SEO timelines depend on where you are starting from. A technically healthy site with good authority and existing content can move faster than a newer site in a competitive market.
Early signs often appear first: indexing improvements, ranking movement, and growth in impressions or long-tail traffic. Revenue-driving results usually take longer because commercial rankings are more competitive and need consistent execution.
The best way to approach SEO is as a compounding growth channel. It is slower than paid ads at the beginning, but strong SEO can become one of the most efficient sources of high-intent traffic over time.