You're not buying a website. You're starting a partnership that builds a verified presence—and 6 months is when you'll start to feel the momentum.
You've heard the pitch. You're ready to upgrade your online presence. But there's a question nagging at you: What happens to my Google rankings during the transition? What if I lose what I've built?
This is the guide I wish every contractor had before making the decision. No sugar-coating. Just what actually happens, month by month, and why it's worth it.
The Elephant in the Room
Let's address it directly: overhauling your site content means Google needs time to re-evaluate your offerings.
If you're migrating from an existing site—especially one built on the old "city page spam" model with dozens of thin pages like "Electrician in [City]" that just swap the city name—you may see a temporary dip in rankings. That's not a bug. It's Google doing exactly what it should: re-evaluating whether your new content deserves to rank.
The Doorway Page Reality
The short-term adjustment is worth the long-term foundation. We're not just making your site look nicer—we're replacing a house of cards with a real foundation.
For the full breakdown of why Google changed and what works now, see How Google Actually Ranks Local Businesses.
Day 1: The Dense Core
On launch day, you don't get a half-built site with placeholder text. You get a complete, professional foundation tailored to your business:
Technical Foundation
- Modern, fast, mobile-friendly site
- Proper technical SEO (structured data, meta tags, sitemap)
- Google Business Profile connected
- Core Web Vitals optimized
Content Foundation
- Service pages with genuine differentiators
- Regional pages with real local knowledge
- Your story, not template marketing copy
- About page that demonstrates real expertise
What This Signals to Google
Google sees a site that's well-built, follows best practices, and demonstrates genuine expertise in your trade and your region. You're now in Google's "Maybe" pile—it will start testing you with visibility to see how users respond.
"This site works well, follows our rules, and demonstrates true mastery of their local region."
— What Google should be thinking
Months 1-3: Building the Spokes
Here's where most web projects fail: they stop at launch. You get a pretty site, the agency moves on to the next client, and nothing happens for months.
That's not how we work. Content building during the first few months is included in the base engagement—because a one-time content drop isn't enough to win the long game.
What We Add Together
Service Guides
Deep dives into your offerings. "What to Expect from a Panel Upgrade." "How We Approach Bathroom Remodels." Content that answers the questions customers are actually asking.
Project Stories
Real jobs tied to specific neighborhoods. "Federal Pacific panel replacement in Capitol Hill." These are the "spokes" that feed authority back to your main service pages.
Geographic Depth
Local details that prove you actually work in these areas. Utility company specifics, permitting quirks, neighborhood characteristics. Content that AI can't fake.
Why Content Freshness Matters
What You'll See (And What You Won't)
Be honest with yourself: this phase can feel slow. Google is indexing your new content, and some pages may appear in search results for long-tail queries. But the big wins haven't materialized yet.
The foundation is being laid—even if you don't feel it yet. This is where patience separates the contractors who build lasting visibility from the ones who chase quick fixes.
Months 3-5: The Sandbox Lifts
New websites face an unofficial "sandbox" period—typically 1-3 months—where Google evaluates trustworthiness before giving you serious visibility. By month 3, that sandbox is lifting.
What's Happening Under the Hood
| Signal | What's Happening |
|---|---|
| User behavior signals | Click quality, time on site, and navigation patterns are accumulating |
| Navboost data | Google's click quality system is building a profile of your site (tracked for 13 months) |
| Review echo effect | Customers mentioning services + locations in reviews verifies your claims |
| Content authority | Your service guides and project stories are establishing topical relevance |
What You Might See
- Gradual visibility improvements for your core service areas
- Some pages breaking into page 1 for local searches
- The flywheel starting to spin—verified claims leading to more visibility
Month 6: Momentum Kicks In
This is the milestone. Not because the work stops—but because the results become undeniable.
What Research Shows
6 months is when most sites see significant traction—if they've built right. By this point, you should expect:
- Strong visibility for your primary service + location combinations
- Content appearing in more search results, capturing long-tail queries
- The flywheel effect: more visibility → more clicks → more signals → more visibility
6 Months Is a Milestone, Not a Finish Line
Why Old Agencies Can't Do This (Even If They Wanted To)
You might be thinking: "If this works, why isn't my marketing agency doing it?"
The math doesn't work for them. Literally.
The Margin Trap
| Factor | Reality |
|---|---|
| Agency gross margin | 30-60% |
| Net margin after overhead | 6-20% |
| Time per client at $1,500/mo | ~3-4 hours to stay profitable |
| Template city page | 5 minutes |
| Custom job story page | 1-2 hours |
When you have 3-4 hours per month per client, you can churn out 40 template pages—or you can create 2-3 pieces of genuine content. The agency that needs to hit margins will always choose the templates. They literally cannot afford to do what works.
The Churn-and-Burn Model
- Average contractor quits their marketing agency after 6-9 months
- SEO takes 6+ months to show real results
- Agencies focus on PPC because it shows immediate "results" in dashboards
- They get fired before SEO would have paid off, so they've stopped trying
Result: They've optimized for selling, not delivering.
The Buzzword Carousel
Last year it was "voice search optimization." Before that, Clubhouse strategies. Now it's "answer engine optimization"—repackaged SEO tactics sold at premium prices, sometimes $15K/month for tactics identical to basic SEO best practices.
They're selling you the latest shiny object because it justifies their retainer. Meanwhile, the fundamentals—content quality, user signals, geographic relevance—haven't changed. See AEO: The Emperor's New SEO for the full breakdown.
How We're Different
- Content building during months 1-3 is included in the base engagement
- We're building long-term partnerships, not churning clients
- We can afford to do what works because we're not running the agency margin game
- We're betting on the flywheel, not the churn
The Bottom Line
Day 1: Launch with a dense core
A modern, complete site that signals genuine expertise to Google
Months 1-3: Build the spokes
Service guides and project stories that establish topical authority
Months 3-5: The sandbox lifts
Google starts trusting your site, visibility gradually improves
Month 6+: Momentum kicks in
The flywheel spins—and keeps spinning for as long as we keep working together
The honest truth: this takes patience. But the foundation is sound, the strategy is proven, and the partnership doesn't end at 6 months—that's just when you start to feel the momentum.
You're not just building a website. You're building a verified presence that compounds over time.
For details on the process itself—from intro call to launch—see What to Expect When You Work with Runchey Websites.