Over the years, the cannabis industry has emerged out of the shadows and carved a niche for itself. It all started with the legalization of medical cannabis in California in 1996. Later, Washington and Colorado approved its recreational use in 2012. As of 2023, 38 states and Washington, DC, have legalized cannabis products. Medical products were even considered an essential commodity amid the pandemic.
With widespread acceptance and high demand fueling the industry in many states, it beckons entrepreneurs looking for growth opportunities. However, before entering the market, you need to be ready for stiff competition. At the same time, you should know that cannabis marketing initiatives are highly regulated. You cannot expect to advertise these products on billboards and radio.
A robust digital marketing plan is the best way to set apart your business in a competitive landscape. You specifically require effective search engine optimization (SEO) to make your website visible and credible. When it comes to cannabis SEO, backlinks and technical elements are only the tip of the iceberg. Content is the real fuel that drives the strategy.
We will explain how quality content can give you a ranking advantage.
Establish Authority with Educational Content
According to a 2022 Pew Research survey, 88% of U.S. adults approve of the legal use of medical and recreational cannabis by adults. Nearly 30% side with medical use only, and 10% think it should not be legal. Despite these acceptance rates, brands still struggle to convince many buyers regarding the safety and efficacy of their products.
Integrating informative and educational content into your SEO strategy can help you overcome this challenge. A cannabis website with high-value articles, blog posts, or videos can position your brand as a reliable source of information. It makes the readers stay on the site longer and convinces them to move down the buying funnel. Additionally, Google’s algorithms prioritize content that educates users.
Informative pieces should cover topics such as cannabis strains, medical benefits, consumption methods, and legal considerations. Citing credible research studies in your content adds to your brand’s credibility. According to Evergreen SEO, cannabis sellers should implement a proper process to get traffic without attracting penalties. You can achieve both with quality content.
Optimize with Keywords for Cannabis-Related Queries
Most people looking for a product or service online start by typing in specific keywords. While quality content is the backbone of SEO, relevant keywords take it a notch higher. Strategic keyword optimization in your content is essential to get the best results with SEO for cannabis companies.
It begins with defining your target audience and considering the queries they may use to search for products and brands. For example, medical cannabis users may seek information regarding the benefits, dosage, precautions, and shelf life of a product. Recreational consumers may have specific queries regarding location-specific legal regulations for using these products.
Quality content answers these questions and incorporates the relevant search keywords naturally. Search engines view it as a signal validating your website as a valuable resource for those specific queries. Target keywords placed contextually in your content can significantly boost your visibility and ranking.
Boost Visibility with Shareable Content
When it comes to winning the cannabis SEO game with quality content, you cannot undermine the value of shareable pieces. According to HubSpot, 50% of marketers used visuals in more than 91% of their content in 2021. Visual elements like infographics, images, and videos are the best forms of shareable content.
Adding these elements to your cannabis content boosts brand visibility by enticing your followers to share it on social media. Consider them a word-of-mouth strategy in an industry where consumers do not prefer to be too vocal about products and brands. Sharing an informative post about the benefits of a product or an entertaining video about a new launch is perhaps the best way they share their love for cannabis products and brands.
Crafting engaging and shareable content in this industry requires out-of-the-box thinking. You need creative ideas to showcase your offerings without being too loud. Also, understand the pulse of your target audience to strike a chord with them. Any piece that goes viral can exponentially increase your reach and drive organic traffic to your website.
In conclusion, selling cannabis is tricky because you need to follow several regulations while marketing your product and brand. A well-crafted SEO plan backed by high-quality content can be your secret weapon. Informative content builds authority and enhances credibility, contextual keywords give your website a ranking boost, and shareability gives your brand greater visibility. You must absolutely invest time and resources in creating quality content to gain a winning advantage.
