How Quickly Does SEO Work? The Truth About Organic Growth

It’s a little crazy to think about SEO – an entire industry built off of guessing something no one knows. Google, Bing and whatever search engine’s web crawler are black boxes, meaning not even the company itself can see the algorithm inside and find out how it determines what reaches Page 1 of search results. It can be daunting.

However, there are ways we can use other data to point towards a rough idea of how quickly SEO gets to work, and how quickly you can expect to find your page on search results after you push publish. Using this, you’ll be able to plan your website improvements and content marketing much more effectively, and no longer will you have a timely blog that lands without making any noise because it doesn’t rank in time.

How Long Does Google Take to Start Ranking a New Website?

Before diving headfirst into a timeline, remember that every site’s journey is unique and arrive on search engine results at their own pace – paid media advertising bridges the gap in the meantime. That said, most new websites follow a general SEO progression. Early on, victories may be small, usually ranking for very niche terms, but with consistent effort made towards technical SEO improvements and a solid content plan, larger gains materialise in the later months.

A recent analysis found that about 41% of new domains managed to achieve at least one top-10 Google ranking within roughly 6 months​, showing that half-year mark as a common breakthrough point. Nevertheless, very few maintained those high rankings consistently throughout the first year​. In other words, you might hit the first page for some keywords within months, but sustaining and broadening those rankings is an ongoing process.

How Long Does Google Take to Start Ranking a New Page on an Indexed Website?

If Google knows the website already, individual pages are far quicker to arrive on its search rankings. However, Google doesn’t have a sixth sense of when a new webpage is added. At best, Google can take about three months to spot, index and rank a new webpage on your site, but it usually extends to six months and could go beyond a year. How do you let Google know of your new webpage quicker? Internally link the new page on other pages within your website; keep an updated sitemap in the footer of your website to guide crawlers to a full page directory; and request a manual URL crawl via Google Search Console.

A study of 2,155 new websites from 2021 to 2022 shows the percentage of sites achieving at least one top-10 Google ranking grew from around 9% in the first month to over 41% by the 6th month​. However, search rankings are volatile when competitive – only around 4% of these sites held a top-10 ranking every month for a year​. So while some new sites can break into page one within half a year, consistent top rankings typically require sustained effort over a longer period.

News Content Ranks Far Quicker

You may be thinking to yourself that this doesn’t quite add up with your search engine experiences. After all, when you search for a topic when a major event happens or a celebrity passes away, there are brand new articles from BBC News, the Guardian, CNN, AP News and more that were published an hour ago. Why is this?

Search engines respond quickly to users’ immediate interests. High user engagement signals to search engines that a news article is valuable and relevant, thus during breaking news and unfolding events that capture significant attention, they will elevate newer articles in search articles, and even add a “Top Stories” section to results. This emphasis on recency ensures that breaking news articles gain prominence quickly, and established news organisations with a history of reliable reporting (such as those listed above) have the authority to appear swiftly at the top most of the time. From these findings, we can infer that high user engagement and domain authority is the key to ranking highly.

What Does this Mean for Seasonal Content?

The most important rule for seasonal content is to create months in advance. As it can take a few months to start ranking, plan your seasonal content three or four months ahead so it’s ranking for when you expect demand to increase. For example, if you’re planning a series of blogs in time for the summer, you should have them written and uploaded by March.

How to Make Your Content Rank Quicker

To summarise, here is a list of the to-dos you should focus on if you want your new website or webpage to start ranking rapidly:

• Build authority by creating content for relevant keywords with substantial search volume but manageable competition.
• Target your content to match user search intent: you might publish content for 12 months, but it will never rank if the content format does not match the search intent.
• Manually request a URL crawl via Google Search Console.
• Brush up on your site’s technical SEO with our tell-all guide.
• Ensure your content addresses the search intent of your target audience.
• Link to other relevant pages within your website to guide users to additional valuable content.
• Keep an updated and accessible sitemap for your users and for search engine crawlers to easily find every page of your site.
• Regularly update your content with fresh information to maintain relevance and rankings.

Ready to Accelerate Your SEO Growth?

Though SEO may not deliver instant results, with a well-planned strategy and consistent effort, your website can climb the rankings faster and more sustainably. If you’re ready to take your organic growth seriously, Brave Agency is here to help.

At Brave, we don’t just optimise for search engines – we create strategies that drive real business results. From technical SEO and content marketing to paid media that bridges the gap, our team of experts ensures your brand stands out in search.

Don’t leave your rankings to chance. Get in touch with Brave Agency today and let’s build an SEO strategy that delivers lasting success.