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Ready for one of our BIGGEST questions we get asked to be answered? How long does SEO take to get results? What’s realistic?
And to be clear, when we talk about SEO, we’re talking about organic SEO—not paid ads. Because let’s be real—if you throw money at Google, you can get instant visibility. But working on true, sustainable SEO takes strategy, consistency, and a little patience.
SEO isn’t like flipping a switch—it’s more like growing a garden. You plant the seeds, nurture them, and eventually, you start seeing results. Some businesses get results fast, while others need a little more time. So today, we’re breaking down why some SEO results happen in weeks, others in months, and why some industries take longer to gain traction.
The BIG Question—How Long Does SEO Take?
It depends.
SEO isn’t one-size-fits-all. Sometimes, our clients see improvements in just a couple of weeks and other times, it takes several months to gain traction. This is what makes our six-month check-in so interesting!
The speed of your SEO success depends on Google’s trust in your website—which is based on factors like domain authority, content history (AKA how long you’ve been blogging), competition, and past SEO strategies. The more Google trusts that you will provide relevant and valuable content, the more users it will send your way.
What Quick SEO Success Looks Like (2-4 Weeks)
What does quick SEO success actually mean?
In our experience, businesses that see results within 2-4 weeks already have a solid SEO foundation. These businesses usually:
- Have a domain authority of 10+ (meaning Google already trusts them a little).
- Have a blog presence and content that Google has already indexed.
- Are making targeted SEO optimizations instead of starting from scratch.
Think of it like dating. If you’re going on a blind date with someone you’ve never met before, there’s zero trust—you have to start from scratch. But if you’re reconnecting with an old friend, there’s already a level of familiarity and trust there. Google works the same way—it’s more likely to boost a site it already knows than one it’s never heard of before.
Here are some quick successes we’ve seen with our clients:
- My Household Managed: She added a new location to her offerings and within a couple weeks of optimizations, we were already indexed on page one for her new location and main keywords.
- Jenna Kutcher: We optimized an old blog written 3-4 years ago, and it spiked traffic within 2 days.
These are some incredible results but it’s not the norm. Usually, SEO takes at least a few months to start showing improvements in rankings.
What’s “Normal” SEO Success? (4-6 Months)
For most businesses, SEO traction happens in 4-6 months—especially if you’re:
- A new website without much existing content.
- Competing in a moderately competitive industry where Google needs more signals to trust you.
- Just starting to implement SEO strategy and keyword research the right way.
What does that success look like in this timeframe? Google will be indexing your pages more frequently. You can check the status in Google Search Console! Some blogs or pages will start to rank on page 2 or 3 of search results. Maybe even page one if you’re lucky! Overall, you’ll see slow but consistent growth in organic traffic.
Most clients see normal SEO growth.
That’s why we have a 4-6 month check-in after every audit. We wait for search engines to discover and build trust.
- MCreativeJ is a client that sells hand embroidery kits. We noticed some big things during her SEO audit, such as her shop living on a different domain (owned by Shopify). We also noticed she already showed up on page one for her kits, but we saw opportunities with unique collections to rank higher, too.
- Lindsey is another photographer we worked with who already had an amazing presence with some portfolios and blogs. But we wanted to rank higher for her offerings and locations. So, within 4-6 months of some hard work, we were featured in position one for her #1 keyword.
Why Some SEO Strategies Take 6+ Months (The Harder Cases)
There are a few reasons why SEO takes longer for some businesses:
#1 You’re Recovering from Bad SEO (a.k.a. You Broke Google’s Trust)
If your website has been penalized for using outdated or black-hat SEO tactics (like keyword stuffing, buying backlinks, or spammy content), Google needs time to trust you again.
#2 Your Industry is Extremely Competitive
If you’re in an ultra-saturated niche (like real estate, finance, or e-commerce), ranking for high-traffic keywords can take longer. Google prioritizes websites with history, authority, and strong backlink profiles, so new businesses need to build credibility before breaking into page one. This can take some time!
Allison Carter Celebrates is an example of longer-term growth success. In the last two years, she made a huge shift from party planning expert to branding and business coach. She completely altered her business without changing her domain. Her SEO actually had to get worse before it got better. We had to un-index and remove a lot of content strategically. And guess what? We never lost domain authority! That’s huge!
How Long Will MY SEO Take?
If you’re sitting there wondering, ‘Why isn’t my SEO working yet?’—just remember: SEO is a long game, but it’s a game worth playing. The businesses that show up consistently, optimize smartly, and trust the process are the ones that see the biggest results.
And here’s the thing—you can absolutely DIY your way to SEO success and build a solid foundation. In fact, this is a great place to start. But sometimes, even the most ambitious DIYers hit a wall. You get tapped out, feel stuck, or just need an extra set of eyes on your strategy. That’s where coaching has been such a game-changer for our clients—because sometimes, you just need that personalized support to take things to the next level.
And if there’s one big takeaway from today, it’s this—the businesses that get started sooner have an easier time ranking than those who wait. Google rewards consistency and trust, so the longer you wait, the longer it takes to build that momentum.
If you are ready to take action, we recently hosted a free live training all about 5 Ways to Gain Visibility and Get Found Online—and the replay is ready for you to watch!
If you liked today’s episode on The Duo On Air Marketing Podcast, don’t forget to leave us a review & subscribe!
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
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