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Cannabis SEO: Local SEO Tips for Dispensaries

Sari Klaczkowski
Written By
Sari Klaczkowski
Published On
Jan 07, 2022
A pile of cannabis plants

Any cannabis brand with a brick-and-mortar store looking to increase foot traffic will find that local SEO works like magic. But what is this powerful tool, and what are the ways you can leverage it to build brand awareness?

As a trusted cannabis marketing company, The Influence Agency is here to break down all the details so you can step up your cannabis marketing game. 

Read on to know all about the local SEO tips for dispensaries that you shouldn’t miss out on! 

What Is Local SEO?

Let’s say the physical store of your dispensary is located in Toronto. Wouldn’t you want it to appear instantly when people type in “cannabis stores in Toronto” on Google? To make that happen, you’re going to need to use some local SEO strategies. 

Local cannabis SEO will help improve discoverability when individuals look for establishments in a particular geographical area. Just like the word itself, you’re putting your store on the map for the locals. Ultimately, this drives leads, generates sales, and amplifies brand awareness. 

Why Local Cannabis SEO Matters  

Cannabis advertising can be a tricky subject. Google prohibits the use of paid advertising to market such products. Because of this, SEO and local SEO have become a vital means for businesses to build an online and offline presence.

It’s especially important for the newer brands that generally struggle to rank high on Google search results because they end up being overtaken by more recognized brands on a national or global scale. With local searches, the competition to rank high is always much less. As long as you leverage local cannabis SEO, you can count on it that you’ve drastically improved your chances of visibility to potential customers in the locality. 

Being recognized by your target audience in the vicinity will contribute to increasing your in-store sales, word-of-mouth marketing within their social circles, and it might just help you secure regular customers as well. The “cannabis store next door,” anyone?

5 Ways to Use Local SEO to Market Your Cannabis Brand

1. Google My Business

Google My Business is a great tool for businesses to manage their online presence on Google, which includes Search and Maps. Not only is this directory service completely free but it’s incredibly simple to use too. Aside from it adding credibility to your business, it also helps local clients find products and services in their area.

Once you create your listing, make sure to optimize it by including as much information as possible. Companies with detailed and accurate information tend to rank higher in Google search results. Plus, it will also give potential customers a quick overview of your dispensary. 

Remember to include the following:

Close up of a cannabis plant

2. Google Local Pack

If you type “cannabis store near me” on Google, you’ll instantly see three of the top local company listings in your area. Those results are called the Google Local Pack—and one major perk is that it only features local businesses. To become part of this pack, it’s important for dispensaries to publish adequate information online for Google to be able to match your business’ details with location-based searches.

Additionally, the local pack doesn’t simply use the search engine’s regular SEO rankings to decide what appears on top. Rather, this is determined via relevance, distance, and prominence. 

  • Relevance: How well your business’ keywords match the search query.
  • Distance: How close your dispensary is to the location being looked up. 
  • Prominence: How well-known your business is within online communities. While the more prominent brands tend to rank higher, you can always improve prominence by accumulating more reviews and listing your company in as many online directories as possible. 

3. Leverage Directory Listings  

To boost local cannabis SEO, it’s important to put your business’s name out there as much as possible. Another one of our local SEO tips for dispensaries is to get listed in various directories, such as the following:

4. Utilize Local Keywords on Your Website

Developing your website and creating blog content in a way that leverages the right keywords is one of our top local SEO tips for dispensaries.

Let’s say your store is in Toronto. One way to boost local cannabis SEO would be by using the word “Toronto” across your website, including:

  • Meta descriptions
  • Customized URLs
  • Image and video tags
  • On-page SEO

If your brand has various locations across different cities, creating a unique location page for each of them on your website will do wonders for increasing discoverability. 

5. Connect With Local Publications

Are there any local publications that might be able to write about your company’s products or events? Because publications generally rank high in Google results, building connections with them is a great way to boost local cannabis SEO. Not only does this amplify awareness but it also adds a lot of credibility to your name. 

A Look Back at 2021 and
A Look Ahead at 2022

The Influence Agency presents The Yearbook: a record of the biggest and most influential events in the last year. In this document we attempt to answer the question, what does 2021 hold for digital marketing?

Sign up and download your free copy of The Yearbook to discover the top digital trends from 2021 and what’s to come in 2022

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Become the Go-to Cannabis Store Next Door With The Influence Agency

With the right SEO and local SEO strategies, you’ll quickly be on your way to becoming the favourite cannabis store next door.

If you’re thinking about upgrading your dispensary’s visibility through strategic web development or blog content, we’ve got your back. As one of Canada’s digital marketing leaders across various industries, The Influence Agency is the expert in helping brands rank higher than ever in Google search results. We’re here to put you on the map—whether that’s a local, national, or global scale.

Boosting cannabis SEO starts right here with us. Connect with our team to learn more about how we can help you with our local SEO services! 

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Sari Klaczkowski

Sari Klaczkowski is a Senior Client Success Manager at TIA. She is passionate about influencer marketing, conversion rate optimization and building impactful relationships with her clients and colleagues. In her free time, you can find Sari walking the city, likely with an overpriced coffee in hand. She also enjoys watching anything Mindy Kailing has touched and eating pasta.
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