Proven Steps to Increase Rankings For Your Cannabis Business
A lot has changed in how you approach SEO for your cannabis dispensary or cannabis ancillary business since legalization in 2018 in Canada and many US states.
Now, search results are personalized based on user behaviour, browser histories, your location, and the device you’re using. This makes is even more challenging for your cannabis store to stand out in relevant search results.
The one constant in all these changes is this: Your organic traffic is directly related to your online visibility and search engine ranking positions.
If you can rank for keywords at or near the top of Google’s search results, the traffic will become endless. On the contrary, without presence in the SERPs, your site will not be able to gain traffic organically, regardless of their quality.
This guide lays out 8 proven strategies with actionable steps to help your cannabis business or dispensary website climb the rankings and dominate search.
You can implement these using your in-house SEO team, or contact our team of cannabis SEO experts for a free quote.
Before we get started, let’s take a look at just how long it takes to get better rankings on Google from your cannabis SEO stratgey.
How Long Does it Take to Get Better Rankings on Google?
I’m going to take a risk here and provide you the definitive answer, “It depends.”Â
I know that sounds frustrating and a bit of a cop-out, but it’s the truth. Especially in the highly competitive cannabis market in North America.
SEO is not done in a silo, and each case comes with its own set of variables. Skill, budget, the level of competition, and how your site stacks up all can affect how quickly a cannabis SEO agency can move the dial.
Google’s Search Advocate since 2007, John Mueller, has pointed out that new or updated content may take “several hours to several weeks” to be indexed by Google. But even with sweeping changes, it can take months – or up to a whole year – to really get results.
Mueller recommends:
- Server overload happens! Do your best to prevent server overload by making your server and website faster.
- As part of your internal linking strategy, ensure you prominently link to new pages from pages that are with traffic.
- Keep a clean and simple URL structure. Avoid unnecessary URLs like category page filters.
- Using sitemaps and the URL inspection tool to speed up indexing.
The best way to rank faster? Instead of getting into details, write quality content that searchers will love. In Mueller’s words, make your sites “fantastic.”
1. Have a Rock Solid Technical & UX Foundation First
Even the best dispensary SEO campaigns can be wasted on a website with poor structure and poor information architecture. If your site makes it challenging for users to navigate and for Google to crawl, be prepared for your rankings to take a hit.
Establishing a strong technical and UX foundation sets the stage for both search engines and users to discover what they want and need.
Top Technical SEO and UX Priorities:
Implement the Three-Clicks Rule: Try to ensure that users can reach any page on your site page within three clicks.
Secure Your Site: Use HTTPS to ensure secure communication.
Optimise Load Times: Use images appropriately, enable browser caching and remove code and JavaScript bloat to ensure a fast-loading site across all devices.
To Fix Errors: Use tools such as Google Search Console to find crawl errors, broken links, and anything else obstructing Google’s ability to index your pages properly.
While Core Web Vitals (i.e., LCP, FID, and CLS) are significant indicators of website performance, emphasis should not be placed on achieving a perfect score. A site that’s well-designed (on the back-end and front-end) and provides a great user experience will almost always beat the pants off the competition in the long run.
Actionable Recommendation #1
Look for any coverage or crawl stats issues that should be resolved with Google Search Console. Pick three big things that are wrong this week (e.g., broken links, slow-loading pages, pages not friendly to mobile, Core Web Vitals issues, indexing errors, etc.) and fix them.
If your crawl stats haven’t gotten better in two weeks, it’s a good opportunity to figure out if Google is getting your site indexed more efficiently. You can contact our dispensary SEO agency to help you implement any of this.
2. Create & Publish Helpful, Relevant, E-E-A-T-Oriented Content
E-E-A-T content is a crucial part of modern cannabis SEO. What is E-E-A-T content? It means producing high-quality cannabis content that exhibits Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
If you provide content that caters to user intent and provides value, Google will be keen on rewarding your dispensary website with more online visibility and increased search engine rankings. This translates into a boost in website traffic and online revenue for your business.
Tips For Creating Google-Friendly Content For Cannabis Websites
To build credibility and trust, cannabis store websites can establish E-E-A-T by sharing real customer experiences and behind-the-scenes content.Â
Customer reviews, detailed product pages, and informative blog posts about cannabis strains and their effects can position your brand as a trusted source.Â
Additionally, content written or vetted by professionals, like doctors or seasoned cannabis growers, can underscore your expertise by providing information about the product’s advantages, applications, and quality.
Create Engaging, Click-Worthy Titles: Use catchy headlines between 135-159 characters that grab your audience’s attention and convey top benefits.
Craft Meta Descriptions: Generate unique and compelling descriptions using Embedded keywords instead of posting them to auto-generated ones.
This would allow you to use credible citations, AI overviews, search snippets, case studies, or quotes from industry leaders on relevant topics, making your content more trustworthy and authoritative.
Actionable Recommendation #2
Select your 3 least performing URLs based on CTR or average position in Google Search Console.
Replace each with a new expert citation or fresh details around search intent in each. Create a new section or FAQ to broaden the content. Monitor CTR and engagement metrics for the next four weeks to assess improvement.
