Why SEO Takes Time: What Google is Really Doing Behind the Scenes

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of creating content so search engines can easily find it. There are several ways to accomplish this, which we will discuss a little later in this article.

Business owners often find themselves questioning their marketing team as to why their SEO efforts are taking so long. Marketing forms like paid advertising yield fairly rapid results, after all, so why not SEO?

To understand the answer to this question you must first understand what Google is really doing behind the scenes.

It Starts with Indexing

The first thing that happens during the process of SEO behind the scenes is that Google must index your website and each of its distinct pages. This information is added to a massive digital library of sorts, which fuels the search engine process. The way Google performs this indexing is via website crawlers.

What Are Website Crawlers?

Website crawlers are digital bots that essentially scan over websites to better understand what they are about. But they don’t scan new websites – at least, not initially.

Instead, the process starts with crawlers scanning over websites that have already been added to Google’s giant index. When these crawlers come across links to websites or information they haven’t seen before they follow them so they can index these new sites.

This is one of the reasons building backlinks to your website is so important. It is also why using internal links in your content is important – it allows for all your pages to be indexed versus a few.

How Does the Search Process Work?

SEO is all about showing up high in search engine results pages, also known as SERPs. This means knowing how the search process works is vital to using SEO to drive organic traffic to your website.

When a user types their search query into the google bar, Google uses an algorithm to determine which sites or pages will be listed in which order on the search engine results pages.

At this point, the user will browse the results and click on the one they think is most relevant. Those they choose are almost always on the first page, making it vital to rank high if you want to be successful with SEO.

This is the answer to that question – why does SEO take so long?

It takes time for Google’s bots to crawl your website, so it can be indexed. Then it takes more time to figure out how the different SEO elements you’ve used compare to your competitors (i.e. other people who fit the given search query).

How to Leverage This Information

Knowing why SEO takes so long and what Google is doing behind the scenes is one thing, but how can you leverage this information to help your marketing efforts?

For starters, knowing how important backlinks and website visitors are, you should make it a priority to create them. Yes, it’s easier said than done, but starting with a few guest blogs and answering questions regarding your industry on popular sites is a good start – just make sure to add your website URL to your byline or signature.

• Here are a few more useful tips on how to leverage this information:
  • Share content to varying social platforms for a higher potential of being seen.
  • Keep your website updated with fresh content.
  • Use keywords and metadata to your advantage.
  • Use the right keywords – the ones your target audience is searching for. Do your research to find out what those are.
  • Keep up to date on Google’s ever-changing guidelines.

Although it can be aggravating when your SEO doesn’t pay off as quickly as you wish, know that it will eventually. When given the proper time and effort, search engine optimization can have a significantly positive impact on the success of your marketing efforts and company in general. At SocialSEO, our SEO specialists can help your business’s website ranker higher on Google’s SERP. Contact us today for a free consultation.