This Cannabis SEO Guide will educate and empower you to create successful cannabis content. In addition to providing technical guidance, this guide will give you context and advice specific to cannabis. Whether you are a cannabis product maker, marketer, or writer, you will get a comprehensive understanding that will set you up for success. Before diving into the nuts and bolts of cannabis SEO, this guide will give you some background information and legal information that will help you better understand the audience, the products, and the regulatory and legal environment that you’ll be working in.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Cannabis Content Writing…… 1
Your Audience: What Do People Know About Cannabis?………………………………………………….. 3
Cannabis and the FDA: Important Writing Considerations…………………………………………… 3
What Not to Say About Cannabis………………… 4
How Can You Talk About CBD Dosage?……. 5
Marketing “Organic” Hemp and CBD…………. 6
“Therapeutic” CBD and Hemp Flower………… 6
CBD “Recipes”………………………………………… 7
How Inaccurate Are Internet Claims About Cannabis Treatments?…………………………….. 8
Cannabis SEO Content 101…………………………. 9
SEO Definitions………………………………………….. 9
How to Identify SEO Keywords………………….. 10
Identifying SEO Topics…………………………… 10
Finding SEO Keywords for Free……………… 10
Keyword Analysis: Intent, Relevance, and Competition…………………………………………… 11
Creating a Content Plan…………………………….. 12
Crafting Cornerstone Content…………………. 12
Crafting General Content……………………….. 12
Content Plan Example……………………………. 13
Researching Content Topics…………………….. 14
SEO Style Guide……………………………………….. 15
Hiring Tool: SEO Content Writing Sample for Cannabis Content……………………………………… 16
Conclusion: Starting Your Cannabis SEO Journey…………………………………………………….. 20
References……………………………………………….. 21
Introduction to Cannabis Content Writing
The internet has become a ubiquitous tool for every industry. A business simply cannot exist without an online presence. In addition to playing an essential role in business, the internet also plays a crucial role in education. In this context, the public gets online seeking out products and information. Search engines, especially Google, are the most popular way to find what they want. That means businesses need to have an online presence that is visible through search engines.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a marketing technique that works for both products and information. It is a method of creating content that is optimized to be highly visible in search results. This is accomplished through technical measures like structuring website pages in an organized way and ensuring that website metadata is optimized, and also in creative ways such as using keywords in blogs and product descriptions and having high-quality information and backlinks.
Consider the massive amount of health and medical information that you find on the front page of Google. Virtually none of the sites you see first have information that is written by a doctor or person with any medical training. But what you do find is information that answers the search query from websites with high domain ratings and near-perfect data structure.
“72% of internet users seek out health information using an internet search engine.”
-Torgerson, et al. (2020)
So who is doing this writing? Most articles don’t even have authors or citations. However, if you go on freelancer platforms such as Fiverr or Upwork, you’ll quickly learn who is writing this content. Most content writers are freelancers. Some have marketing experience or education, but most are self-taught.
There is also a very wide spectrum when it comes to skill and quality. You can get a blog for as little as five dollars from a foreign Fiverr freelancer, but the quality of this blog is going to be very low. It will use the keywords you specify, but will essentially be vacant of useful, factual, and/or interesting information and likely will sound like it wasn’t written by a native English speaker. This information-vacant content can also be called “copypasta.” While you might think, “At least I’ll have something that uses some good keywords.” You’ll be disappointed to learn that search engines will penalize your website for using information-vacant content that is stuffed with keywords.
“Given the rise in cannabis use within the U.S. and the reliance on the Internet as a source of information, considerable efforts are needed to provide accurate on-line cannabis education to minimize harms and maximize benefits for individuals and society.”
-Kruger, et al. (2020)
Your Audience: What Do People Know About Cannabis?
The paper “A content analysis of internet information sources on medical cannabis (Kruger, et al. 2020)” illustrates the tension between conventional medicine, the interested public audience, and content marketing. They point out that medical cannabis users put more trust in medical cannabis than in mainstream healthcare and are less likely to seek information from healthcare providers. They also report on where this demographic is getting their information and what sources they are putting trust in.
Top Medical Cannabis User Information Sources
- Personal anecdotal experiences
- Website content
- Social media content
- Media reports (may or may not be paid sponsored content)
“Understanding of cannabis is generally modest among the general public. Medical cannabis users have remarkably low to moderate knowledge of important aspects of cannabis such as medical effectiveness, cannabinoid content and effective dosages, and effective harm reduction techniques.”
