How Long For Percolation?

[Ntara-Integrated-Marketing]

How long does it currently take a page to percolate up as far as it is likely to in SERPs?  We posted and had Google index a blog post a few weeks back that isn't yet on the radar.  I'm surprised at that given the competition on that keyword and the fact that Moz gives us an A for on-page optimization.  Our site has another page ranking at 23 for the keyword, but it isn't nearly as optimized for it as the new one.

Thanks for your help.

[LoganRay]

Hi Neil,

If you've got two pages targeting the same keyword, they're going to compete against each other and you likely won't see either of them too high up in SERPs. I recommend canonicalizing one towards the other. Keep the one that is stronger in terms of URL structure, PA, and links (if any).

[Ntara-Integrated-Marketing]

Thanks Logan.  We'll look into the canonicalization.  In general, though, I'm still interested to know how long it takes a new page to percolate up.

[EGOL]

Optimizing a page for a keyword, or even earning an "A" from the page grader, merely "qualifies" your page to appear in the SERPs.  It does not guarantee any appearance in the SERPs or any level of ranking.

New, superbly optimized pages on very strong sites can have difficulty reaching a visible position in the SERPs  -  even if the webpages displayed in the search results above them are on weak or nascent websites.  Rand's Whiteboard Friday video, posted this morning gives some insight into why apparently strong pages on powerful sites might be defeated in the SERPs by websites with lower metrics.

https://moz.com/blog/google-may-analyze-evaluate-quality-content-whiteboard-friday

Most articles that I publish on a very strong site take months to a year or more to slowly climb the SERPs to a visible position.  I am generally pleased with the results but some pages never reach my expected position in the SERPs.

[LoganRay]

As with most things in SEO, it depends. Depends on the search volume of the keyword, how many sites you're competing with, how many of those sites are well optimized, how many links your page/site have, how authoritative/trustworthy your site is, and so on. There are a lot of variables in the mix here, so it's not feasible to provide a numerical answer.

[EGOL]

Logan is right.

Adding a little...... On-page optimization can make a big difference in your rankings.  However, as the level of competition increases other factors such as the strength of your domain and the links to the competing page become just as, if not more, important than the precision of optimization.

[RobertFisher]

Neil,

One difference likely present in the older page is that it is more likely to have links to it than the new page. If you have social at any reasonable level that could also have an effect on the pages differently (one has been shared more often, etc.). Obviously, the other item is how competitive is the vertical and the keyword for that vertical you are trying to move up in. The list of factors goes on and on.

Good luck.