Your industry had to operate in the shadows not that long ago. Now, you’re competing with thousands of legitimate cannabis businesses just like yours.
We’re in the middle of a boom. And only some companies will make it out on the other side.
I’m really confident saying this:
The ones that make it are going to be the ones who invest in cannabis SEO. Heavily.
A passing familiarity with SEO isn’t good enough. A “web guy” on Upwork isn’t good enough.
You need a real, scalable SEO strategy — content, backlinks, technical, and more. And you need it to be BETTER than your competitors’ strategies.
I’m here to help you with that. Keep reading.
From the Farm Bill to state-level legislation, the law is making it easier than ever to sell THC products.
And when something gets easier to sell, a lot of people start selling it.
I know what you’re thinking:
But OUR products are better. People see that.
Sure. People who have TRIED your products see that. But their word of mouth and strong recommendation isn’t enough.
You need to reach more of the millions of THC users in this country. And if you’re paying for ads to do that, you’re throwing money away.
SEO is how you reach new customers at scale and cost-efficiently. This has been the case in dozens of industries before the THC industry, but it’s especially important in this budding market.
Why? Because Delta-8, Delta-9, CBD, edibles, drinkables, etc., are NEW to most people. Most people weren’t regular users when all THC products were completely legal.
Now, they may be open to the idea. But it’s up to you to reach them. And they’re looking for information on — you guessed it — Google.
SEO gets your website higher on Google. Simple. But now you have to actually do SEO to get there.
SEO is hard as hell. No joke.
It’s fiercely competitive. Google changes the game every few months. It takes a TON of work.
And sometimes, despite your best efforts, you fail.
Now, apply that to the THC industry.
I already talked about all the competition. That still stands. But there’s something else:
You’re dealing in a HIGHLY suspicious subject area, as far as Google sees it. That means Google is going to apply extra scrutiny to your website, content, backlinks, general web presence, and business at large before ranking you well.
This is precisely why so many of your competitors have started devoting most or all of their digital marketing budgets to high-end SEO providers like UppercutSEO.
Let’s get into the stems and seeds of how THC SEO works.
Basically, it breaks down into a few distinct categories:
Technical SEO is mostly about making sure Google can crawl and index your website. That means:
The other half of technical SEO for cannabis companies involves site speed. It’s all about making sure your site loads quickly and satisfies Google’s requirements vis-a-vis Core Web Vitals.
On-page SEO — for THC businesses and many others — is mostly about content.
Content targets the keywords you want to rank for. By “targets,” I mean writes about and mentions.
That content is usually in the form of blog posts, landing pages, product pages, and similar.
But there IS more to on-page SEO than just content. Here are some of the other elements you’ll need to pay attention to:
Take care of those items for every page on your website — new and old — and you’re well on your way to having your on-page SEO up to snuff.
Backlinks are the backbone of marijuana SEO. These are links on other websites that point to YOUR website.
Since the dawn of search engines, backlinks have been the primary ranking factor. In other words, backlinks tell Google how well your site should rank in search results for valuable keywords.
The importance of backlinks is clear. But for many THC business owners, getting backlinks is much less so.
Of course, seasoned link builders like me have developed hundreds of link building methods. As well as huge lists of sites with which we have real relationships and can secure backlinks on for our clients.
This is one of the primary services UppercutSEO sells simply because it’s one of the hardest parts of SEO — and the part business owners are most keen to outsource.
Local SEO is all about getting your THC business to rank for LOCAL search queries.
That includes ranking in Google Maps and regular Google results for queries like “dispensary near me” or “Minneapolis CBD shop.”
Of course, this discipline will only apply to your SEO strategy if you are actually a local business. If you don’t have a physical storefront and ship products over a large geographic area, you can focus on the other parts of SEO.
But if local SEO applies to your business, get ready to focus HEAVILY on your Google Business Profile.
Here’s what that looks like in search results:
The idea is to fully optimize every aspect of your GBP, post regularly, encourage lots of customer reviews, and respond to reviews and questions.