-Kruger, et al. (2020)
Another research paper titled “Public interest in Cannabis during election season: a Google Trends analysis (Torgerson, et al. 2020)” points out that interest in cannabis and the demand for online information about it is growing while medical professionals remain reluctant to provide the public with that information. There are many unfortunate reasons that doctors aren’t talking about cannabis, but the ethical take-away is that your marketing content can easily be misunderstood as health advice by the general public, or worse, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Cannabis and the FDA: Important Writing Considerations
It is vitally important to remember that your cannabis content has a second audience behind your consumers. This audience is the FDA, the agency that regulates consumable products and pharmaceuticals. Understanding their regulation and authority is of vital importance because an FDA warning letter will live right next to your website in search results! It can also carry financial consequences great enough to put you out of business.
The FDA has withheld from classifying CBD under its regulations. This means that CBD is not a dietary supplement and cannot be marketed as such.
An FDA warning letter is a letter that can be issued for many reasons. Most of the CBD companies that have been issued warning letters have violated FDA marketing restrictions for CBD. Namely, they are making medical claims about their products. Anyone selling cannabis or CBD, or marketing it, should read “FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD) https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-regulation-cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-products-including-cannabidiol-cbd.”
This article from the FDA will give you an in-depth understanding of what is and is not legal when selling and marketing cannabis products. The FDA guidelines for CBD products are both as clear a vague as possible:
- No medical claims
- No mixing CBD with food
- No path to register CBD products with the FDA
You can get a more clear idea of what not to do by looking at the agency’s behavior. This includes the many warning letters https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/warning-letters-and-test-results-cannabidiol-related-products they have issued against CBD companies.
What Not to Say About Cannabis
Most FDA violations come from making medical claims about products. The term “medical claims” is broader than direct claims like, “CBD tincture relieves pain.” In addition to claims about medical effects, “medical claims” also encompass claims about dosage, certifications, and classifications of products.
Always avoid terms like, “treat,” “cure,” “therapy,” and “therapeutic,” that suggest CBD or cannabis is a medical product.
When writing about cannabis, especially CBD, it is extremely important to account for legal considerations. Be sure to read these two articles to get a deeper understanding of what regulators will take issue with:
So how do you describe the effects of cannabis? You need to get creative and use words that describe a feeling. Examples include:
- Calm/calmness
- Relaxing
- Tension relief
- Rejuvenation, Invigorating
- Wellness
- Uplifting, happy, euphoric, bliss
- Chilling out
- Energy, focus, attentiveness, alertness
How Can You Talk About CBD Dosage?
Talking about dosage for cannabis and cannabinoids like CBD is challenging for four main reasons:
- No standardized recommendation
- Differs from person to person
- Differs based on product formulation
- People still want and need to know
“Start low and go slow” is one practical and accurate recommendation. Starting at low amounts of product and slowly increasing (titration) has been recommended in some CBD research. It is vague and not too helpful, but it isn’t inaccurate. It should also be mentioned that if someone takes too much CBD, they will likely feel side effects.
Another effective approach to talking about cannabinoid dosage is to explain to customers how to calculate and estimate CBD mg per g in a product. If you are someone who makes a cannabinoid product, consider these recommendations when designing your labeling:
- Be careful with wording if you put a recommended dose on packaging
- Do put cannabinoid/mg and total volume on packaging
- Do list all ingredients, active and inactive
- Packaging should comply with Dietary Supplement FDA requirements, however, you should not claim or imply to actually be a dietary supplement or any other type of FDA-regulated product
- Have a food safety lawyer review labeling and dosage-related information
Additionally, it is useful to explain bioavailability to customers. Bioavailability is the amount of a product that actually makes it into the body when consumed. Remember, you are not a doctor or pharmacist, but when selling or marketing cannabinoid products it is best to have some understanding of how they actually work in the body. To better understand CBD dosage, CBD bioavailability, and CBD side effects, it is strongly recommended to read these three scholarly research papers:
- Iffland, K., & Grotenhermen, F. (2017). An update on safety and side effects of cannabidiol: a review of clinical data and relevant animal studies. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2(1), 139-154. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2016.0034
- Larsen, C., & Shahinas, J. (2020). Dosage, efficacy and safety of cannabidiol administration in adults: a systematic review of human trials. Journal of clinical medicine research, 12(3), 129. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7092763/
- Millar, S. A., Maguire, R. F., Yates, A. S., & O’Sullivan, S. E. (2020). Towards better delivery of cannabidiol (CBD). Pharmaceuticals, 13(9), 219. file:///C:/Users/16123/Downloads/pharmaceuticals-13-00219-v2%20(1).pdf
Marketing “Organic” Hemp and CBD
Claiming that cannabis products are organic is a HUGE no! Even if the product is cultivated using organic practices, it CAN NOT be called “organic” and you should not try to mince words when it comes to organic classification.
