SEO takes time. Anyone promising quick results is lying. But how long? That depends on where you start and what you're targeting.
We've run private jet SEO campaigns for charter operators across the UK and globally. Here's what we've learned about realistic timelines.
months for initial results
months for competitive terms
months for market leadership
What Happens in the First 3 Months?
The first 90 days are about building foundations. Not glamorous. But essential. Skip this stage and nothing else works.
Month 1: Audit & Strategy
- Full technical audit of your website
- Keyword research for your routes and aircraft
- Competitor analysis
- Content strategy development
Visible results: None yet. Pure planning.
Month 2: Technical Fixes
- Fix crawlability issues
- Add schema markup
- Improve page speed
- Fix broken internal links
Visible results: Google starts indexing fixes. Impressions may increase.
Month 3: Content Building
- First route pages go live
- Aircraft specification pages created
- First blog content published
- Initial link building begins
Visible results: Long-tail keywords may start ranking position 20-50.
Many operators quit here. Big mistake. The work done in months 1-3 pays off in months 4-12. Learn about the common reasons sites fail.
What Results Appear in Months 4-6?
Now things get interesting. The groundwork starts paying off. Rankings move. Traffic grows. First enquiries from organic search appear.
What to Expect by Month 6
Traffic Changes
- • 20-50% increase in organic impressions
- • 10-30% increase in organic clicks
- • Long-tail keywords in top 20
- • Some route pages in top 10
Business Impact
- • First organic enquiries arriving
- • Quote requests from new keywords
- • Reduced reliance on paid ads
- • Brand searches increasing
This is when operators see SEO is working. Not full results yet. But clear progress. Momentum builds. The ROI becomes visible.
What Happens in Months 7-12?
The compounding effect kicks in. Each piece of content helps others rank. Links build authority. Competitive keywords start moving.
Months 7-12 Milestones
- Core service pages ranking page 1 for target keywords
- 50-200% organic traffic growth from baseline
- Steady stream of organic enquiries each month
- New content ranks faster as site authority grows
- Competitive terms breaking into top 10
This is where patience pays off. Operators who stuck with SEO now outrank competitors who gave up at month 6. The gap widens every month. Check how top companies got there.
What Factors Speed Up or Slow Down Results?
Not all sites progress at the same rate. Several factors influence how quickly SEO works for your charter business.
Factors That Speed Results
- • Existing domain authority
- • Clean technical foundation
- • Quality backlink profile
- • Niche route targeting
- • Consistent content publishing
- • Fast website speed
Factors That Slow Results
- • New domain (sandbox period)
- • Major technical problems
- • Highly competitive markets
- • Thin existing content
- • Inconsistent effort
- • Penalties or bad history
An established charter company with a decent website might see results in 4 months. A new operator with a fresh site might wait 8-10 months. Both can succeed. The timeline just differs.
How Does This Compare to Paid Advertising?
Google Ads works immediately. SEO takes months. So why bother with SEO? Because the maths changes over time.
12-Month Cost Comparison
| Channel | Month 1 | Month 6 | Month 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Traffic starts | Same cost per click | Still paying per click |
| SEO | No traffic | Traffic growing | Free traffic compounding |
At month 12, ads still cost the same per click. SEO traffic is now free. By month 24, SEO usually delivers better ROI. Smart operators use both - ads for immediate traffic, SEO for long-term growth. Our SEO vs PPC comparison covers this in detail.
FAQs About Private Jet SEO Timelines
Whether you're a new client or a long-time partner, we're here to help. Below are answers to the most common questions.
To a point. More budget means more content, more link building, more technical fixes. But Google still takes time to recognise changes. Doubling budget doesn't halve the timeline. It might shave off 20-30% at best.
Ready to Start Your SEO Journey?
We help charter operators build organic visibility that lasts. Clear timelines, honest expectations, real results.
Related Articles
How Do Private Jet Companies Get Found on Google?
The complete guide to aviation SEO
Are Private Jet SEO Services Worth It?
ROI analysis for charter operators
What Keywords Do Private Jet Buyers Search?
Target the right search terms
Why Do Most Private Jet Websites Fail at SEO?
7 mistakes costing operators £1.8M