Because the vast majority of consumers and business owners think the Internet moves at 'light speed", they expect instantaneous results when they attempt online marketing. It's not uncommon for someone to tell me they expect to be in the top 10 search results in Google within a few weeks or even a few days!

I obviously was not communicating up front the commitment required to take a website to the top ten.

What I found most helpful was to manage my own and my clients' expectations. There are a lot of factors that go in to search engine rankings. I've written before that the keyword research process is the most important part of search engine rankings.

There are many local business owners, especially those in small cities or towns that think they're the only ones in the world that sell shoes or furniture or flowers. So, naturally, they expect to be in the top rankings in as short a time as possible.

The number one question my clients ask me is "how long will it take to get ranked high in the search engines?" My standard answer to that question is "it depends". It depends on your keywords, on what you're trying to do with your website, and on how much you're willing to put into it (both time and money).

The problem I see with most website owners is that they are expecting too much too fast. Search engine optimization, and especially link building, is an ongoing process. It's no different than any other marketing vehicle. When I buy the Sunday paper, half the bulk of the paper is made up of advertisements.

Not only do companies advertise and market in their local communities to get people to come in to buy, they're creating a brand for themselves. Yes, they want people to come in and buy but they also want people to 'think" of them first whenever they have a need.

So, if somebody really wants to know 'how long it takes", the answer is usually from 30 to 90 days for links to show up in a link query. Link building is not a quick fix for any website. The search engines won't allow it to be a quick fix. The search engines are looking for sites that grow and build on a natural pace.

If you start and maintain a link building campaign for 30 or 60 days, you'll see results. But you can't stop at there. If you want to stay ranked high in the search engines you have to continue the process. There's no getting around it not even with software.

Because the Internet is so "instantaneous", all news is old new the minute it shows up in search results. As newer content comes in, it replaces the old. The only way to combat this is to keep giving the search engine's new content.

If you're serious about building long-term, stable Internet search rankings, then today is the day to get started. And every other day afterwards is a day to continue.