Hemp and CBD must be certified organic by a USDA accredited agency and registered as such to legally make the claim of being organic.
“Organic” is a serious legal claim that MUST be backed up with documentation. There are many unaccredited agencies offering to “certify” organic hemp. However, if they are not accredited by the USDA, their certification is meaningless! You are responsible for proving that your product is organic if you make that claim. That means fact-checking the farmers that are selling you their “organic” hemp.
At the end of the day, it is extremely unlikely that any organic claim for cannabis can be legally supported. Using this term will only bring you trouble. Education is again the answer. Help your customers understand that they should be highly skeptical of organic claims. You can also offer transparency by creating content that shows your production and farming processes. This is high-quality content that lets your product speak for itself instead of making erroneous claims.
“Therapeutic” CBD and Hemp Flower
A “therapy” or “therapeutic” substance must be FDA regulated and approved. Epidiolex is one of the only cannabinoid products that meets these criteria (for limited pharmaceutical applications). Therapeutic and therapy are protected words that are explicit to products with FDA approval for medical uses.
Likewise, if a product claims to be “GMP,” it must be registered as such with the FDA. This requires independent certification, but without a registration number from the FDA you cannot make any GMP-related claim! When it comes to wholesale and white-labeling, the product ceases to be GMP unless the seller/final brand of the product maintains those GMP conditions. This means also registering with the FDA.
You never, in any way state, suggest, or imply that CBD, hemp, or any cannabinoid product is a medical product! It is outrageous and ethically irresponsible to talk about retail CBD and hemp products in this way. Not only that, but many consumers are actually becoming turned off from CBD products because of the over-promised and under-delivered effects.
“FDA is aware that unapproved cannabis or cannabis-derived products are being used for the treatment of a number of medical conditions including, for example, AIDS wasting, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, and cancer and chemotherapy-induced nausea.
To date, FDA has not approved a marketing application for cannabis for the treatment of any disease or condition and thus has not determined that cannabis is safe and effective for any particular disease or condition.”
–FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD)
Remember, CBD products are not new at this point. They were very recklessly marketed when they first came available, so responsible and educational marketing is very important. Integrity in CBD marketing means accepting and acknowledging the limitations and risks of the product as well as the benefits. If you aren’t honest about the full picture, you have no business producing or selling a product that can hurt people and does have side effects.
Suggested Further Reading
- The FDA’s Stance on Hemp-Derived CBD as a Dietary Supplement (Part 1)
- The FDA’s Stance on Hemp-Derived CBD as a Dietary Supplement (Part 2)
CBD “Recipes”
Finally, one last thing to avoid in CBD marketing is CBD recipes. The FDA prohibits adding CBD to food. People do it anyway, after all, there are tons of CBD drinks and cannabinoid edibles on the market. Are they legal? Not entirely, but the FDA has yet to enforce action against CBD drinks, gummies, chocolates, and the like. However, you should not write CBD recipe blogs or put recipes on your website.
In addition to the FDA guidance, CBD recipes are impractical and ineffective. In most cases, they are just a waste to people. This is because CBD tinctures, CBD oil, and CBD isolate powders are not water-soluble. That is, they only dissolve in oil (and have a bad taste). Also, if a product is intended to be heated, the CBD will be in its acidic form (CBDA). CBDA is not active in the body until it is decarboxylated into CBD (the same goes for THCA and THC). So the CBD product may not be in the right form to be eaten.
Lastly, the product gets diluted so much that it does not likely deliver a significant dose to have activity. The bioavailability of CBD when eaten/drank is very low, estimated to be around 6% (Millar, et al. 2020), so in addition to dilution, only a very small ineffective amount actually makes it to the bloodstream. Since you aren’t a pharmacist or doctor, you should not try to advise people on dosing their food with CBD. However, CBD recipes essentially do just that (and they do it poorly).
Water-soluble and nanoemulsion CBD preparations do exist. If you are making edible cannabinoid products, you should consider using these preparations for better product quality. At the end of the day, just don’t bother with CBD recipe blogs though.
How Inaccurate Are Internet Claims About Cannabis Treatments?
Internet content about medical cannabis use is a growing concern not just because the information is inaccurate and misleading, but because it is actually dangerous in some instances. Many of these blogs are hosted by companies that are trying to sell products. Even in “news” websites, companies can pay to have their blog material published so it looks like it is coming from an unbiased source. The cost for this can be as low as $100 and up to $2000 for big-name publications. Most readers don’t really know the meaning of “Sponsored Post” is that it is paid advertising from a private company with biased interests. This is a big problem because misleading information can hurt people.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) “The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research” is the official US report on cannabis that summarized what is currently known about the use of cannabis to treat health and medical conditions. Kruger, et al. (2020) compared this report to the 151 medical and health conditions that were mentioned by internet content as being treatable with cannabis.