3. Optimize your Pages For Both Customers & Google
To make your pages visually appealing — while still being search-engine-friendly — you must be mindful of optimizing both your content and how it’s structured.
This includes creating relevant, keyword-rich titles, optimizing meta descriptions, and utilizing internal links to improve user experience and SEO.
Key Tactics for Dispensary Page Optimization
- Write Unique And Engaging Titles & Meta Descriptions
To ensure full display in search engine results pages, you need to keep your title under 60 characters or approximately 600 pixels in width. Make it clear and relevant to encourage clicks and respect user intent.
Create meta descriptions that fit the search intention and include primary keywords without stuffing it.
Do not use auto-generated descriptions, please. Create catchy snippets manually.
- Leverage Strategic Internal Linking
Use internal linking in away next so you can help guide the user while improving crawlability.
Provide descriptive anchor text to indicate the contents of the destination page. So, for example, don’t use “click here,” instead, use “buy [product name]”, or “from our cannabis store”.
Do not add too many links on a page to ensure you don’t overwhelm users.
How to Implememt an Internal Linking Strategy
Strategic internal linking on cannabis websites is essential for improving SEO, enhancing user experience, and driving conversions.Â
Linking relevant product pages within blog posts or guides can help customers easily find and purchase products.Â
For example, if a blog discusses the benefits of specific cannabis strains, you can link directly to product pages for those strains, making it easier for visitors to act on the information provided.
Another effective strategy is to link to educational content, such as articles explaining THC vs. CBD or how to choose the right cannabis strain.Â
These links help guide customers through their decision-making process, positioning your website as an informative resource.Â
Additionally, linking to location-specific information, like store locations or delivery options, can enhance the user experience by providing more personalized content tailored to their needs.
Lastly, internal linking can promote seasonal or promotional offers by linking relevant blog posts or product pages to special sale pages.Â
Linking to related content, like other blog posts or FAQs, also keeps visitors engaged, encouraging them to explore more areas of your site.Â
By strategically using internal links, cannabis stores can improve navigation, increase engagement, and ultimately boost sales and conversions.
The Importance of Content Structure & Readability
Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are the easiest way to organize your content both for users and search engines.
Using numbered lists, bullet points and images to break up text helps improve readability.
Add links to related content for a deeper dive into the topic.
Actionable Recommendation #3
Using GoogleSearch Console, find three pages with lots of impressions but relatively low CTR and rewrite their meta description based on user intent. Do this using a natural tone and include primary keywords.
Link at least one of these pages internally from relevant high-traffic content with descriptive anchor text. To check for improvements, monitor CTR and engagement metrics (for example: bounce rate) for the next four weeks.
4. Use Schema Markup To Get Rich Results
Schema markup allows search engines to better understand the purpose of your content and gives you rich results such as star ratings, pricing information, etc.
Organizing your data enables search engines to better present useful information directly within the search results to users.
Example of Schema Markup
Below is an example of Product schema markup for an ecommerce website:
{
 “@context”: “https://schema.org/“,
 “@type”: “Product”,
 “name”: “Organic Cotton T-Shirt”,
 “image”: “https://yourdomain.com/images/og-kush-strain.jpg“,
 “description”: “Potent OG Kush strain.”,
 “brand”: “BrandName”,
 “offers”: {
  “@type”: “Offer”,
  “priceCurrency”: “USD”,
  “price”: “19.99”,
  “availability”: “https://schema.org/InStock“,
  “url”: “https://yourdomain.com/og-kush-strain”
  },
  “aggregateRating”: {
  “@type”: “AggregateRating”,
  “ratingValue”: “4.5”,
  “reviewCount”: “55”
 }
}
This code includes essential product details such as name, image, description, pricing, availability, and customer ratings, making it eligible for rich search results.
Choose The Right Schema Type
Schema.org offers several schema types tailored to specific content formats, including:
Article Schema: Intended for blogs, news articles, and other written content.
FAQ Schema: Ideal for displaying FAQs in a structured and search-friendly manner.
Event Schema: Best suited for promoting events complete with dates, locations, and ticketing information.
Local Business Schema: Adds address, hours, and contact information for businesses with physical locations for improved visibility.
Recipe Schema: Used for recipe content, including ingredients, cooking steps, and reviews.
By choosing the right schema type for your content, you’re better able to match user search intent and improve your chances of being included in rich search results.
How to Use & Implement Schema Markup
- Determine what schema type is most relevant for your content (e.g. Product, FAQ, Article, or Event).
- Use tools such as Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to create your schema code.
- Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate your markup and ensure it is error-free.
- Insert the schema code in the <head> part of your website or in the HTML body.
Benefits of Schema Markup for Your Dispensary Website
Enhanced Search Visibility: Stand out with rich snippets (e.g., stars, prices, and FAQs).
Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR): Well-structured results attract more attention.
Improved User Experience (UX): Users get key information at a glance without clicking through multiple pages.
Actionable Recommendation #4
Pick one primary product or service page and use schema markup, specifically with the JSON-LD format. Check the code with Google’s Rich Results Test. After two weeks, track impressions, CTR and click performance in Google Search Console.
