There’s one common frustration that unites all small business owners, no matter what industry you’re in: the customer who just doesn’t get it. It could be the home buyer who refuses to accept that you’re not going to get a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, newly remodeled home within commuting distance of Manhattan for under $100,000. It could be the bride who doesn’t understand that no amount of screaming will make alterations happen any faster.

In the digital marketing world, our frustration has a name. It’s known as the SEO On-Switch. While most clients understand that any marketing campaign takes time to design, implement and work, there are a few who think SEO works just like a light switch. Somewhere, behind the scenes, digital marketers have access to a mysterious switch that, when turned on, will catapult a website to the very top of the search engine rankings, no work required.

In fact, SEO campaigns can take several months, even up to a year, to work. Here’s a great article from Social Media Today that explains some of the factors that influence the SEO timeline. Other factors to take into consideration when determining how long it will take for a SEO campaign to be effective include the condition of your website and social media presence when the campaign begins. If you have a site that was built many years ago, before Google repeatedly adjusted the algorithms it uses to determine site ranking, considerable work may need to be done on your site to generate better results.

One way to speed the effectiveness of any SEO campaign is to be a fully involved partner. The more your digital marketing professional knows about your business, your customers, and your plans for growth, the more targeted and effective your SEO marketing will be. Identify quantifiable goals for your business, be willing to share your insights with the marketing team, and as much as possible, provide original content or links to content that you know will be of interest to your customers. It’s not quite a magic SEO On-switch, but it will make the entire process much faster.

Want to find out more about our Search Marketing services? Read about our SEM strategies or reach out for a free consultation.