“The current study found that information related to medical cannabis on the Internet is abundant, generally positive, but lacking in the depth and detail that would ideally inform medical treatment. Over 150 different health and medical conditions were suggested for treatment by cannabis, yet only 4% of the conditions mentioned have substantial empirical support.”
-Kruger, et al. (2020)
Many of these conditions lack conclusive or substantial evidence to support the claim that cannabis/cannabinoids were effective treatments. While it is expected that cannabis is not well supported as a treatment for most conditions, some of the medical claims being made are actually quite dangerous and misleading.
Is Cannabis Actually an Effective Treatment?
- 92% of sites suggested using cannabis for specific health or medical conditions
- 4% of conditions do have conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective treatments
- 1% of conditions have moderate evidence for cannabis/cannabinoid treatment effectiveness
- 6% of conditions have limited evidence of the effectiveness of treatment with cannabis/cannabinoids
- 9% of conditions have no or insufficient evidence for cannabis/cannabinoid treatment effectiveness
- 3% of conditions actually have evidence that cannabis/cannabinoids are an ineffective treatment
- 3% of conditions show evidence that using cannabis would increase the person’s risks
- 74% of the conditions claimed to be treatable with cannabis are not even acknowledged by the NASEM report
Cannabis SEO Content 101
Now that you understand the contextual elements of cannabis SEO, we can focus on the nuts and bolts. Here are five major goals your Cannabis SEO marketing plan should strive to achieve:
- Drive internet traffic to your website using keywords
- Answer the questions that people Google
- Educate and entice consumers
- Don’t make medical claims
- Don’t give customers exaggerated expectations
These goals can be archived by creating content that is driven by keyword research and published with proper technical formatting. Here is a brief explanation of these three key elements.
Keyword Research: Identifies the words and phrases that people are searching for
Content Creation: Generation of content that utilizes keywords to drive website traffic, educates and informs consumers, and entices them to purchase products
Technical Formatting: Use of proper headings, tags, meta descriptions, and other technical elements to ensure that content is visible and highly rated by search engines
SEO Definitions
Before moving on, it is important to understand some definitions and terms used in SEO.
Content: The words, images, and video associated with a website
Keyword: Words that people use in search engines
Longtail Keywords: Phrases that people use in search engines
Metadata: Data (such as tags) that tells search engines about your website and content that makes it easier for search engines to know what your content is about
Backlink: A link to your content that appears on another website, typically helps to increase ranking, domain ratings, and page ratings
Ranking: Position a website shows up in when searching related keywords on a search engine, where everyone is competing to reach the first page of search results
Domain Rating
Page Rating
SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) identifies the elements of content that search engines rank and leverages those elements to drive organic website traffic
Organic Website Traffic: Unpaid website traffic driven
Inorganic Website Traffic: Website traffic driven by paid advertising
How to Identify SEO Keywords
Identifying SEO keywords is an essential step in writing effective content. Doing good keyword research ensures you have a solid basis for your content marketing plan. It is also important to keep doing this research over time. That’s because people’s interests change, and also Google search algorithms change. Here is an overview of how to identify SEO keywords:
- Study your topic, define your brand, define your audience, and set a goal
- Find keywords from a variety of sources
- Analyze the keywords, and study their intent, relevance, and competition
Identifying SEO Topics
Before you start hunting for keywords, make a list of topics and words that are relevant to your website. If you have many different products, creating separate lists for each might work best. You’ll use these topics and words to help find keywords to use in your content. You will also want to have a clear idea of your brand, your audience, and your goals. Here’s an example of topics:
CBD Company A
Goal: Sell artisanal CBD products that naturally support health and well-being
Audience: CBD consumers, age 35-50, natural product consumers, moms, farmer’s market shoppers, natural product boutiques
Topics:
Artisanal CBD products
CBD tinctures
CBD lotion
Finding SEO Keywords for Free
The first step in writing cannabis content is to identify relevant keywords. There are many free tools that can be used to identify keywords. First, you should have Google Search Console set up for your website. If you don’t, do that right away! In addition to finding keywords on Google Search Console, you can also just go to Google and type in words. You’ll see a drop-down list start to populate, those phrases are some keywords you should consider using.
You can also use Keywords Everywhere, Answer the Public, or Moz to do free keyword research. You’ll notice that some keywords are single words and others are phrases. These phrases are called “longtail keywords.”