The goal is a lift of at least 1% CTR (when the page sees 10k impressions per calendar month, that can easily be 100+ additional clicks).
If you see success with the first implementation, scale schema markup across five more pages in the following month and prioritize high-traffic content.
5. Always Optimize for Mobile-First Indexing
Since 2019, Google has officially switched to mobile-first indexing. Having a mobile-friendly site is no longer a preference; it’s a required aspect of your SEO game plan.
Top Techniques for Mobile Optimization
Make Sure Your Site is Adaptable From All Devices: Use responsive design for your site to be adaptable from all devices.
Page speed: This includes optimizing loading times for mobile users (by means of compressing pictures, enabling caching, and using a content delivery network (CDN)).
Mobile-Friendly Navigation: Keep navigation menus concise and prioritize essential links.
Clickable Elements: Ensure buttons and links are far enough apart to be tapped by large thumbs.
Actionable Recommendation #5
Refer to the Mobile Usability report in Google Search Console to find out which pages show up with the problems like “Text too small to read” or “Clickable elements too close together”.
Concentrate on addressing three major issues — changing the size of the text, spacing out buttons or fine-tuning the navigation. They ought to be compressed and lazy-loaded to further improve performance.
Using Google Analytics, analyze month-over-month bounce rates and mobile impressions for the next four weeks and set the goal of reducing bounce rates by 5% and boosting engagement.
6. Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are still an essential factor for SEO, but focus on quality rather than quantity. Links from reputable sites tell Google your site has authority and is providing worthy content.
Having said that, the process of building backlinks is not an overnight win – it’s a long-term game that takes patience and continuous effort to achieve.
So, what are some strategies for earning quality backlinks?
How To Earn Quality Backlinks
Guest Blogs: Contribute high-quality guest posts to authoritative sites in your niche.
Content Outreach: Reach out to Influencers or industry blogs with your best articles, guides, studies, or resources
Broken Link Building: Search for broken links on high-quality sites and offer your content as a substitute.
Digital PR campaigns: Create a lot of noise about your business or products so that high-quality websites write about you and link back to your site naturally.
Actionable Recommendation #6
Use a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to find high-authority sites for your niche to target for backlink opportunities.
Create a targeted outreach plan to pitch high-value content, i.e. guest post or link to an existing guide or resource on your site.
Focus on providing real value to their audience. Use Google Search Console or a backlink monitoring tool to log and measure new backlinks gained over the next three months and their effect on referral traffic and rankings.
Disclaimer
Building backlinks takes time and consistency—it’s a long-term strategy, not a quick fix. Prioritize producing valuable, high-quality content that attracts links organically, and avoid black-hat SEO methods that could get you penalized by Google.
7. Maintain Content Freshness
Google favours sites that regularly refresh the content and/or publish newly updated content, as this shows it remains relevant and authoritative. Outdated or stale information ruins your rankings and reputation.
Tips To Keep Your Content Fresh
These tips will help you keep content fresh:
Update Statistics: Fresh industry figures, case studies or reports will take the place of old data.
New Information: Include up-to-date trends, quotes from experts or new tools.
Add Content: You can also embed multimedia with images, infographics, or videos to enhance your content.
Repackage Content: Turn older posts into different formats, such as a podcast, webinar, or downloadable guide.
Actionable Recommendation #7
Review your top five performing pages in Google Analytics. Pick two pages to update and refresh by adding updated data, insights, or visuals.
Track engagement metrics like bounce rate and time on page over the next four weeks, and aim for a 10% improvement in these KPIs.
8. Boost Local SEO For Your Retail Weed Store
When it comes to local businesses, being visible in local search results can mean the difference between making or being left with a sore bottom line.Â
These include optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) and incorporating keywords specific to your geographic location.
Key Local SEO Strategies
Optimize Your GBP: Ensure all business details – address, hours, photos, and categories – are accurate and compelling.
Incorporate Location-Specific Keywords: Add phrases like “best [service] in [city]” to your website’s content and meta descriptions.
Encourage Reviews: Proactively ask satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on Google and other platforms.
Actionable Recommendation #8
Review the Google Business Profile page for your business or for each of your dispensary locations. Add three new photos that were taken at your location, and ensure your business hours are accurate.
Identify three location-specific keywords and incorporate them into your homepage or a key service page. Monitor local impressions in GBP Insights over two weeks to measure impact.
Key Takeaways for Improving Your Cannabis Dispensary’s SEO
SEO doesn’t have to feel intimidating. This week take one or two actionable steps: such as refreshing content, updating your GBP, optimizing one page for international audiences, etc.
Use tools such as Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor your progress over a month and tweak directions as warranted.
SEO evolves, but its basics stay unchanged.
Focusing on priorities such as producing quality content, mobile and local optimization, and authoritative linking will set your site up for enduring success.
Focus on incremental improvements, measure your metrics and iterate based on what works. With a steady hand, your rankings, traffic, and engagement will gradually get better.
If you need help with implementing your cannabis SEO strategy, contact us to request a quote.
