With shifting laws and regulations worldwide, the cannabis industry is rapidly growing. The future projections for Canada and the United States are booming while European countries are soon to follow. This means huge opportunities for cannabis businesses of all kinds, not just for dispensaries. From farmers and growers to marijuana and CBD product manufacturers.
As more states legalize cannabis use, the importance of being a first adopter increases. Hence, taking advantage of the market now will set your cannabis brand up for the future. The best way to get your business out there is through organic traffic. You may be familiar with search engine optimization, but here we will dive into marijuana and CBD keywords to help you optimize your online visibility to your target audience.
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The Basics of Marijuana SEO
Regardless of the industry you operate in, SEO is important to all businesses. We place special attention on marijuana SEO because the marketplace is so competitive.
Many businesses are fighting for the top spots on search engine results pages (SERPs), so developing a strong SEO strategy is key. Not to mention that paid advertising related to medical and recreational cannabis is prohibited on social networks and search engines. Due to this, choosing the right marijuana and CBD keywords will set you apart.
With how trends are going, this will all soon change and it will be easier to advertise in the cannabis industry. For now, this is how you have to play the game. Even so, a solid marijuana SEO strategy will ensure long-term success.
Before we get into the finding and using marijuana and CBD keywords, let us point out a few SEO tips you should incorporate to maximize your visibility to potential customers. Then we will get into the target keywords and phrases that will lead customers to your marijuana business.
Digital Presence
Besides your website, having multiple social media accounts on different platforms will improve your marijuana SEO. We mentioned that social media and search engines restrict paid advertising on them. However, that does not mean you cannot have a profile for customers to view with a link to your cannabis website. Of course, these accounts are where your marijuana and CBD keywords will be leading them anyways.
Google is the most-used search engine that takes up the vast majority of the market share. You want Google to be familiar with your business, which means creating a Google My Business profile. This will make your profile pop up when users are typing in marijuana or CBD keywords.
Additionally, by including your contact information and location, your business will appear in hyper-local searches and rank up your local SEO. When users are searching for cannabis near them, you will pop up with your contact information.
Further, connect your social media accounts to your Google My Business profile and website. If you do not have social media accounts, create them. Social media is a great way to connect with your customers and build your brand’s presence. All the same, it helps with your marijuana SEO and link building. Google and other search engines trust websites that are highly active on social media and have a substantial following.
Shares, Reviews, and Blogs
Along with your digital presence, get customers sharing and talking about you. On social media, encourage customers to engage with you and spread your business. Having the right marijuana and CBD keywords that people search can only get you so far. Get your business listed on popular online directories and gather reviews. The more people that are talking about your business, the better your marijuana SEO will be.
A blog will be very useful in creating content for your business and improving cannabis SEO. Also, you will have more content to share on your social media. Then your followers will share those and it will be a domino effect from there. Once we get into marijuana and CBD keywords later on, you will know how to include them in your content to maximize your SEO.
Overall, a blog will help build your business’s authority, credibility, and relevance in the eyes of the search engines. Your customers will have a reason to stay on your website for much longer too. The best marijuana websites know how to write high-quality content and sprinkle in marijuana and CBD keywords. By doing so, your business will appear higher up on search result pages.
In addition to blog content, throw in a video. Video holds a user’s attention for a longer period of time and boosts engagement. You may think videos are costly, but they can be inexpensive to produce especially in-house. Your videos do not need to be the next blockbuster hit. Just something that articulates your business and includes relevant information.
Marijuana and CBD Terms
The above SEO best practices will fall flat if you are not including the correct marijuana and CBD keywords. Marijuana and CBD SEO keywords should be carefully selected. We will guide you through how to find marijuana and CBD terms that work with your business and improve your SEO.
A good first step is to evaluate what keywords and strategies are already working for your business. You do not want to just start compiling a list of marijuana and CBD terms that may not be relevant to you. Instead, start reviewing your present user traffic. See how many customers are coming through organic search, which of your pages are performing the best, and keywords users searched to find your business.
You probably will not need to scrap your entire marijuana and CBD keywords strategy but rather elevate it. If you are struggling to find marijuana and CBD terms, there are many different helpful tools that can help. We recommend Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Bing Ads, Moz Keyword Explorer, and SEMrush.
Marijuana and CBD Keywords Strategy
These tools will shed light on what is working on your website and ways to improve it. You will discover new marijuana and CBD terms to utilize. As you are determining your keywords list, consider the different groupings keywords fall into. You will want to diversify your keywords and make sure you have marijuana and CBD keywords that fall into each one.
Branded keywords include words and phrases related to your business name. As your business grows, more customers will be using your business name within search queries. Take it one step further to improve your SEO by also adding in your address, hours, products/services, and prices of cannabis products.
Location and nearby keywords focus on your business’s location and proximity to customers. If you operate in a specific state, city, or neighborhood, be sure to add those to your list of marijuana CBD keywords. More so, nearby keywords will help your visibility when users are close to your business.
General keywords are the most tricky to do correctly. These marijuana and CBD terms encompass all of the cannabis industry and are the most searched terms. You will be competing against other small to large websites for these keywords in the marijuana and CBD market.
With that being said, that does not mean you need to utilize all general keywords. It is better to be selective with these keywords because casting a wide net may not always lead to more fish. Your goal is to produce higher-quality conversions with carefully planned digital marketing. If your business starts appearing for keywords not relevant to you, users will be frustrated.
That is why it is important to analyze your customer’s search intent. Look at your own business and see what marijuana and CBD keywords make sense for you. There are plenty of websites that showcase the most popular keywords and search phrases in the cannabis industry.
What to Learn From the Best Marijuana Websites
The best marijuana websites are continually improving their marijuana and CBD keywords list to maintain the best web page SEO. It is recommended to check and update your terms twice a month in order to stay relevant. Once you have your finalized keywords, begin incorporating them into your marijuana SEO strategy.
For on-site SEO, the best marijuana websites know to include keywords in their title, header, and image tags. Even more, you should include marijuana and CBD keywords in your content. This is why we emphasized the importance of a blog on your website.
Strive for your content to be high-quality, so others will link to it on their websites. Conversely, make sure you include other links from reliable sources in your content. Some of the best marijuana websites are Leafly.com, Marijuana.com, and Hightimes.com.
Use Marijuana and CBD Keywords Properly
Along with keywords for SEO, there are other characteristics that will set you apart in the cannabis industry. Ensure your website is mobile optimized. This will help when users are searching for nearby marijuana and CBD terms because most local searches occur on a mobile device. Similarly, you should develop your website so that it is technically sound. That means improving your website’s speed and navigation. All of these slight tweaks will tip the scale in your favor.
Marijuana SEO does not differ that much from regular search engine optimization best practices. If you have SEO experience in a different industry, it will translate over well. The main goal of SEO cannabis marketing is to start utilizing marijuana and CBD keywords properly.
New competitors are always entering the industry because it is so fresh. Stand out from the rest with a well-thought-out SEO strategy to attract the most customers. SEO Design Chicago has worked with many cannabis clients and can provide advertising and consultation services to your business.
FAQs:
- What is marijuana SEO?
- How to improve SEO for cannabis businesses?
- What cannabis keywords and terms to include?
- What are the best marijuana websites?
- Why use marijuana and CBD keywords?
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