- Moz https://moz.com/explorer
- Answer the Public https://answerthepublic.com/
- Keywords Everywhere https://keywordseverywhere.com/
- Google Search Bar https://www.google.com/
- Google Seach Console https://search.google.com/search-console/welcome?hl=en
Here is an example of using a topic list to identify keywords:
CBD Company A
Artisanal CBD products
greater goods cbd
greater goods gummies relax
womens cbd products
beam cbd oil
wild brand cbd
cbd gummies for morning
wild by nature cbd reviews
wink cbd
CBD tinctures
cbd tincture 1000mg
cbd tincture vs oil
best cbd tinctures
pure cbd tincture
cbd tincture review
cbd tincture reddit
cbd tincture 1500mg
cbd tincture vs gummies
CBD lotion
best cbd lotion for pain
cbd lotion for nerve pain
cbd lotion for arthritis hands
cbd cream 1000mg
cbd cream for foot pain
cbd cream 5000mg
Keyword Analysis: Intent, Relevance, and Competition
After finding keywords, there’s three main steps to complete before you start writing cannabis content:
- Ignore irrelevant keywords
- Consider the intent behind the keywords
- Analyze the competition
When you look over the keywords that you’ve found, you’ll immediately notice that some are totally irrelevant or don’t make sense. You can just delete these or ignore them since they are very obviously lacking in relevance. Next, look at each keyword and consider what the intent is when someone types it into Google. Some keywords have very vague intent or intent that does not match your goals. An example of this is “CBD tincture Reddit” this keyword is both irrelevant and does not meet intent since a person searching this is looking for that Reddit page.
However, that page as well as the brands found when searching for “artisanal CBD products” can be considered competition. You would want to follow the search results to these websites and look at those competing results. They can give you insights about what you should include in your content if you want to compete with them. In some keyword tools, you’ll also be able to see the competitiveness of keywords and search volume. The best keywords to target first are the ones with moderate competitiveness and moderate search volume. You can target more niche keywords or higher competition keywords later, but don’t make them a priority since you are unlikely to convert those results to website visits.
Creating a Content Plan
Once you have identified your audience, topics, and keywords, it is time to create a content plan. Your content plan will give you a roadmap to creating a blog that is organized, successful, and impactful. These are the four types of content you will address in your content plan:
Evergreen Content: Content that is regularly updated to ensure it is still relevant
Orphan Content: Content that does not link to other internal content or webpages
Cornerstone Content: Long articles (1500-3000 words) that cover key features, links to internal web pages and highly credible external links, updated to link to general content
General Content: Shorter articles (500-1200 words) that cover sub-topics and news and link to the cornerstone content
All cornerstone content should also be evergreen content. This means that you need to have a schedule for actively updating articles to ensure they are relevant. Updates should include adding links to new content and updating technical SEO as new search features and changes to search algorithms arise. This helps cornerstone content retain and improve its search ranking. None of your content should ever be orphan content. Orphan content is a sign that you have deviated from your content plan and this type of content will be virtually invisible to search engines.
Crafting Cornerstone Content
Cornerstone content should encompass the major themes and topics of your website. These themes and topics are often very general keywords with very high competition for search rankings, so you need to say a lot about them and say it well. A good practice for identifying cornerstone content topics is to create a flow chart or outline.
Crafting General Content
General content should cover sub-topics of your website and specific topics such as information on specific products, addressing common customer questions, and reporting on news and announcements.
Content Plan Example
Here is an example of a content plan for a cannabis greenhouse company that utilizes these elements. Notice that there are three main topics that form cornerstones and subtopics that are suitable for general content.
Content Plan for Cannabis Greenhouses
- Buying a Cannabis Greenhouse
- How to select the right greenhouse for your location
- West Coast
- Midwest
- Southern
- East Coast
- Wind loading and snow loading
- Types of greenhouses and their features
- Gable top greenhouses
- Tunnel greenhouses
- Gothic greenhouses
- Greenhouse coverings
- Types of greenhouse plastics
- Glasshouses
- Building a Cannabis Greenhouse
- Site selection
- DIY versus hiring a contractor
- Operating a Cannabis Greenhouse
- Managing greenhouse microclimate
- Cannabis greenhouse lighting
- Cannabis greenhouse light deprivation
- Cannabis greenhouse pest control
- Cannabis greenhouse operating costs
The next step with this outline is to create article outlines for the three major topics. However, you’ll also want to consider your keyword research. In this example, buying, building, and operating a greenhouse are all top keywords and major themes. However, keyword data also suggests that cannabis lighting and cultivation are also very relevant. In this case, the greenhouse company needs to consider if it is something to give more attention to. Since this greenhouse company also sells lighting and cultivation supplies, they will add these as cornerstone topics as well as include them as part of their operational content.
