The 20th century opens up the gate to advanced technology to further business operations, marketing, and advertising. The birth of the digital media brought massive changes to the world we live in today, affecting how people conduct businesses. In the same way, a marijuana business should be catching up with the trends to stay competitive and gain more customers.
It’s not a secret that the marijuana industry is growing and recreational use is already in effect to a number of states. Medical marijuana is valued more than $100 billion, projected to double in the coming years. Meanwhile, the global market for cannabis can reach about 146.4 billion by the end of 2025, according to Grand View Research.
Making sense of these figures, any cannabis business can tell how profitable the industry is, now that more states are allowing recreational use. Medical marijuana is not in question because today, prescriptions are provided for patients who need cannabis for relief from physical and mental conditions.
SEOThe best way to further the marijuana business is to come up with effective marketing and advertising plans to reach more people online. This is where search engine optimization comes in, helping marijuana companies extend their reach and convert visits to leads.
The Need for a Cannabis Website
Introducing the marijuana brand to consumers isn’t an easy feat. A business owner needs to establish trust in the first stage of marketing, along with interest. Trust isn’t established right ahead because online users tend to be skeptical about the product offerings online, as well as marijuana services.
The website acts as a portfolio for customers to view all products available, services, and other offerings. If it looks presentable and aesthetically pleasing, users are easily able to scan through the pages and check the products offered. Meanwhile, a poor design leads to users closing the tab and moving to a different cannabis website.
To put it simply, the key is having a well-designed website to attract more people and establish trust. The graphics, navigation, content, photos, videos, and fonts matter, simply because these components make up for the beauty of the website. Additionally, the content must not be overwhelming to users; there has to be a direction where users can head to and explore.
Finally, there must be e-commerce elements to easily support customers in making a purchase decision. The journey from browsing marijuana products down to payment options available and processing must be a straightforward process. If not, people are easily displeased, closing the tab altogether.
For web development, there has to be a link between the company’s philosophy and how it can be packaged in the website. Digital experts can walk marijuana firms into the best techniques to build a responsive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing website that drive sales and establish trust.
Having a good website is also an edge, which makes a company stand out from the competition. Now, it’s not only about the best products and delivery services; people are also drawn to companies that are searchable on Google and other search engines. SEO is responsible for making this visibility happen, starting from a good website down to other important elements.
Incorporating SEO: Importance and Benefits
These days, the competition in search engine rankings is tough as everyone’s trying to make their way into the first page results. However, optimizing keywords and placing them on essential places isn’t the only thing that matters.
Cannabis businesses need to answer the questions customers are asking. Providing solutions to common queries and concerns of customers in the cannabis industry is crucial to the success of the search engine optimization campaign. Companies must take a step back to determine what the customers are asking, and what you know about these things.
Answering the common questions of where to find marijuana, legal cannabis in specific areas, and other informative information help to make the website authoritative. Find out the topics that are popular, and what common questions web users ask. With this, companies need to be updated on the marijuana trends, looking out for possible traffic brought by the popularity of certain topics.
For instance, when cannabidiol hit the mainstream market, people are constantly searching for CBD contents—how to’s, recipes, where to buy CBD, and others. Marijuana websites are losing lots of web traffic by not creating content for these hot topics. Now, by knowing the trends and staying up to date, people can easily find your page and get the information they need.
The traffic isn’t the end game; people would want to know more about the website. Being in the site, they can explore the other pages, product offerings, contact information, and content about the brand or business.
In line with this, one cannot say that SEO is all about placing the right keywords and targeting these to content. Search engine optimization is also about people, answering their questions, finding out what they are looking for, and sustaining their need for information.
With high-quality blog entry, search engines can label the website as informative, placing it on the top results. The concept of SEO is simple and that is to land on the top spot because it matches what people are looking for.
Being on the top results provides a host of benefits not limited to sales. Marijuana cultivators, distributors, and retailers can also gain recognition from people and loyalty from existing customers. These are important factors for growth as word of mouth does the work. In the digital age, people tend to share the link of a website, social media platforms to friends and family.
Google continues to improve and semantics change over time. One thing remains is relevancy, when websites outline answers to questions in the search engines. By providing relevant answers, it’s easier for Google or Yahoo to make a website appear on the first, relevant page of results.
Hidden Treasure Trove Lies Online
There are too many things one can find online about marijuana. Content varies, and people who are looking for accurate information are likely to buy from a marijuana retailer that’s visible in major social media platforms.
Staying visible is the most important thing in SEO. Having an existing page matters to people who are looking for clues whether you are a legit seller or retailer. When companies lack a social media page, people think they aren’t relevant. Everyone’s on social media and these pages are considered the modern treasure trove.
Marketers find the importance of social media in the sense that people are always here. There’s a possibility that people look for marijuana on these pages, and most of the time, social media pages appear on search engines too.
For example, if a person is looking for a dispensary in California or Colorado, Google can provide results showcasing the popular shops in these locations. From the official websites to social media accounts, these results appear on the first page. Now, without a social media presence, web users can find a particular brand sketchy. Why? Because almost all companies have social media accounts now.
Part of the marketing techniques to stay relevant and up to date is being active in these platforms. One can share content from the website and increase web traffic, and appear to different people’s timelines.
Social media presence fuels the interests of consumers and promotes trust and loyalty. By being active here, followers can be updated on the latest product offerings, services, and other information. These pages are also used by companies to gain more following, taking advantage of the sponsored posts to reach more people.
Improving Web Presence
Search engine optimization is complicated and isn’t a one-man job. Marijuana sellers, distributors, and cultivators need the help of professionals to set up the campaigns, improve the website and further the online presence.
A number of steps are followed to get things right. Usually, enhancing the web presence involves a lot of things, from creating informative and relevant content to fixing bugs and other web issues.
Growing follower count also matters because these pages rank higher in SERPs. To grow the follower base, it’s integral to post useful content, start conversations with followers, and share relevant information.
Getting local is also important to get active in local communities. Update your location and post local events to earn the search engine optimization authority. This also takes time and it’s a continuous process.
To promote a website, it’s also beneficial to have a profile on local business directories. Link the website to a directory to increase the chances of being seen by customers and gaining leads. Directories like Yelp, Google+ Local, Yellow Pages, and Yahoo! can help marijuana companies to promote their websites.
Takeaway
Increasing the online or web presence help cannabis businesses to reach more people and potential customers. Because the Internet is vast, the chances of gaining customers in a local area and international are higher.
Take the time to consult SEO specialists to come up with a sustainable plan to enhance your online presence and convert leads.