot of elements that play into SEO success. A search engine’s algorithm takes countless factors into consideration when ranking pages. When you create optimized content, it takes time to be crawled by bots and make its way on search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s likely your content will start with a lower rank before working its way up towards the top, where it will earn more clicks.

To truly maximize your SEO efforts, you must establish a strong foundation and constantly work at maintaining SEO best practices. Building the SEO value on your website will help you:

• Earn more organic traffic, increasing visibility and awareness to your business
• Build your brand credibility and earn the trust of new customers
• Give users a better experience by providing helpful information
• Obtain more valuable website traffic, which leads to higher conversion rates

These efforts help your business outrank competitors and take your website and brand to the next level.

How Long Does It Take to See SEO Results?

It typically takes four to six months to start seeing the initial results of good SEO. However, it’s important to remember that SEO builds momentum and will be more impactful further down the road. Our digital marketing experts at Blue Compass makes these time expectations clear to clients when they choose to work with us, so there are no surprises.

Tips for Successful SEO Performance

When developing new content, we produce the best SEO results when giving your audience answers to real questions they have related to your business. For example, we had a healthcare client with a goal to drive more organic traffic back to their website. Health-related questions and concerns are not always glamorous and sometimes uncomfortable to discuss. This is why many people turn to the web to self-diagnose before seeking the help of a professional. Our team decided to think outside the box and produce a series of blog topics that answered some uncomfortable questions, the most notable being what baby poop colors mean for their health. Although our clients were hesitant to believe that people would read about these topics, the successful results show why SEO is worth the wait.

This baby poop blog continues to gain traction over time. It directs thousands of organic users to our client's website each month, showcasing the benefits of a long-term SEO digital marketing strategy. Even though this blog may not lead to conversions right away, it establishes their brand as a trusted source that people will keep in mind for the future.

Is It Worth Paying For SEO? How to Calculate SEO ROI

Yes, by choosing to invest in SEO, you are building an asset for your business and eventually, this long-term marketing strategy will pay for itself. Utilizing SEO strategies, like keyword research and structured data, will help you rank towards the top in SERPs and drive organic traffic to your website. We believe organic traffic is oftentimes the most valuable result of SEO, and it’s free! By optimizing content to give users the information they need, they are more likely to convert.

Is It Worth Hiring an SEO Expert?

SEO can be done in-house, but best practices are constantly changing. This makes it extremely difficult for marketers, who may have many other duties, to keep up. Putting your trust in the experts allows your business to build a solid SEO foundation that will improve your overall website health, increase organic traffic and drive conversions.

Here are just a couple examples of client work that performs well organically and helps bring in leads:

We assisted our client who provides roofing and home restoration services by laying the groundwork for SEO success, and they earned incredible results this year! They rank #1 for search terms related to wind and hail damage, which leads to form completions on their website for roof repairs from local homeowners and businesses. Below showcases the organic growth they’ve had to this page.

Another long-term client, a pest control company, sees significant organic traffic to many blogs about various seasonal pests. When homeowners spot these pests inside, they look up what to do about the insect they’re dealing with and reach out to our client for pest removal services. The amount of organic growth and business leads they’ve seen over the years during their peak seasons continues to grow each year.

If You’re Looking to Hire an SEO Expert, Let Blue Compass Guide Your Long-Term Digital Marketing Strategy

As leading digital experts in the Midwest, the Blue Compass team is always researching the latest SEO updates and adjusting our processes to follow best practices. We’ve helped a wide range of businesses, from Fortune 500 companies to locally owned mom-and-pop shops, build successful brands online and experience significant results when they invest in SEO and trust its long-term process. Reach out to our search engine optimization team to ask the experts about all aspects of SEO; we love educating businesses on how it can help them grow!

Kevin McMurray

Kevin McMurray is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Blue Compass. He enjoys spending time with his family, cheering on Cyclones sports and leisure sports.