- Cannabis lighting
- LED lighting
- Metal halide lamps
- High pressure sodium lamps
- Supplemental lighting for cannabis greenhouses
- Cannabis cultivation supplies
- Soil for growing cannabis
- Living soil
- Rhizobacteria inoculant
- Cannabis nutrients
- Nutrient dosers
- Hydroponic nutrients
- Organic nutrients
- Cannabis trimming supplies
- Cannabis storage solutions
You can see how this content plan ensures that there is no orphan content. As each general content article is written, it can be linked to the cornerstone content article. The general content articles that are lettered are bigger subtopics, so these should all have 800-1200 words. The general content that is bulleted has more specific topics likely to discuss specific products, these should have 500-750 words.
The result is a comprehensive knowledge base that engages and educates consumers while attracting website traffic. You can actually see this project at hortitechdirect.com to see how the end result was executed. The last step in your content plan should be to keep a schedule of when to update articles. For cornerstone content, this should happen once or twice a year. For general content, you can update them less frequently. In either case, you should plan an annual SEO audit of your website to make sure everything is kept fresh. One great way to do this is to assign employees to read blog articles and provide feedback as part of their training. This helps to identify issues and areas for improvement and also educates employees so they can provide better customer care and have a deeper understanding of the business.
Researching Content Topics
When writing content, you’ll need to do some research on the topic itself. To do this you should turn to sources that are very trustworthy. Not only that but since you will likely be linking to these sources, you need to be sure they do not compete with your own business. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:
- Use scholar.google.com to find open-access articles from scholarly sources
- Use professional organizations and government websites such as:
- American Psychological Association (https://www.apa.org/)
- PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)
- Read competing content to get an idea of what your content should cover but DO NOT copy their content- make yours better
- If you are using AI like chatGPT, remember the following
- AI can lie! Always fact-check claims!
- AI is good for article filler like introductions to articles and paragraphs but you still need to do the work to give the article its “meat and bones”
- AI content can be detected, in the future, search engines will likely improve algorithms so AI content will be less valued than original content
- DO NOT rely on AI content, be original and put in the work to get results that last
SEO Style Guide
Let’s talk about technical formatting now that you understand how to identify your audience, generate content topics, and find keywords. The technical side of SEO can be the most difficult to perfect, but it has a huge influence on making your content visible to search engines. The most basic aspect of technical SEO is ensuring your content is written in the proper style. For this, you will want to create a style guide that will give your website a consistent appearance.
Style Guide Creation
What font type and size (and color) is used?
- For H1 headers (title only)
- For H2 headers (paragraph headers)
- For H3 headers (sub-paragraph headers)
- For body text
- For subtitles (text under images)
- Color should mostly be black
What citation style is used for references?
- APA is the most common citation style, but others can be used if desired as long as you keep it consistent
- In-text citations also need a consistent style, either (author last name, year), or more commonly [#] which refers to a numbered reference list
Spacing and indentations
Make sure line spacing height and use of indentations is consistent throughout the content and throughout the website.
DopeSEO Style Guide
Here is an example of the Dope SEO Style Guide that is given to content writers. When working with hired content writers, they will typically provide you with the content in a Word document or Google document so actual formatting (font, size, color, etc.) is not too critical as the WordPress theme will typically update these aspects.
Titles and Headers/Headlines
- The headers have AP Style capitalization (capitalizemytitle.com)
- Someone would want to click on these if they saw them on Google (use power words)
- The headline options are between 40-60 characters
- The full keyword is in each headline (as much as possible)
- The text is broken up with headers tagged as H2s, then H3s and H4s if needed
- Title/main headline to be defined as H1 and formatted with a font of Calibri, ‘black’ color, size 20 and bolded
- H2 to be formatted with a font of Calibri, ‘black’ color, size 16 and bolded
- The main keyword is inserted in at least one H2
- H3 to be formatted with a font of Calibri, ‘black’ color, size 14 and bolded
- H4 to be formatted with a font of Calibri, ‘black’ color, size 12 and bolded
Body Text
- The article uses AP Style
- Default font formatting has a font of Calibri, ‘black’ color and size 11
- Specific phrases or comments can be formatted with bold or italics for emphasis as necessary
- Underlining or color changes are not recommended due to potential clashes with the formatting of anchor text in the WordPress theme settings on certain websites
- There is just one space between sentences and one line break between paragraphs
- Block quotes should not be used except for long quotations or citations. Denote block quotes within Google Docs using triple quotes in its own paragraph:
- Example blockquote: “””This is a example of a wise sounding quote — Author, Source”””
- The article uses active voice instead of passive voice
- The article has a clear introduction and a clear conclusion
- The conclusion has a call to action
- The main keyword is used in the first sentence of the article
- The main keyword is not used more than 30 times, to avoid keyword stuffing
Links
- The article has one external link (to another website)
- The article has two to three internal links (to other webpages in your website)
- If information from other sources was used, the source is credited and hyperlinked
- Links have no formatting requirements (WordPress will format them per your theme)
Images
- There is either one photo per H2 OR one photo for every 500 words
- Landscape images to be used where possible
- Images not be in-lined and should only follow paragraphs after a single line break and be succeeded with a single line break
- Image files should have a name that describes the image with keywords
- In WordPress, images have alt tags that use keywords to describe the image
Hiring Tool: SEO Content Writing Sample for Cannabis Content
If you are in need of hiring highly skilled cannabis content writers, you will want to get a writing sample. From a client perspective, you can always re-work writing samples into your blog. From a cannabis content writer angle, you are doing a guaranteed paid project. So, writing samples are win-win. Below is a hiring exercise for cannabis content writers. You are free to use and adapt this writing sample exercise. It is a great tool for hiring content writers and educating new content writers on good habits. When using this template, be sure to customize it, fields that are bracketed in red will require you to customize them.
