SEO for Cannabis: Tips, Strategies, Challenges, and Insights

The US cannabis industry has experienced phenomenal growth in the last decade or so, and it’s expected to be worth nearly $50 billion by 2029. It still faces various regulatory challenges, though, and this makes life harder for marketers trying to get noticed amidst the intense competition.

Search engine optimization (SEO) could provide the solution. Cannabis SEO is a little more complicated than it is in other sectors, but it’s also, arguably, more important.

Why You Need SEO for Cannabis Companies

SEO is a long-term marketing strategy that incorporates various elements (simpler website navigation, guides and blogs, authoritative backlinks) to improve rankings on a search engine results page (SERP).

When your rankings climb, your traffic should increase, and as you’re using relevant keywords, the bulk of that traffic will come from your target demographic.

There’s more to SEO than simply boosting your visitors and conversions, though:

It’s Usually Cheaper in the Long Term

SEO is not free, and it’s not that cheap, either.

Even if you decide to do all of the work yourself, you still need to pay for SEO tools and will probably need to hire a writer, editor, designer, or developer to ensure your site is fully optimized and your campaigns are ready to go.

In the long run, however, it’s more sustainable than PPC campaigns. Once you’re sitting at the top of the rankings for various keywords and attracting thousands of daily visitors without paying for impressions, clicks, or conversions, it’ll feel like you’re getting free traffic.

It takes time, but SEO is generally the best option.

It Enhances Brand Reputation

Reputation is important in every industry, but it’s especially important in the cannabis industry.

You’re dealing with a product that was once illegal and is still illegal in some states. It is tightly regulated, and even though laws have been relaxed over the last decade, people still have their preconceptions and aren’t as willing to trust cannabis brands as they are supplement or food companies.

You need to win their trust, and a good SEO campaign can do that.

As you perform your keyword analysis, you will see commonly asked questions from curious consumers. By targeting those keywords with well-written blogs and guides, you can answer their questions, provide consumers with important information, and gain their trust as a result.

Your rankings will also influence a consumer’s opinion.

If they constantly see your site at the top of SERPs when searching for certain products and information, they will see you as a trustworthy and reputable brand.

Conversely,  if they can only find you on sponsored PPC placements and need to dig through several pages to find an organic ranking, their respect may dwindle.

It Requires a User-First Approach

Google isn’t some omnipresent, omnipotent overlord that you can only please by performing hyper-specific tasks and completing various puzzles.

It’s there to provide the best possible service for its users, whether that means showcasing fast and concise answers to their questions or showing them ecommerce sites with the most relevant products.

To appease Google, you must think about the user. So, as you conduct on-page SEO (articles, guides, product descriptions) and technical SEO (clean navigation, fast loading times), you will also be creating a better site and experience for the user. That, in turn, should improve conversions and lifetime value.

The Challenges of Cannabis SEO

Some of the biggest challenges of cannabis SEO concern its strict legal status.

Regulations vary by state, and there are also rules governing what can and can’t be said.

It’s hard to post content that targets popular terms like “benefits of CBD” if you have an authority watching over you and stopping you from actually discussing those (potential) benefits.

These regulatory problems also extend to advertising platforms and even search engines.

Google Ads, for instance, states that hemp-derived CBD products are allowed to be advertised on the platform, but only if they contain less than 0.3% THC, the advertiser is certified, and they limit their ads to users in Colorado, California, and Puerto Rico.

It limits your chances of getting your content noticed via social media posts or acquiring backlinks, as many sites won’t link to dispensaries or CBD retailers.

Common Mistakes Made During Cannabis SEO Campaigns

Doing something wrong can have more of an adverse effect than not going it at all. Here are some of the most common cannabis SEO mistakes to avoid:

Don’t Stuff Keywords

Just because you have found a good keyword and want to rank highly for it doesn’t mean you need to stuff it in your article.

Keywords are all about relevancy. Google doesn’t simply award the highest ranking to the sites that use that specific keyword the most.

You should also refrain from randomly inserting keywords into articles and leaving the stop words (words like “and” and “the”) intact, otherwise you end up with some very awkward sentences that ruin the reader’s experience.

Don’t Acquire Low-Quality Links

You can’t stop low-quality sites from linking to your content. Google knows this, and it doesn’t usually care, provided you have enough high-quality links.

When assessing sites for backlinking purposes, check their relevance as well as their authority, and remember, if it’s easy to get links there, it will be easy for everyone else, as well. It means they are probably stuffing their site with backlinks, and that will reflect badly on you in the long term.

Low Page Speed

If you’re stuffing your pages with product images, promotional videos, banners, and more, it will reduce page speed, and this is a big factor for both Google and your users.

A wait of just a few seconds can feel like an eternity in an age of rapid download speeds and highly optimized websites.

Examples of Successful Cannabis SEO Campaigns

We have worked with various brands in the cannabis sector, helping them to build content that abides by regulations, hits keyword targets, and eventually improves rankings:

• Mr. Moxeys: A retailer of artisan cannabinoid mints with a unique style and brand identity.
• Silver Lion: A major cultivator of USDA organic certified hemp that is based in Ely, Nevada.
• Aspen Green: Aspen Green sells various cannabinoid products, including CBD gummies and tinctures.
• NUGL: An unbiased cannabis-friendly multimedia platform.
• Weed.com: A leading retailer of cannabis and cannabinoid products, including vapes, gummies, prerolls, and smoking accessories.

Summary: SEO for Cannabis Brand

If you’re struggling to put together your own cannabis SEO plan and need help from the experts, contact us today. We offer comprehensive SEO services, including website audits and local SEO.

We also provide consultations to help you fix issues with your site and SEO coaching/training to show your in-house team how to build successful cannabis SEO campaigns.