Content CAC starts at infinity, because the first posts cost money and bring no customers. It falls as the archive compounds. The question worth answering is not whether it pays back but whether yours is tracking.
The shape to expect
Months one to six: near-zero organic. This is normal and not evidence of failure. Months six to twelve: rankings appear, traffic is real but conversion is thin. Months twelve to twenty-four: compounding, and content CAC crosses below paid for most Indian B2B with a serious operation.
How to tell it is working before it pays back
Waiting two years for a single number is not a plan. Three leading indicators move much earlier: number of queries ranking in the top twenty, impressions trend in Search Console, and referring domains earned without outreach.
If impressions climb while clicks stay flat, you are ranking for things nobody clicks, which usually means the topics were chosen without checking intent.
When to conclude it is not working
At month eighteen with a consistent publishing cadence, if top-twenty query count has not grown and you have earned no links, the problem is not patience. It is that the content is the kind a model could have written, and it is competing against everyone else who published the same thing.
The comparison to make
Plot content CAC and paid CAC monthly on the same chart with the same cost basis, salaries included on both sides. Where they cross is your answer, and having the chart ends the recurring argument.
General information, not legal advice. Rules current as of July 2026.