Setting up your local dispensary website for eCommerce and dominating the local SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) should be done in a systematic and strategic manner. If you follow the steps below, you will reap the benefits of local SEO, attract more visitors to your website, and turn them into customers.
Dispensary SEO is it’s own beast
The “I’ve got a guy” approach to digital marketing and SEO for dispensaries is a little crazy. We have seen a lot of license holders who come from other backgrounds that are non cannabis related approach their marketing with the same thought process that they apply to their traditional businesses.
Quite often a lot of dispensary owners are almost tech illiterate and think that billboards and print marketing will generate millions of dollars in sales.
We aren’t saying that they can’t, but used in conjunction with digital marketing strategies, SEO and local optimization; you can absolutely dominate your competition.
Always remember to track your data. The beauty of being able to track data is that you can actually see the numbers. Your 3rd party menu platforms and influencer campaigns may not be generating the results that you think they are.
Here are some basic tips for local dispensary SEO and Ecom optimization that we recommend
Step 1: Keyword Research
Begin with effective keyword research. Consider what someone might type into Google when searching for a product or service similar to yours. Keep in mind local keywords like “dispensary in [your city]” or “best cannabis store in [your town]”.
Step 2: Site Structure
Make your website easy to navigate. Organize products by type or effect and provide detailed descriptions and high-quality images. Also, include an ‘About Us’ page with your story and mission.
Step 3: On-Page SEO
Make sure to include your target keywords in title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, headers, and body content. But remember, don’t overstuff your pages with keywords as it can lead to penalties.
Step 4: Local SEO
Claim your Google My Business listing and keep it updated. Embed a Google map on your site and make sure your contact information is accurate and consistent across all platforms.
Step 5: Mobile Optimization
Since most people use mobile devices for local searches these days, your website must be mobile-friendly. This doesn’t mean merely resizing, but ensuring it looks good and functions smoothly on various screen sizes.
Step 6: Quality Content
Adding localized and informative content to your site will be of high value. Blog posts, news, event information, and industry updates can attract visits and encourage social sharing.
Step 7: Reviews and Testimonials
Encourage customers to leave reviews and testimonials. Positive reviews can boost your credibility and ranking in local search results.
Step 8: Social Media
Stay active on your social media channels. Share new products, sales, events, and interesting industry news. While social media doesn’t really help your SEO, it is an avenue to grab attention and drive visitors back to your site.
This can help increase your overall brand awareness and increase search results for your brand, company, promotions or events.
Step 9: Backlinks
Create as many quality local backlinks as possible. Reach out to local influencers, bloggers, and business networks.
Not all backlinks are the same, and unfortunately there are a ton of crappy link vendors out there.
Never buy links from Fiverr. $5 for 10,000 backlinks may sound like a great deal, but Google’s latest Spam Algorithm updates has already demolished a ton of sites that used to rank using these tactics. Be smart. Don’t be cheap.
Step 10: Local Business Schema Markup
Incorporate local business schema markup into your website’s code. This will supply additional information to search engines about your business, products, and services.
Schema is a language bult by the SERPS to help them better understand what your business is and does. It also helps them better understand what your site is about.
The wrong schema markup can hurt your site.
Great schema setup can boost your sites stats immensely.
Step 11: Security
Most importantly, make sure your website is secure. Having an SSL certificate is a must for eCommerce sites and contributes to better SERP rankings.
Also don’t use cracked or forked versions of premium plugins. Pay the plugin developers that keep their plugins secure and up to date. Cracked plugins are one of the easiest backdoors for hackers to get into your site and add ransomware or other malware.
The last thing you want is for your site to start pointing to Asian dating or casino websites in the middle of a busy sales week.
Step 12: Site Speed
Your site’s loading speed is a critical element. If your site is slow, visitors will leave, and search engines like Google will penalize you by ranking you lower.
Remember, these things don’t happen overnight. Be patient and continue with your SEO efforts, and you’ll see your dispensary website dominate the local SERP in due course.
Final Thoughts
We help dispensaries and cannabis companies all over the US with their SEO and ecom. We even developed some of our own plugins to help make this easier for our clients.
Contact us today to see if we are a good fit to handle your SEO.