Cannabis local seo is a critical component of any brick-and-mortar dispensary’s digital marketing strategy. Due to regulations and policies, many major advertising platforms do not allow cannabis businesses to use paid ads – making it all the more important for local SEO to drive online and in-store traffic.
With cannabis becoming increasingly legalized, consumers are turning to search engines to find the right products and services. To reach these customers, a cannabis business must optimize its website and online content for local searches. This includes optimizing for cannabis-specific keywords, as well as claiming and optimizing Google My Business (GMB) accounts, building quality citations, and encouraging positive reviews. With these strategies in place, a cannabis business can begin to build organic traffic and increase visibility, reducing the need for costly paid advertising campaigns.
Getting found in the local map pack is one of the most effective ways to increase visibility for a marijuana dispensary. However, to be seen in this section of the search results, a dispensary must first optimize its GMB account. This includes claiming it, verifying it, and ensuring that all information is up-to-date. Additionally, a dispensary must add photos of its storefront and products, as well as ensure that all GMB categories are accurate. Finally, it should focus on gaining a steady flow of reviews.
To boost your chances of being seen in the local pack, you must also invest in other digital marketing tactics. This includes creating a responsive and user-friendly website, focusing on mobile optimization, and using schema markup to provide search engines with additional context about your content. Lastly, you must strive to acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable sites in the cannabis industry.
Keyword Research
To maximize your local SEO cannabis local seo potential, you must understand your target audience’s demographics and behaviors. This will help you determine the best keywords to target, which will drive relevant traffic to your website and physical location. A cannabis marketing agency can assist you with this by identifying the highest-volume keywords related to your location, products, and services. Moreover, they can also pinpoint long-tail keywords that capture niche search intent (e.g., “best edibles for sleep”).
GMB Optimization
To rank in the local pack, a cannabis business must ensure that its GMB account is fully optimized. This means claiming and completing all fields, including address, phone number, business hours, and photos. It is also crucial to monitor and remove duplicate listings, as these can confuse search engines and lead to inaccurate results.
Citations: To improve your visibility, you must establish a solid citation network by building and monitoring a list of local citations. To do so, you should include your name, phone number, and website in as many local directories as possible. It is also helpful to establish local community groups on social media and contribute to blogs in the cannabis space to earn valuable citations.
Customer Reviews
Positive customer reviews can greatly impact a marijuana dispensary’s visibility and reputation. They can also encourage prospective customers to visit your store. To encourage positive reviews, you should offer exceptional customer service and promote your business on review websites like Yelp and Google. You should also share positive reviews on your dispensary’s website to demonstrate social proof and build trust.