How to Establish an SEO Strategy for Your Cannabis Dispensary
In the digital age, cannabis companies must learn how to use the internet to their advantage.
No matter how popular cannabis is, it can be hard to be a cannabis operator. This is because most traditional marketing options are not available to the cannabis industry. Every cannabis business needs a good SEO (search engine optimization) strategy. In the era of Covid-19, digital marketing has become even more important — since search engines still drive most traffic on the internet, SEO will remain one of the major marketing trends in 2021.
If you're not familiar with it, search engine optimization is the process of making a website more visible on platforms like Google and Bing. This can be done by increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to the website.
To be found online, cannabis dispensaries should have an SEO strategy. This will help your website rank higher than your competitors in search results for phrases related to your business. If people are looking for you specifically, they will be more likely to find you on the internet if you have a good SEO strategy.
You will need a website that is designed well and looks modern. It also needs to work on all screen sizes. The website should have original content about your business and products. Google and other search engines are paying more attention to how quickly websites load and how mobile-friendly they are. Make sure your web developer understands this when they are creating your website.
5 essential elements of a cannabis dispensary SEO strategy
#1. When it comes to backlinks, think about the quality of the links, not the quantity
One of the most common mistakes people make to improve their website's ranking on search engines is to pay for backlinks from other websites. However, this can actually harm your ranking, because search engines care more about the context and meaning of a backlink than they do about the number of backlinks pointing to a particular page. It is better to reach out selectively to organizations that you partner with to discuss a link trade, or to pursue other organic link-building strategies, like submitting articles to your local online news outlets or getting featured in a cannabis industry blog.
#2. Your website's content should not just be a list of your products
Search engines exist to help people find the best content related to their search. They tend to rank websites that have well-written and in-depth articles higher than those that don't. So, it can be helpful to publish educational and informational articles about cannabis on your website in the form of a blog. This will not only improve your search engine ranking but also help you build better relationships with customers by demonstrating that you are knowledgeable and approachable.
#3. Voice search optimization is something that should be considered
People are moving away from text and typing to audio and voice when they interact with their devices. This trend is called "voice search optimization." Voice search optimization has become popular in recent years because people want hands-free technology that will let them do more things at once. According to Gartner, a global research and advisory firm, 32% of consumers want this type of technology.
When creating your SEO strategy, you need to remember that voice searches will be different than text searches. For example, people who type into Google use a different phrasing than those who speak into a device. Voice searchers are more specific, and they may ask questions like "What is the closest cannabis dispensary with high-CBD strains?" To capture more of the voice search traffic in your area, make sure your website includes rich content and long-tail keywords.
#4. What matters most on a web page is how the user experiences it
Google plans to focus on user experience in 2021. This means that they will rank web pages based on how people perceive the experience of interacting with them. If people have a bad experience, for example if the website is hard to use or doesn't look good, then Google may not rank those pages as high as they might be now. Make sure your website meets Google's new standards by working with a developer who understands their recommendations and has a plan to implement them.
#5. In order to have a better competitive edge, use structured data
Structured data has been becoming more popular on the internet in recent years. The purpose of structured data is to help Google and other search engines better understand the content on websites, by labeling specific types of content (such as blog articles, product reviews, event listings, etc) with specific “meta” values that are only visible to search engines.
If you have already invested in website optimization and content, and you still want to be ahead of your local competitors in search results, then you can work with a specialist to add structured data to your website. Structured data helps Google understand your website better, so it is more likely to rank you higher.
In conclusion
In the new world of digital marketing, your SEO strategy should change as technology changes. By tracking your progress over time, you will be able to see what works and what doesn't. Then you can adapt your focus. To stay on the cutting edge, it is helpful to know a lot about data. There are free platforms like Google Analytics and Google Search Console that can help you understand your search footprint, audit your backlink profile, and identify opportunities for improvement.