In response to a lot of recent client enquiries on how long it takes to get found on Google, I thought it’d be a good idea to give an explanation. Many website owners feel that their site should be on the first page for their keywords, and are surprised and disappointed when this doesn’t happen immediately. We always repeat the caveat: it could take between six and 12 months before you get found. In most cases, it’s less than that, but you need to be prepared for the way Google deals with new websites, and newly optimised websites.

Many people think that Search Engine Optimisation is more of a dark art than a science, but really it’s just a case of moulding your site to fit what Google likes. If Google can’t understand what your site is about, or if Google doesn’t realise that your company is an industry leader, then we work to help Google like your site. This is an ongoing, and sometimes protracted, process.

Getting into the top 10 results on Google is not getting any easier, and Google is always inventing new ways of deciding how relevant websites are for a particular search result. Old chestnuts like (excuse the techy talk) link popularity, H1 tags, ALT text, meta Description tags, etc., have fallen by the wayside. While they still figure in the mix, there are so many different factors at play. Are searchers clicking on your site, where are your links coming from, is there much readable text on your home page, how is your website designed, where is your site hosted…the list goes on.

Add to this the fact that Google would prefer you to spend money through their AdWords programme rather than give you free ‘clicks’, and you can see why the forces are stacked up against your website getting high rankings anytime soon.
But work at it, and stay the course, and you will see an improvement. The simple things work best, but waiting is often the best option. Pepper your homepage with keywords, try to have content-rich pages on your site, submit your site to the directories, and check back every three weeks to see if rankings have improved.

And if you don’t see instant results, don’t be disappointed. It’s a long-term strategy, but it will pay off in the end.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, Search Engine Marketing, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.