Want your business to stand out? Cannabis SEO Agency brings more traffic, more sales, and real growth — fast and hassle-free. When you type something into Google and see a list of websites, the ones that show up at the top didn’t get there by chance. More so when you’re dealing with a keyword in the cannabis niche. Cannabis companies face unique challenges and heavy regulations and need targeted SEO strategies.
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Everything You Need to Know About a Cannabis SEO Company
As one of the most interesting but heavily regulated niches in SEO marketing, all in the cannabis business need a cannabis SEO company or make the business show up in search results and more importantly, stay ahead of the competition.
The higher your website appears in results, the more likely people will click on it. If your business is hidden on the second or third page of Google, it’s like it doesn’t exist. An SEO company gets your website seen by more people, leading to more visits, more sales, and overall growth for your business.
Why SEO Matters
The cannabis industry is competitive and trickier than most others. Many rules and restrictions make traditional advertising, like billboards or TV ads, tough.
For instance, you may only run Google ads for Topical hemp-derived cannabidiol or CBD products with THC content of 0.3% or less, and then there’s a certification requirement. CBD advertisers must be certified by Google to serve ads. Advertisers are then only eligible to do so in California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico. Talk about limiting!
A company worth its salt will work around such restrictions and still reach your target audience.
How SEO Works for Cannabis Websites and Dispensaries
Think of search engines like librarians. When someone searches for a book—or in your case, a CBD product—the librarian pulls out the best and most helpful ones from the shelf. That’s exactly how search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! work. We sift through billions of websites to bring up the most relevant and valuable results.
Search engine optimization (SEO) makes your website one of the “best books” in the search engine’s library. When you use the right keywords, create quality content, and optimize the technical elements of your site, you prime search engines to understand your website better, which then makes it rank higher on search result pages. The higher you rank, the more traffic and visibility you get. And for businesses with brick-and-mortar locations, that means more potential customers walking through your doors.
How Cannabis SEO Companies Boost Your Business
A specialized cannabis SEO company brings real, measurable value to your business by boosting your search engine rankings and, ultimately, your revenue. Here’s how we do it:
1. Keyword Research
The foundation of any great SEO strategy is thorough keyword research—finding the exact words and phrases that your potential customers are using to search for products like yours. For instance, if you own a dispensary, you’d want to rank for terms like “best cannabis dispensary near me” or “THC edibles delivery.”
The finest SEO companies know how to conduct deep keyword research to unearth popular terms and niche, long-tail keywords that have less competition and high buyer intent.
Tools for Keyword Research:
- Ahrefs: A powerful tool for analyzing keyword rankings, backlinks, and competitive insights.
- SEMrush: Excellent for uncovering keyword opportunities and monitoring trends.
- Moz: Provides in-depth keyword analysis and ranking tools for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge.
2. Keyword Optimization for Landing Pages
When someone clicks on your website, the content on the landing page should be optimized for both local and product-related keywords. For example, if you’re targeting “Colorado dispensary,” your landing page should clearly naturally reference that location multiple times. It signals to Google what your page is about, which makes you rank higher in search results.
An effective SEO agency will also look at how often relevant keywords (like cannabis strains or product names) appear on your website. Keywords like “Tropicana Cherry strain,” which gets 7,300 monthly searches in the U.S., are valuable to rank for. However, be mindful not to overstuff your content with keywords. Google values rich, informative content that balances keyword usage with valuable information.
3. Content Optimization
Beyond landing pages, content is king. If you own a dispensary, for example, creating content around cannabis strains may boost your rankings. Let’s say “Tropicana Cherry strain” is a popular search term, you should create a well-optimized product page for it and include detailed descriptions, images, and even customer reviews, to attract hundreds of visitors.
4. Local SEO
Most customers are searching for products “near me”. They aren’t looking for a dispensary 50 miles away—they want one that’s around the corner. Local SEO guarantees that your business shows up when someone nearby searches for your products.
For example, if a user types “dispensary near me” into Google, your business needs to appear on that list. That is especially key in an industry like cannabis, where local visibility directly drives foot traffic and sales.
An SEO company or agency will make sure your dispensary is properly listed on platforms like Google My Business, to allow potential customers to find your location easily, read reviews, and even call your shop directly from search results.
Google Map Pack
To improve your chances of ranking in the Google Map Pack—the top three results that appear when someone searches for local businesses—your business profile needs to be complete and active. That means having up-to-date information, a lot of high-quality reviews, and proper keyword optimization.
Getting the Best Reviews For Your CBD Dispensary
The more (positive) reviews you have, the better chance Google will rank your business higher in local search results. To get reviews, you need to be proactive. One way to do that is by using NFC chips or QR codes that customers may quickly scan at checkout to leave a review.
It’s not enough to say, “Please leave a review.” You need to make it as easy and seamless as possible for the customer to leave feedback while the experience is fresh. Without that, many customers will forget or skip the process altogether.
5. Location Pages for Brick-and-Mortar CBD Businesses
If you run a brick-and-mortar dispensary or a couple of shops, having individual location pages is a huge opportunity to rank in local searches. Each location page should be optimized for SEO with relevant keywords, details about that specific location, and customer reviews specific to that location. The pages give search engines a better understanding of where you’re located and make it easier for local customers to find you.
6. Press Releases: Another Cannabis SEO Technique
Another powerful SEO strategy is issuing press releases. Press releases (with embedded links to your website) could build backlinks (more on that later) and generate buzz for your cannabis brand.
However, many press release distribution platforms will reject content related to cannabis, labeling it a “regulated industry,” much like CBD, vaping, and online betting.
An expert cannabis SEO company knows how to sidestep the restrictions by focusing on newsworthy angles. For you, we’ll create press releases that focus on educational topics, such as scientific research or updates on cannabis legislation. Such releases are more likely to be accepted, and they still generate valuable backlinks for your website.
7. Backlinks
A key part of SEO is earning backlinks—links from other reputable websites to your own. The more high-quality websites link to you, the more Google sees your site as authoritative, improving your ranking.
For you, we will conduct outreach to blogs, publishers, and influencers to secure backlinks to your website. However, many websites remain concerned about linking to cannabis businesses due to the legal gray areas, so obtaining backlinks takes persistence.
We focus on acquiring links from websites with a domain rating (DR) of 30 or higher. The higher the DR of the linking site, the more powerful the backlink is for your SEO efforts. Additionally, all the referring websites will have constant organic traffic, as Google respects a link from a site that is trusted.
Securing backlinks for cannabis websites is challenging but not impossible. We reach out to hundreds of websites weekly, screening for quality, and negotiating link placements.
Supercharge Your Business Growth With Cannabis SEO Agency
Cannabis SEO Agency has developed proven strategies to support the rise of businesses like yours to the top of search engine results. Our expertise will put your brand right in front of the audience you need—without worrying about tricky regulations.
Take the next step — partner with us today to create an SEO strategy that’ll drive your success.
FAQs
What services do SEO companies provide?
Keyword research, local SEO, website optimization, content marketing, and link building.
How long does it take to see results from SEO?
Cannabis SEO is a long-term strategy, and results may take a few months to appear. However, once your website starts ranking higher, you’ll see consistent traffic and growth over time.
Should cannabis businesses use paid advertising?
Paid advertising options like Google Ads are limited for hemp businesses due to legal restrictions. Cannabis SEO offers an alternative by focusing on organic growth through improved search rankings.
What is the difference between SEO and Google Ads?
SEO focuses on organic traffic, meaning visitors find your site naturally through search engines. Google Ads is a form of paid advertising where you pay for each click on your ad. Both methods bring traffic, but SEO provides more sustainable, long-term results.