AppNet Client News July 1, 2014

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO ACT ON GAINING OR MAINTAINING GOOD RANKINGS?

Anyone else feeling a bit ‘caught off guard’ by the fact that one-half of 2014 is now over and done with?Yep, me too.If you’re like me and many of the other business owners that I’ve spoken with recently – we all set goals to attain this year and we set some timetables within which we hoped to achieve them.For me personally, the timetable was July 1st…and here we are.That got me to thinking about ONE of the questions that I am most often asked – and that is:

“HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR GOOGLE TO RANK OR RE-RANK A WEBSITE?”

Your website SHOULD BE one of, if not THE MOST important new customer generating tools in your business plan. If your website is ranked well, you WILL get new business from it. If it isn’t, you won’t. If your website is well ranked, you should take steps to protect those great rankings to insure that you’ll stay there. If not, then you should formulate a strategy to get you there.In a recent staff meeting with our design, programming, content and SEO team I asked the following questions:1. How long does it take for a website to gain good rankings for competitive search terms on Google?2. How long does it take TO LOSE those rankings?3. How long does it take TO GAIN THEM BACK?These are ALL important questions that YOU should know the answers to. If you have a new website, you should know how long it might take to GAIN good rankings. If you currently have a well ranked website, you should know the variables that might negatively affect your website and if you DO see a drop in rankings – how long might it take to get those great rankings back?I’ll quickly answer all three questions and then elaborate (as usual) 1. How long does it take for a website to gain good rankings for competitive search terms on Google? 6-9 months and maybe longer.2. How long does it take TO LOSE those rankings? A week or so.3. How long does it take TO GAIN THEM BACK? 6-9 months and maybe longer.Now allow me to elaborate and also use a pretty clear analogy of how things really work in the world of Google.

We’ve ALL attempted to workout, get in better shape or lose weight, right? Would you expect to lose weight or get in better shape overnight or over a prolonged period of time?

Is it even possible to do a ton of miles on a treadmill in one day and get in shape? Of course not. You have to do a little mileage each day and over time you will see a new, healthier you.

Website ranking works kind of the same way. You could spend a half a million dollars on a website today and submit it to Google and you won’t see the kind of results that you’d probably expect.

You’d be far better off building the best website you can afford today and then grow it over time.

If your website is NEW or if your website has no rankings to speak of – then it can gain SOME rankings rather soon after launching new content. (Perhaps even in the first 30 days.) Those improvements in rankings WILL provide some initial new visitors and perhaps some new business.

However, Google seems to be more inclined to give new websites just a “taste of success” in the first weeks and months. If there are signs that you simply posted a new website and then did nothing subsequent to that, then you’ll probably see a slight decline in rankings over time.On the other hand, if after launching a new website you continue to grow new content and “work the website”, then more and STRONGER rankings will come.

HOW MUCH TIME is more dependent on your industry, the competitive nature of your industry and YOUR LOCATION.

For example, if you’re a realtor in Podunk, Mississippi, then you can gain top rankings for the most important search terms to you without much of a website. Gaining top rankings for “Podunk Homes for sale” is achievable with perhaps a 2-3 page website and less than a $500 budget – AND those rankings might come in the first couple of weeks.

On the other hand if that same realtor moves his or her license to Miami, Florida or Houston, Texas, then after changing up some titling and page content you MIGHT get ranked for something like “Miami Luxury Townhome for sale with thatched roof”, but your website won’t see the first 1000 pages of Google for any REAL, competitive search term.

The answer to the question of “How long would it take to get ranked well in Houston, Miami or any other competitive area would be MONTHS and perhaps MANY MONTHS. The answer would also have to include a strategy that included growing the website over time. The answer would also have to include a conversation about who will be doing that necessary work and a reasonable budget to accomplish those goals.

So if it takes MONTHS and sometimes MANY MONTHS to achieve top rankings, why not get started today? Time flies. We’re already one-half the way through 2014. If you want YOUR website to generate new customers and business, then don’t delay achieving those goals any longer. Before you know it another six months will have passed.

The question is – Will YOU have done anything to guarantee YOUR business success in the future?

Until next month!

Team AppNet
AppNet.com
888-926-4584