Introduction
In order to get a feel for your writing, we invite you to take part in this writing sample. If you have any questions please correspond with your email contact to address them.
- The Writing Sample should be completed and delivered within 72 hours (three days).
- The Writing Sample itself should not take more than two hours to complete
- Your client will provide you with a writing topic and target keyword phrase
- Your writing is your client’s property, self-plagiarism is still plagiarism
- In return for this writing, you will receive payment on individually agreed-upon terms
Before starting, you will want to consider these points:
- Have I read other blogs on this client’s site to get an understanding of their style?
- Am I clear about the agreed-upon rate and billing terms for my writing sample?
- Do I have any questions about the topic or keyword phrase?
Please read through this entire exercise. There are many helpful links and resources that will help you create the best writing sample possible.
Step 1: Background
Legal Considerations
If you are not already familiar with the legal status of your topic, take some time to do so. This is especially important when talking about CBD.
Always avoid terms like, “treat,” “cure,” “therapy,” “therapeutic,” that suggest CBD or cannabis is a medical product. Attribute “observations,” “study findings,” “[source] claims/found/suggested that…”
Stylistic Considerations
To familiarize yourself with the style of writing we have in mind, you can view some of these blog posts: [insert links to examples of content you desire]
Infrastructure
Your writing sample should be written in a [Google Doc], and submitted via a link to it. Be sure you have a [Google account, and familiarize yourself with the Google Drive and Google Doc] interface if you haven’t used it before.
References (Use this, or replace with your own style guide)
References should be cited in a numbered and alphabetized list. The reference section will be at the end of the writing sample. Put primary research in the references section. Make other references into embedded text links. To reference a citation in-text cite the number in-between brackets (example: [1]).
Here are some provided references that can be found using Google Scholar:
- Chandra, S., Lata, H., & ElSohly, M. A. (Eds.). (2017). Cannabis sativa L.-botany and biotechnology. Springer.
- Chandra, S., Lata, H., ElSohly, M. A., Walker, L. A., & Potter, D. (2017). Cannabis cultivation: methodological issues for obtaining medical-grade product. Epilepsy & Behavior, 70, 302–312.
- Mechoulam, R., Parker, L. A., & Gallily, R. (2002). Cannabidiol: an overview of some pharmacological aspects. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 42(S1), 11S-19S.
Step 2: Format (Replace with your own style guide)
[Use default Google Doc settings:
- Title: Heading 1 format (note- do not use the “title” format option)
- Sub-Headings: Heading 2 and Heading 3 formats
- Body: “Normal text” (use ctrl+shift+v to paste without source formatting)
- Font: Arial, 11
- Left justified
- 1.15 line spacing
- Below is a sample outline of the style and layout expected in the writing sample
Amazing Title About Five to Seven Words Long
Introduction paragraph text
First Topic (Overview)
Topic paragraph text
Maybe a good place for a list:
- A
- B
- C
Second Topic
Topic paragraph text
Sub-Topic A
Subtopic paragraph text
Sub-Topic B
Subtopic paragraph text
Third Topic
Topic paragraph text
You could throw in a quote:
“Writing samples are the most fun ever!” -No One, Ever
Final Thoughts (Conclusion)
Conclusion paragraph text
References
- Chandra, S., Lata, H., & ElSohly, M. A. (Eds.). (2017). Cannabis sativa L.-botany and biotechnology. Springer.
- Chandra, S., Lata, H., ElSohly, M. A., Walker, L. A., & Potter, D. (2017). Cannabis cultivation: methodological issues for obtaining medical-grade product. Epilepsy & Behavior, 70, 302–312.
