We’ll give it to you straight, there’s no exact time and date. But if you’re working with a firm, they could provide a timetable (6 months or more) on when your site will receive the promised amount of traffic.
You will know that your SEO approach is working, not by becoming number one on a search page, but by receiving the traffic you deserve and boost business sales from it. Yes, it is gratifying to reach the top, but remember that the goal here is to find potential customers and introduce your brand to them. Don’t prioritize being number one in the first year, instead, focus on your brand’s visibility and earn your potential customer’s trust. These factors must be taken in consideration too:
Quality of Your Domain
How long has it been working? If it’s been running for a while now, then you’re already earning some traffic. If you’re new, then you’ll need more time to keep up with the old ones. Did it get penalized? Log in to your Webmasters account frequently to learn about your site’s condition. Use your monthly audit results and find out what you should modify and fix low-quality links. If your site has been using black-hat SEO previously, then it’s time to throw that trick off the cliff or start another well-managed site. Because the moment Google’s algorithm discovers the use of unwanted SEO methods in a site, odds won’t be in its favor.
Content
Even if it has relevant and good topic, work on your titles and length too. Write in-depth articles that answers a search clearly and relate your keywords to your title. Understand that today’s SEO depends more on the natural language search. We’re not saying you have to ditch those hard to find keywords though – in time, they’ll be useful – we just have to keep up with voice searches and play the game Google wants us to. Set a publishing schedule for your contents to keep the site running towards the goal.
People You’re Working With
If we’re aiming for 3000 worth of traffic in the first 5 months, then you’ve got to think and function like an SEO expert. Work with a team with skills and experience in SEO. You can also outsource by investing in an SEO firm.
While waiting for your SEO to work, don’t forget that there are other platforms you can use to improve your site’s visibility (Social Media Marketing, SEM, Email Marketing etc.) instead of getting obsessed with Google.
Lastly, Your Understanding and Attitude Towards SEO
Don’t push it too hard if it didn’t work in the first month. Wait for 3-7 months. If in between those times there’s zero improvement, then it’s time to revisit your methods and find out what you’ve missed. Don’t give up halfway, learn to keep moving without rushing. Remember that SEO works in the long run. Talk to a bunch of experts, they will repeatedly tell you that it takes time.
Finish what you have started. Hold on to realistic expectations and understand that SEO takes practice, knowledge, and again, time.