How Long To Rank

When speaking to clients the inevitable question always asked of how long will it be before their chosen search term is ranked on Google. Actually sometimes some power does seem to give the impression that they can influence the speed of a certain search engine ranking position. An honest ethical SEO Company can find itself loosing business, purely because it refuses to be bullied into quick fixes or promising guaranteed rankings.

My explanation to my clients is based around what I call the natural timeline for gaining positions on Google based on the unique factors of each site. We pretty much know that the age of a site has a factor in rankings , so any new site will take longer than one just registered. We also know the competition is different for each search term, so yes it is possible to rank high for certain search terms very quickly, but it is unlikely to be a search term that is competitive.

This is where experience in SEO becomes fundamental to the success of the site. Too many times I have seen so called professionals send too many links too quickly to a new site, only for it to disappear into what is commonly know as the Google Sandbox. Of course the Google Sandbox is highly contended and many suggest it is nothing more than a filter that is automatically applied if Google finds anything that suggests someone is trying to influence the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages).

As the URL ages (more accurate than saying site) a trust factor is applied and basically the more Google trusts the site, the more you can get away with in terms of link building. The safest way is to add a few links a day, small and often. I hate footer links that go through the whole of the site. This just tells Google you have paid or have exchanged links for this to occur.

Even genuine marketing banners should have the no follow tag applied so no page rank is passed over; otherwise you run the risk of the site being highlight as a site that has bought links.

So each site has its own timeline based on age, the current trust rank (this is a term seo professionals use not an official Google term) and finally how much competition that search term has in that sector.
If you are doing it yourself, then take you time, if you are a SEO Company or professional, always stick by your guns when discussing timelines with your clients and do not be scared to lose business if their requirements do not match reality.