The Importance of Having an Online Presence and Establishing a SEO Strategy for Your Cannabis Business

“No matter how popular and essential cannabis is, succeeding as a cannabis operator is never easy. Because most traditional marketing options are not available to the cannabis industry, every cannabis business needs a comprehensive SEO (search engine optimization) strategy. In the era of Covid-19, digital marketing has become even more important — since search engines still drive most traffic on the internet, SEO will remain one of the major marketing trends in 2021. 

If you’re not already familiar, search engine optimization is the process of growing the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the visibility of a website/webpage on platforms like Google and Bing.”

That was my introduction for an article I wrote for another industry publication, focused on SEO strategy for a cannabis dispensary. It all still applies. SEO is essential for the life of any business, but in cannabis, even more because the laws keep cannabis businesses from utilizing a lot of the traditional marketing methods; still. 

For businesses to be found online, a business must first have a website, and then SEO has to become top priority for content creation. When it is done correctly, websites stand a better chance of being ranked higher than their competitors. 

To dig further into SEO strategy, I sat down with Max Juhasz of Dope SEO, Cannabiz Marketing Solutions; a company that specializes in business marketing, website creation, ADA compliance and more. Max and his team help businesses establish an online presence through services, education, and consultations. 

Continue reading to learn more about the company and insight offered by Max, on the importance of SEO for cannabis businesses. 

The Importance of SEO in the Cannabis Industry, a Q&A with Dope SEO 

Please tell me when the company launched and why.

“Dope SEO, Cannabiz Marketing Solutions officially launched in December of 2021.  The team already had years of experience working in the green space online, and it just made sense to come out and offer our services to a wider audience.  Short version, we saw an opportunity to make a difference in a space that REALLY needed help and took it. “ 

Please tell me about the name of the company, what’s the story?

“Dope SEO, Cannabiz Marketing Solutions made sense since we often deal with companies that are working in a quickly growing industry with a ton of restrictions. These are both online restrictions as well as issues that are unique to each state because of local regulations.  Since there is no cookie cutter marketing playbook for this space, we start with a solutions-based mindset that is focused on getting our customers great results. Also, I’m a 90’s Jersey kid…. I still use DOPE in everyday convos.  We are DOPE, we get DOPE results, and we work in the DOPE industry.”

So many businesses have no website, and some of those business owners don’t want to change that; why do businesses need to get serious about having an online presence?

“It sounds preachy, but literally everyone can benefit from better digital marketing. We don’t use the phone book, we use Google, Bing, and whatever other search engine people prefer.  Your website is your online real estate. If you don’t own how your brand shows up, you are not in control of your business.”   

What are 3 things that you find business owners collectively don’t understand about SEO?

“1 – I’ve met SOOOO many business owners that don’t even know what it is. SEO stands for search engine optimization. Short definition: SEO helps you show up in a search engine when someone searches for you. 

2 – SEO is way more sustainable than social media.  Every major social media has restrictions on cannabis related content. This leads to accounts getting shut down every day. If you focus on SEO, you will own your content and how you show up.  

3 – Good SEO and digital marketing is like good weed: You pay for what you get.”

We have worked together on blog projects. Many business owners aren’t implementing blogs and I always advise that they should be. Can you share why blogs are important for SEO?  

“The pages on websites are static and rarely change. Blog posts allow you to share updated advice, tips, news, events and so much more. Blogs are fundamental to a good SEO strategy for any business whether you are local or nationwide.”

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Feature Photo Credit: Dope SEO