- Mechoulam, R., Parker, L. A., & Gallily, R. (2002). Cannabidiol: an overview of some pharmacological aspects. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 42(S1), 11S-19S.]
Step 3: Writing
Overall, the writing sample does not need to be more than 750 words and should not exceed 1000 words. A minimum of 500 words is requested. The formatting template above may be helpful to use as a template. Your individual topic and keyword target will vary. You will want to keep them in mind as you write. For a great guide on how to use SEO keywords, you can go to Moz. In addition to your assigned keyword, you can use related keywords to really beef up your SEO. You can find related keywords simply by entering the keyword target in the google search bar. The phrases that come up below will be related keywords and long-tail keywords.
There are also great online tools for reviewing writing for passive voice. You will want to write in an active voice as much as possible.
Step 4: Proofreading
Be sure to proofread your article when you are done. You may want to take some time away from writing before proofreading. The free Grammarly browser extension can help detect errors that Google does not pick up. Keep in mind there are some cannabis grammar quirks and preferences that exist. Here are some simple ones to keep in mind:
- Only capitalize “cannabis” as “Cannabis” when it is the first word in a sentence or is being used as a proper noun to refer to the species cannabis.
- Only capitalize “sativa” and “indica” when it is the first word in a sentence.
- Avoid the term “weed”
- Use “marijuana” not “marihuana” unless it is a direct quote or specific to a keyword
Be sure that you review your work to make sure that it reads well, that it is formatted correctly, and free of spelling and grammar errors.
Step 5: Submit Your Writing Sample
Once your writing sample is complete, you can submit it to your email contact. This writing sample is a great way for clients and writers to learn about each other. The guidelines set out in this exercise will be similar to those expected of you as a cannabis content writer. Providing cannabis content writers with clear guidelines for cannabis content helps their talent shine through and reduces the time it takes to post content.
Paying a Cannabis Content Writer
There are a few different types of service agreements cannabis content writers commonly work with. These include hourly, by-the-word, and by-the-project. Billing frequencies are usually monthly or bi-monthly. You will want to negotiate these terms with your client and write them up in a service agreement.
Cannabis content comes with a variety of price tags. Cannabis blog articles under 1000 words can be found for as little as $15 per article. These tend to be very low-quality articles that can actually hurt a website’s Google analytics. Most clients are willing to pay at least $20 per hour for good content writing. For typical posts under 1500 words, this can be a $20 to $100 cannabis article. For longer posts and cannabis ultimate guides that take more time to write $75 to $200 is a more accurate price tag. If you are paying by the word, $0.05 to $0.07 is reasonable for a decent writer, experts may cost more. Remember- You get what you pay for!
Freelance Writing Agencies
There are many online freelancing platforms such as Upwork and Fivver that are great for writers. Upwork tends to have higher quality writers with more experience. Fivver has a lot of foreign content writers with cheaper work that typically needs to be reworked to be usable.
Freelancer Scams and Etiquette
There are many scams to be wary of as a freelance cannabis writer. New writers and people new to hiring writers can have a hard time telling what the standards are. Here are some tips for avoiding freelancer scams and beginning client-writer relationships.
- Never ask for or provide unpaid custom writing or “samples”
- It is ok to ask for references from previous clients
- Likewise, a writer may ask a client if they have any references from previous freelancers
- Avoid the use of bank transfers; get paid through an agency website if you are using one
- If you do not use a freelancing agency website, PayPal and Venmo are standard (be wary of Zelle)
- Be clear and agree on billing terms, the scope of work, and deliverable due dates
- Offer to have a conference call with a client before taking on their project
- Non-disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are an industry standard and always recommended
Conclusion: Starting Your Cannabis SEO Journey
The end of this article is just the beginning of your cannabis SEO journey. It is good to start this journey by creating your content plan, identifying your major keywords, and creating a style guide. With these starting elements in place, you can decide what elements to take on yourself and what should be hired out to a freelance writer or SEO agency. You will also want to make sure you have your marketing budget and marketing priorities planned before reaching out. Freelancers and SEO agencies can be the most effective when you have clear goals for them to meet.
References
- Kruger, D.J., Moffet, I.M., Seluk, L.C. et al. A content analysis of internet information sources on medical cannabis. J Cannabis Res 2, 29 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-020-00041-1
- Millar, S. A., Maguire, R. F., Yates, A. S., & O’Sullivan, S. E. (2020). Towards better delivery of cannabidiol (CBD). Pharmaceuticals, 13(9), 219. file:///C:/Users/16123/Downloads/pharmaceuticals-13-00219-v2%20(1).pdf
- Torgerson, T., Roberts, W., Lester, D. et al. Public interest in Cannabis during election season: a Google Trends analysis. J Cannabis Res 2, 31 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-020-00039-9