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When can you expect the first results from SEO?

Home > Blog > When can you expect the first results from SEO?

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    Oleksandr Andrianov | June 01, 2025

One of the most frequent questions clients ask SEO specialists is: "When will we see results?" This question is quite understandable - businesses invest resources and want to know when the return will begin. The problem is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, and many factors affect the timeframe for achieving results.

According to Ahrefs, only 5.7% of new pages make it to the top 10 of Google for competitive queries within the first year. But that doesn't mean you have to wait a year to see any changes.

In this article, we'll look at what realistic expectations you should have regarding the timing of SEO optimization and what factors affect the speed of results. If you've already read our articles "Why Doesn't SEO Work? 21 Possible Causes" and "Why Does SEO Usually Take a Long Time?", this article will help you better understand the SEO optimization timeline.

Time frames for different types of results

SEO results appear gradually and in different aspects. It is important to understand that different types of improvements occur at different rates.

    • Time period

    • Types of results

    • What you can see

    • Priority actions

    • Time period

    • Time period

    • Types of results

    • Types of results

    • What you can see

    • What you can see

    • Priority actions

    • Priority actions

    • 1-4 weeks

    • Technical improvements

    • Fixing indexing errors, improving Core Web Vitals, adjusting metadata

    • Technical audit, fixing critical errors

    • Time period

    • 1-4 weeks

    • Types of results

    • Technical improvements

    • What you can see

    • Fixing indexing errors, improving Core Web Vitals, adjusting metadata

    • Priority actions

    • Technical audit, fixing critical errors

    • 1-3 months

    • Initial changes in the ranking

    • Improvements for low-competitive queries, increase in the number of indexed pages

    • Content optimization, work with meta tags

    • Time period

    • 1-3 months

    • Types of results

    • Initial changes in the ranking

    • What you can see

    • Improvements for low-competitive queries, increase in the number of indexed pages

    • Priority actions

    • Content optimization, work with meta tags

    • 3-6 months

    • Noticeable growth

    • Steady traffic growth, improvement in average competitive queries, first conversions

    • Content marketing, the beginning of link building

    • Time period

    • 3-6 months

    • Types of results

    • Noticeable growth

    • What you can see

    • Steady traffic growth, improvement in average competitive queries, first conversions

    • Priority actions

    • Content marketing, the beginning of link building

    • 6-12 months

    • Significant results and ROI

    • Competitive positions in key queries, significant growth in traffic and conversions

    • Scaling successful strategies, working with the brand

    • Time period

    • 6-12 months

    • Types of results

    • Significant results and ROI

    • What you can see

    • Competitive positions in key queries, significant growth in traffic and conversions

    • Priority actions

    • Scaling successful strategies, working with the brand

1-4 weeks: First signs of technical improvements

What you can see:● Fixing indexing errors.● Improvement of Core Web Vitals indicators.● Correction of metadata (title, description).● Eliminating simple technical problems.

At this stage, changes in analytics tools are noticeable, but not yet in positions or traffic. Google Search Console will begin to show improvements in indexing and a reduction in the number of errors.

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    An example from practice:

An e-commerce client had critical indexing issues due to incorrect robots.txt settings. After conducting an SEO audit and fixing it, the number of indexed pages increased by 60% within two weeks, although the positions have not yet changed. We observed a similar situation while working with the foodexhub.com.ua project, where initial technical improvements laid the foundation for further stable growth.

1-3 months: Initial changes in the ranking

What you can see:● Improving positions for low-competitive long-tail queries.● Increase the number of indexed pages.● A slight increase in organic traffic.● Starts appearing in search results for new keywords.

This is the period when search engines "notice" and respond to the initial optimizations. Active re-indexing and re-evaluation of the site takes place.

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    Useful statistics:

SEMrush's research shows that 51% of SEO projects start showing significant results only after 6 months of work, but the first shifts in ranking for low-competitive queries often appear within 2-3 months.

3-6 months: A noticeable increase in performance

What you can see:● Steady growth of organic traffic.● Improved positions in medium-competitive queries.● Increase the visibility of the site in search engines.● CTR growth in search results.● First organic conversions.

