It takes more than premium products for cannabis businesses to succeed in a highly saturated market. Therefore, it is important to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and cannabis blogging to rank higher in searches, gain brand awareness, and reach more customers.
Cannabis blogs are a great outlet to advertise cannabis businesses. Content can range from product reviews to relevant news, and it always has to be engaging and original. To be an effective source of information for customers, blog posts need to be regularly running every week and offer updates about the latest products. By utilizing techniques used in cannabis blogging to win over the SEO algorithm, a weed business could gain potential customers.
Understanding SEO in Cannabis
Depending on where you are in the world, if you search the word “cannabis” you’ll always have a different front page of links recommended to you. This is because of an internet algorithmic function called SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. One of the goals of the function is to recommend links based on several things, including geolocation, website rankings, link structure, keywords, among other factors.
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Link Building
Ever get those moments where you searched one thing and now you’ve watched 52 similar videos because they were recommended to you? That’s how companies like YouTube are killing the SEO game, but this is not just on YT.
Notice how a news article usually has several hyperlinked words? The hyperlink acts as a suggestion for content, which can be utilized to get sales. For instance, say there is a blog about CBD gummies; if you hyperlink the store that sells the gummies on the word for their product or the words “CBD Gummies,” customers can find them via the hyperlink in the blog. The keywords that are hyperlinked towards that site also help indicate to Google that this site is a valuable resource for said keyword.
There are a TON of websites on the internet and the algorithm looks into various factors to rank what is most likely to be the answer for a search query. Link building contains a few different factors. How many times a website is linked to and the strength of those links (is it from a high-ranked site or a low-ranked site?) help a website rank higher. Cannabis companies can build internal and external links point towards their site for high-value keywords relevant to their business.
Keywords
Choosing the right keywords can be a difficult task without focus. There are tools like SEMRush that can identify potential target keywords, difficulty to rank, and search data for said keywords. Understanding the most searched terms relevant to your business is a great start but it should also be noted to think of the keywords that are tied to a purchase or conversation intent. Education is great but someone searching “CBD vs THC” isn’t likely looking to purchase something directly. While it’s still valuable to be an educational resource to build rapport, your content strategy should also include purchase intent rankings. “The Best Dispensary In LA,” “best Gelato in Oregon,” or “Las Vegas weed delivery” are all keywords that can be directly tied to a purchase intent, which means quickly converting dollars for your business on the other end of those searches.
Quick Ways to Boost your Rank
Aside from cannabis blogging, things such as creating social media accounts, a Google My Business, or using delivery apps can also help gain a higher rank on landing pages. Search engines “trust” businesses more when they have a high number of searches and locations for their company/product name on the internet.
Social Media
Using social media is a popular way of gaining brand awareness on sites that have their own content algorithms, such as Instagram and TikTok. Every post and account on the internet can draw a bigger picture of what your brand can offer.
The best way to be popular is to be everywhere people look. By being active and easily searchable on social media, customers can stay updated on sales and other cannabis info. The more they know, the more they may want to buy your product. For instance, when a cannabis brand’s online presence is everywhere, it can make customers believe that your brand is popular and reputable.
The first step to leveraging social media SEO is easy, just make an account and include your business name. This goes back to the importance of keywords because when people know a brand name and like you, they might follow you. The second step is releasing original and engaging content on a schedule to update that audience. For example, cannabis creators and brands could do video reviews on their products, but in their own way. If it interests customers, they will want to know more about it or watch suggested content. As a result, these social media pathways may lead customers to your site, boosting your site rank.
Once a page gains popularity, you will notice regular people interacting with the page a lot. Interacting with the community around your brand can inspire others to share in the spirit and make you more popular. Whether pages answer DMs, comments, or questions, every answer could sway people’s opinions about a business.
Google My Business
Whether you are looking for a bite to eat or a cannabis dispensary nearby, you may search Google for it. Google suggests a couple of establishments and you can take your pick of highly-rated places. Becoming one of these highly-rated places can build high brand awareness for a cannabis business.
The creation of a Google My Business account will typically include the website, phone number, or additional contact information. This information can be made public and you can start to be rated on your business once you get verified. When people rate your business online, it will determine your standing among similar businesses in the area. This can be advantageous because if you focus the most on SEO in your area, you can rise to the top of a landing page. Make sure to fill out every category possible with accurate information and don’t sleep on the business information area where you can write 750 characters on your business! This is a great place to put the keywords relevant to your business.
Delivery Apps
Presence on cannabis apps, like Weedmaps, can also help you rank higher because it acts as a link to your business, meaning more customer visits and higher ranking. Additionally, linking the apps in a cannabis blog can further the exposure of the site, increasing your site ranking in your local area. Having blog posts can offer more information about the business and its products. In short, having another business pipeline that will bring customers to your site can increase sales tremendously.
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