And Google will reward you with better local rankings.
You’ll also need to publish “localized” content on your website. This is simply website content that speaks to a local angle.
For example, you might have a landing page targeting the keyword “Austin THC Edibles.” That’s local.
Or you might have a blog post titled “Where to Find [YOUR BRAND] THC products in Miami.” That’s local, too.
The on-site local content you publish will help you rank well not just in Google Maps, but in regular search results when users in your area search for products related to yours.
That was a mouthful. I know. And the last thing I want is for you to feel overwhelmed, but I know many in the CBD and THC industry feel overwhelmed when they start digging into cannabis SEO.
If you’re feeling that, stop. And listen: You WILL need to outsource your SEO someday. It’s a fact.
Either that, or your business hasn’t grown, isn’t growing, or has failed. I’m really confident in this statement because I’ve seen it SO many times.
And when you’re ready to invest in outsourced SEO, UppercutSEO is the best partner for you.
Here’s why:
I started UppercutSEO after more than a decade of SEO experience at a different agency I started.
(That other agency serves law firms. In case you don’t already know, SEO in the legal space is THE most competitive type.)
So, I have more than a decade of experience. And I’ve built a team of industry-best professionals who have similarly long careers in SEO — many with successful THC SEO campaigns under their belts.
Most people who call themselves SEO professionals are entry-level at best. Not us. We’re the real deal, and we’ll show it to you.
We don’t do smoke and mirrors. So many of our competitors do, but not us.
Why? Because this is what I hate most about the SEO industry: the deceit, the failures and mismanagement of budgets, the total lack of responsibility.
I aim to change it. UppercutSEO is my way of changing it.
That’s why I spent MONTHS developing a completely free SEO dashboard that our clients can use to see exactly where their money is going.
You get reports, deliverables, and the ability to order content, backlinks and more. It’s as simple as it gets, and there’s no way to hide anything from our clients there.
That’s how we want it.
Of course, if you do have a question or just want to discuss your cannabis SEO strategy, I’m always available for a call.
Client calls are one of the best parts of building this business.
We win for you. Otherwise, what’s the point?
You can’t guarantee SEO results because you can’t control Google. But you can come pretty close — UppercutSEO can prove it.
What I’m trying to say: We WILL get you results.
If you rely on us for better rankings, that’s what you’ll get.
If you rely on us for world-class content, that’s what you’ll get.
If you rely on us for the best backlinks in the business, that’s what you’ll get.
Period.
We’ve built winning SEO strategies for all kinds of clients in this industry and others.
Here are some examples of types of clients we will serve:
Whether you sell Delta-8, pot, gummies, CBD, or some combination, if you’re a dispensary, we’ll build you a kick-ass SEO strategy.
And we’ll work to get you outranking all those competitors down the street.
Just because your customers have a prescription doesn’t mean you don’t have to market. These days, medical marijuana users have options.
We’ll build you an SEO strategy that makes you THE option.
Don’t let the big CBD brands push you out. We can get you ranking FAST, whether you’re a one-man operation or a full-fledged CBD warehouse.
National service area for your THC products? No problem. We serve e-commerce businesses of all kinds.
We’ve got the link builders to get you ranked nationally. We’ve got the writers to write incredible THC content that reaches all corners of the country. And we’ve got the SEO specialists to get your on-page on point.
Don’t let the business you’ve worked so hard to build go up in smoke. Invest in cannabis SEO NOW so you don’t have to close up shop later.
I don’t mean to be too harsh, but I feel a sense of urgency here.
I’ve talked to so many business owners who ultimately decided not to invest in SEO or tried to do it themselves. Then they failed.
I hate to see that. And I know my team can help you avoid it.
I understand that it’s a big step. I understand that it can be costly. But I KNOW it will be worth it.
Whether you’re all in and ready to get started or simply want to learn more, I encourage you to get in touch.
Start by claiming your free SEO dashboard (no credit card required). Then contact me to set up a free SEO consultation.
UppercutSEO is ready to rank you. Let’s do it.
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