Jumpstarting SEO Marketing For Your Cannabis Dispensary

To put it simply, search engine optimization is improving your site’s visibility and putting it at the top of the webpage during organic searches.

As a cannabis dispensary business owner, you need to know the basics of executing a successful SEO strategy and below are some of the best practices you can try for your website:

Use SEO tools like Google Business Profile

If you are not yet in the loop, businesses sign up for Google Business Profile to put them on the map whenever customers look for certain products or services through the search engine. This tool optimizes your business’ presence online by granting you management rights and unlocking features that will increase your visibility.

Build Citations on Directory Listings

While directories seem outdated especially in the physical sense, users of the internet still refer to these especially when trying to determine the best service providers in a certain area. While a cannabis dispensary business is unlike other businesses out there, getting yourself on an online directory especially if there are little to no competitors in your area is a good opportunity to leverage since you will be one of the top businesses that would show up in a search.

If you are looking into this strategy, here are tips on how you can jumpstart your business’ citation:

1. Find a reliable online data aggregator

An online data aggregator helps you disseminate your data to various websites and directories. If your data is across hundreds and thousands of websites, you are also ensured loads of citations for your business. You just have to double-check if there are duplicate listings and claim those so all the traffic is directed to one pipe which is your business.

2. Appear in “core” sites

Core sites are Facebook, Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing, etc. These are the usual go-to’s whenever someone looks up a certain business. These top search engines and social media platforms get the most traffic and interaction on a daily basis. But a word to the wise, you don’t have to submit all the directories that are available on the internet. It is best that you look for the ones that would be the most beneficial to your business and not just in the name of getting your enterprise out there.

Link building through collaborations

Some business owners would find it challenging and even frustrating when their SEO strategies don’t start to pick up. If this is you, do not worry! There are a lot of tricks under our sleeve to help you push your website to the forefront of web searches.

If you haven’t tried it yet, link-building through collaborations is one way to make sure your brand and content show up on more searches. For collaborative content, you can reach out to other business owners, bloggers, or certain public figures who are well-known in your industry. Here are some examples of possible content that are very flexible when it comes to collaborations:

• Educational content that aims to give your audience a broader understanding of the trade and use of your product
• Highlight accessories or a “cannabis accessories you need to have” blog or vlog in a fun and engaging info commercial approach
• Explore trending mediums like Instagram Reels and TikTok 

The world is your oyster and with these collaborative approaches, you get an extra push from other websites so that your brand appears in more searches.

Hire an SEO Expert

The simplest and least stressful way that requires minimum work from you is to hire an SEO expert. SEO experts would make sure your business stays on top of algorithms and will ensure that your website rises to the ranks and will appear where it needs to be. By hiring an SEO expert, you get to

1. Publish relevant and authentic content - SEO experts take charge of staying in the know across platforms and keeping up to date with what people in your industry would want to see and read about.

2. SEO experts are keyword experts - One of the most important skills an SEO expert must possess is the ability to create relevant keywords and phrases that would push your content and website to the top. They would know under what keywords and phrases your content will appear more on and vice versa.

3. Update your website - Aside from publishing relevant and authentic content, SEO experts would be in charge of making sure your website is up and running. Whenever a new algorithm is up, it could instantly make the necessary changes to address the needs of the online landscape.

If you don’t have the means to hire an SEO expert for your cannabis dispensary business, don’t worry! You can learn the ropes on how to be your SEO expert. There is a plethora of sources available online on how you can master the skills of SEO that you can run for your business.

Getting a good grip on how the online world works takes a lot of time and practice. Lucky are those who are good at it the first time but don't be too hard on yourself if you don’t. We are here to help you navigate everything you and your business need to succeed! So if you are not yet investing in your website’s SEO, let the strategies you have learned from this article get you started.