Another Opinion: How Long Should You Give an SEO to Show Results?

Recently we’ve posed the question: how long should you give an SEO firm to generate results?

Earlier this week we read SEO expert Michael Fleischner’s answer. Today we’ve asked Noah Parks the same question. Noah is the VP of Digital Marketing at Leadgenix, a Utah-based SEO firm. He’s also a sought-after online marketing speaker. He’s trained hundreds of companies on SEO strategy all over the world.

Here is Noah’s response to the question: how long should you give an SEO to show results?

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A wise king was once asked three questions or risk being catapulted into a deep, dark abyss. With the first two questions answered successfully, he was asked the third: “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

To which he replied, “What do you mean, African or European Swallow?”

With his quest at stake, it was important the king understood the question because many variables influenced his answer.

We all agree there are many variables to a successful SEO campaign:

– Is it local, regional, or national?
– How competitive are the first page rankings?
– Is there a compelling reason to click on your listing?
– Is the sites’ message concise with a clear call to action?

This is merely the tip of the tip of the iceberg. There are always reasons why a site may or may not rank, and how quickly that may happen, but excuses are only given when expectations have not been set with the client.

How long does it take to get clients results? Let’s start by defining results. I define results RCC … Ranking, Clicks, and Conversions.

Ranking

The face of SEO has changed considerably in the last few years. Unfortunately not all SEO’s have. The confluence (biggest word I’ve used in weeks!) of social elements and traditional SEO as ranking factors is critical. These elements are in part:

1. Having a strong social presence where the public can engage you
2. A robust organic link building strategy
3. A site full of relevant content with a consistent voice

This will be invaluable in building Page Rank and increasing site authority. Once these are established, Google can then rank your site in one of ten coveted Page 1 results.

Clicks

All the toil to build up a site with a ton of incredible content isn’t worth a wooden nickel if no one clicks and visits your website. Your meta title and description have to be relevant, keyword rich, and compelling in order to entice visitors to pick you off the page and poke their collective noses into your business. Think about it! If you were Google, would you give a
first page ranking to a site nobody clicked on? No, you wouldn’t, and neither will they.

Conversions

Finally, we’ve all walked into a store, looked left, looked right, up and down, and promptly turned for the exit. So will visitors to your site unless you give them a reason to stay. Three simple words…. Content, content, sweet relevant content. Ok, fine, that was 5.

Ok, now we’re all on the same page, let’s answer the original question. “How much time should clients give an SEO firm toproduce results before firing them?” Or asked another way: “How long should an SEO firm tell clients it will take to generate results?”

For example:

The owner of an upscale hotel chain was fuming. The contract with his new SEO firm had been signed weeks ago. A new property just had its’ grand opening. They needed rooms booked, and needed them booked yesterday. But nothing was happening yet…

Can the owner really expect immediate results from his newly contracted SEO?

When it comes to organic rankings, the answer is NO. Ultimately, we do not control Google’s algorithm, we can only wield a wee bit of influence over it.

So what then is a reasonable timeframe?

Well, consider a few variables.

First, they are in a competitive market with the biggest brands in the world and they are a boutique property.

On the social side, reviews of the property will take time to gather.

Content on the site needs to be optimized for the demographics they are trying to reach.

The SEO was still waiting on information from the client.

All of this then needs to propagate across the web.

Properly set expectation? 3 to 4 months. At least.

On the flip side of SEO, it is very much front end loaded. A good SEO stays ahead of the curve and has their thumb on the pulse of the industry. They can then maintain your rankings, continue a strong Click Through Rate, and demonstrate positive ROI over time.

A very short time later the hotels site started to move up in rankings, bookings occurred online, and the phone rang with prospective guests eager to book their next vacation.

Oh, in case you were wondering, the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is 24mph. My question for you… African or European?

And there was much rejoicing!