At this stage, the SEO strategy begins to produce more tangible results. Content marketing and link building already have a cumulative effect, as described in detail in our article "Why does SEO usually take a long time?".

6-12 months: Significant results and ROI

What you can see:● Competitive positions by key queries.● Significant growth in organic traffic.● Stable flow of conversions and leads.● Positive ROI from investments in SEO.● Strengthening brand positions in search.

After six months to a year of consistent SEO work, most projects show significant results. This is the period when the invested efforts begin to pay off, as in our case of promoting the banking website mtb.ua, where organic traffic increased by 150% after 1.5 years of systematic work.

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Factors affecting the speed of achieving results

The timeframe described above is an average. In practice, the speed of achieving results depends on many factors.

1. Domain age and previous history

● New domains: 6-12+ months for significant results.● Established domains with a good history: 3-6 months.● Domains with a bad history (sanctions, spam): 12+ months for recovery.

New domains go through the Google Sandbox, a period of cautious evaluation by the search engine. Domains with a long positive history respond faster to optimization.

2. Niche and keyword competitiveness

The level of competition is one of the most important factors determining the speed of achieving results:● Low-competitive niches: 2-4 months for tangible results.● Medium-competitive niches: 4-8 months.● Highly competitive niches: 8-12+ months.

In industries such as insurance, loans, legal services, or online casinos, competition is so intense that even a great SEO strategy can take a year or more to reach the top positions.

3. Initial state of the site

The starting point is of great importance:● Websites with critical technical issues: can show rapid progress after their elimination (1-3 months).● Websites with a good technical base but weak content: 3-6 months with a focus on content strategy.● Websites affected by algorithmic updates: 6-12 months to recover.

The more issues you need to solve, the longer the road to results, but sometimes fixing critical technical errors can give you a quick boost. For more information on technical issues that can hinder SEO, read our article "Why is SEO not working? 20 Possible Reasons".

4. Resources and work intensity

The speed of implementing changes directly affects the time it takes to get results:● Fast implementation (up to 2 weeks): can accelerate results by 30-40%.● Slow implementation (over 6 weeks): usually delays noticeable results by 2-3 months.

According to the Search Engine Journal, projects with fast implementation of recommendations show 45% better traffic growth in 6 months than projects with slow implementation.

5. Type of optimization and target indicators

Different aspects of SEO produce results at different speeds:

    • Type of optimization

    • Typical time frame

    • Key success factors

    • Type of optimization

    • Type of optimization

    • Typical time frame

    • Typical time frame

    • Key success factors

    • Key success factors

    • Technical optimization

    • 1-3 months

    • Eliminate critical errors, improve Core Web Vitals, optimize website structure

    • Type of optimization

    • Technical optimization

    • Typical time frame

    • 1-3 months

    • Key success factors

    • Eliminate critical errors, improve Core Web Vitals, optimize website structure

    • Local SEO

    • 1-4 months

    • Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, structured data

    • Type of optimization

    • Local SEO

    • Typical time frame

    • 1-4 months

    • Key success factors

    • Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, structured data

    • Content marketing

    • 3-9 months

    • Quality and relevance of content, E-E-A-T, regularity of publications

    • Type of optimization

    • Content marketing

    • Typical time frame

    • 3-9 months

    • Key success factors

    • Quality and relevance of content, E-E-A-T, regularity of publications

    • Linkbuilding

    • 3-12 months

    • Quality of links, domain relevance, naturalness of the profile

    • Type of optimization

    • Linkbuilding

    • Typical time frame

    • 3-12 months

    • Key success factors

    • Quality of links, domain relevance, naturalness of the profile

    • Brand search

    • 6-12+ months

    • PR-activity, coherence of marketing channels, recognition

    • Type of optimization

    • Brand search

    • Typical time frame

    • 6-12+ months

    • Key success factors

    • PR-activity, coherence of marketing channels, recognition

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How to track SEO progress correctly

Understanding the step-by-step nature of SEO helps to establish the right system for tracking progress.

Early indicators (1-3 months)

● Changes in indexing (Google Search Console).● Improved technical performance (loading speed, Core Web Vitals).● Appearance in search results for new keywords.● Increase the CTR of meta tags in search results.

