You know the feeling.
You’ve spent months setting up your website, social media profiles, and blog. You invested valuable time and money vying for online traffic. You waited for the clicks and conversions to pour in…only to see your traffic remain stagnant.
If you’re in the marijuana industry, you know just how important online traffic can be. With legal marijuana sales poised for big growth, the competition is only going to get more fierce. So it makes sense to invest in quality SEO.
If you own a cannabis business, a large amount of your business probably happens online. To compete on the Internet, you’ll need quality marijuana SEO. In this article, we’ll give you 10 tips to improve your search engine optimization.
1. Start a Google Profile
Did you know that 93 percent of experiences start with a search engine? It’s crucial that when people find your business online, they have the right information.
Your first step should be claiming your Google Profile. This will automatically index your business information and add your dispensary to the Google map results. You can add your business name, address, phone number, and website to your listing.
Be careful to keep this information consistent across all platforms. An extra dash in your phone number or period in your address can have a big impact on your search ranking. Consistency will help Google verify your business information and even give you a rankings boost.
2. Use The Right Keywords
It’s no secret that keywords are critical to SEO. But how do you know which keywords to pursue?
Your keywords should be relevant and attainable. For example, you might have a tough time ranking for “marijuana dispensary” but a much easier time pursuing “pot shop Seattle.”
You can do research by looking at competitor websites and even paid ads. This will give you insights into what keywords will get you more visibility.
You can also dive into a keyword ranking tool. These tools will help you find new, high traffic keywords to add to your site.
3. Go Mobile
Smartphones have changed the face of modern search.
More users are searching on mobile devices than ever before. Not only are they searching, they’re also converting. In fact, 55 percent of purchase-related conversions occur within one hour of mobile search.
You can optimize your marijuana site for mobile by adding large and easy to read text. You can also add photos of your different items along with keyword-rich captions.
You should also double-check that your site across mobile platforms. Check for functionality as well as speed.
Of course, you’ll want to take advantage of conversion. Add large call-to-actions that encourage users to make a purchase, place a phone call, or visit your dispensary.
4. Improve Onsite Content
Your blog posts aren’t the only pages that need optimization. There’s no shortage of content ripe for an SEO upgrade.
Onsite optimization is one of the easiest ways to get an SEO boost. You can optimize things like title tags, header tags, image tags, URLs, and more. By optimizing these features, you can give users and search engines more valuable information about your site.
5. Pursue Backlinks
Who do you trust more: your best friend or a stranger? You can prove you’re Google’s friend by building backlinks. Backlinks show search engines that your website is trustworthy and authoritative.
Try to get relevant and high-ranking sites to link back to you. The more authoritative the site, the better. Getting links from poor and untrustworthy sites can actually hurt your overall rank.
Reach out to other marijuana sites and ask for links. You can also offer something, like a guest post, in return for a link to your page.
6. Use Social Media
You don’t have to spend a fortune on dispensary marketing thanks to social media.
Social media helps you get your business in front of a valuable audience for free. Done well, social media is a great opportunity to build up familiarity with your brand.
You can also get an SEO boost through social media. Add social share widgets to your content. This can help you build up traffic, go viral, and rise through the Google ranks.
7. Target Voice Search
Siri, where’s the nearest pot shop? Alexa, find me the closest dispensary.
Voice search is on the rise – and marketers are scrambling to keep up. In fact, voice search makes up about 20 percent of mobile searches.
How can you target this growing group of users? Start by adding more long-tail keywords to your website.
Voice searches are more likely to use longer search terms. They also use more casual, conversational language.
This presents a big opportunity to target less competitive keywords. Strike while the irons hot and target voice search in your marijuana SEO efforts.
8. Start a Blog
Writing blog posts is an easy way to attract a consistent number of users to your site. It’s also a highly effective form of dispensary marketing.
Legal marijuana is still a new concept. Think of the myriad questions users have in regards to buying marijuana. Come up with blog posts that answer common questions around legal marijuana sales.
It’s also important to post frequently. Aim to write at least one blog per week and post it at similar times. Your audience will grow to expect a new post on certain dates and times.
CBD company Highland Farms has a great blog. You can view here for examples of quality blog posts.
9. Use Business Directories
Are you a five-star business? You can share it with the world by signing up for a free Yelp business directory.
Business directories help you build up quality links to your website. They also provide potential customers with more information about your business.
You can sign up on sites like Leafly, Weedmaps, Medical Jane. You can also use an online reputation audit tool to find and respond to your online reviews.
10. Track Google Analytics
No SEO campaign is complete without analytics.
Google Analytics lets you track your traffic and conversions so you can evaluate your SEO. Continue to monitor your results and test new strategies. As you begin to get new traffic, Google Analytics will help you understand what is and what isn’t working for your SEO.
Your Marijuana SEO
Are you looking for more tips on marijuana SEO? We can help.
Check out our SEO tutorial for a full breakdown of SEO today.