Based on benchmark data from 112 Canadian SMB engagements (2014–2026), the median time from kickoff to a first non-branded page-1 ranking is 14 weeks. The variance is wide: e-commerce sites with mature catalogs hit page 1 in 9 weeks median; YMYL verticals like healthcare and legal take 16–17 weeks median because Google is more cautious about elevating new sites in those categories. Sustained ranking growth (the part that actually drives revenue) compounds for 24 months: median engagement reaches ~250 ranking keywords by month 12, ~750 by month 24, and 1,400+ by month 36. Engagements that end at 6–12 months capture only ~10% of the keyword footprint they would have reached by month 24.