Medium-term indicators (3-6 months)

● Dynamics of positions by target keywords.● Growth of organic traffic.● Increase user engagement (time on the site, depth of browsing).● Initial conversions from organic traffic.

Long-term indicators (6-12+ months)

● Stable positions in the top 10 in terms of competitive queries.● Steady growth of organic traffic.● ROI from SEO investments.● The share of organic traffic in the overall mix marketing.

When developing a website, the SEO service at the stage of website development can significantly reduce the time until you get the first results, as most technical problems are solved immediately.

Typical promotion scenarios and expectations of results

Scenario 1: New website in a competitive niche

Expected timeframe:● 1-2 months: Basic indexing and analytics setup.● 3-4 months: Start of ranking for low-competitive queries.● 6-9 months: Moderate traffic growth and first conversions.● 12+ months: Competitive position and stable customer flow.

Recommendations:● Start with a detailed analysis of your competitors and niche.● Focus on long-tail queries first.● Create a detailed content plan for 12 months ahead.● Conduct an active PR campaign to accelerate the acquisition of domain authority.

We used this approach in our case study of promoting a website under NDA to the US market, where we managed to promote the site from zero to more than 800,000 visitors per month in 1 year.

Scenario 2: An established website with technical problems

Expected timeframe:● 1 month: Audit and fix critical technical issues.● 2-3 months: Noticeable improvement in indexing and initial traffic growth.● 4-6 months: Restore lost positions and increase conversions.● 6-9 months: Stable results and positive ROI.

Recommendations:● Start with the most critical technical issues.● Optimize the pages that used to bring in the most traffic first.● Combine technical optimization with user experience.● Actively use the Google Search Console to track changes in indexing.

If you change the design of your website or switch to a new CMS, you should pay attention to our SEO redesign service, which allows you to maintain and improve SEO performance during such changes.

Scenario 3: Website after algorithmic sanctions

Expected timeframe:● 1-2 months: Audit and identification of the reasons for the sanctions.● 3-6 months: Fixing problems and waiting for reindexing.● 6-9 months: Gradual recovery of positions.● 9-18 months: Full recovery and growth.

Recommendations:● Conduct a thorough audit to identify all problem areas.● Be prepared for radical changes in content and linkbuilding strategies.● Document all changes and submit a reconsideration request if necessary.● Focus on long-term quality, not quick fixes.

If you need to change your domain or CMS, our SEO moving service will help you migrate without losing search traffic.

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Realistic expectations and a long-term perspective

SEO is an investment in the future of your business, and like any good investment, it takes time to mature. Setting a realistic timeframe helps you avoid disappointment and make the right strategic decisions.

Key recommendations for managing expectations:● Set clear intermediate KPIs — not only end goals, but also intermediate indicators of success.● Regularly report on different types of progress — not only on positions and traffic, but also on technical improvements, brand visibility, and content quality.● Compare results with competitors in the niche, not with abstract ideals.● Adapt your strategy based on the speed of progress — if certain tactics are producing faster results, it may be worth reallocating resources.● Remember the cumulative effect — often, progress in SEO is not linear, but exponential.

The most important thing is to maintain a balance between patience and active action. Comprehensive SEO promotion takes time, but it doesn't mean passive waiting. Ongoing, targeted efforts to optimize, create content, and build website authority gradually accumulate, leading to sustainable results that will work for your business for years.

If you are interested in more detailed analyzes of certain aspects of SEO, we recommend that you read our articles "Why Doesn't SEO Work? 21 Possible Reasons" and "Why Does SEO Usually Take a Long Time?".

Author of the article

Oleksandr Andrianov

Founder & CEO of MARZHA

15 years of experience in marketing, including 9 years in SEO. Worked with Kyivstar, Ocean Plaza, Ukreximbank, MTB Bank, SHARK.

More about the authorRequest a free consultation
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Author of the article

Illustration

Oleksandr Andrianov

Founder & CEO of MARZHA

15 years of experience in marketing, including 9 years in SEO. Worked with Kyivstar, Ocean Plaza, Ukreximbank, MTB Bank, SHARK.

More about the author
Request a free consultation
Illustration

© MARZHA Digital Agency

Illustration

© MARZHA Digital Agency