How SEO in the cannabis industry is different — Andrea Cordts // PharmaCann

Show Notes

• ·02:08 - Working in SEO within the ca abis industry Given the restrictions on paid advertising in terms of ca abis, organic traffic is the primary traffic for websites. However, as SEO for ca abis is new, the SEO role within ca abis companies involves a lot of internal education because of the confusion surrounding SEO. ·03:53 - Creating SEO awareness within a ca abis company This entails a two-prong approach: gaining retail-side support through education and addressing compliance by breaking concepts into digestible parts. Doing so enables alignment and seamless integration of SEO into daily activities, programs, and projects. ·05:43 - Challenges of multi state ca abis marketing Varying state marketing regulations around ca abis demand segmented website content for compliance and search engine visibility. Additionally, due to product disparities across states, PharmaCa employs generalized global content creation to avoid specific product references. ·08:54 - Navigating local SEO challenges in ca abis The focus is predominantly on local SEO, with an emphasis on optimizing for “near me” terms. Theyre also working with their SEO agency to brainstorm a solution for avoiding ca ibalization for terms like “dispensary Denver” as almost all of their dispensaries are in Denver. ·10:14 - Adapting website components for state specific ca abis regulations Verilife.com was recently migrated from a Drupal site to Adobe Commerce. Now that the site is being optimized, PharmaCa will need to create a different footer for each state to ensure users are directed to state-specific content, ·11:40 - Website personalization and scalability for state specific ca abis markets For Verilife, each state's website is on a shared domain, utilizing IP address recognition to identify the closest retail store and tailor the experience. The goal is to create seamless personalization for users while ensuring scalability as more states legalize ca abis. ·14:18 - Optimizing ca abis websites for organic search amidst restrictions "Weed'' is a restricted term on ca abis sites, despite its high search volume. However, Google links "weed" to "ca abis," enabling PharmaCa 's site to rank for many long tail keywords containing “weed” without directly using the term. ·15:51 - Google's intent understanding and compliance challenges in the ca abis industry Following an algorithm update, PharmaCa 's site is now a YMYL site, requiring citations for its content. In order for Google to understand that their site is high-authority, E-E-A-T is prominent throughout their content strategy and they avoid making efficacy claims to maintain credibility. ·18:20 - Navigating eCommerce complexities in the ca abis industry Though Verilife and Livwell are eCommerce sites, they ca ot accept payments. Ultimately, PharmaCa uses a local SEO strategy to get users to their sites, however, while users can add items to their cart and reserve them online, they still have to pick them up at a dispensary. ·19:46 - Customer segmentation in the ca abis industry Customer segmentation in the ca abis industry varies widely across different states. In medical-only states, searches are often strain-specific, while in states with recreational ca abis, there's a mix of strain-specific and informational searches. ·22:03 - Adapting to changing consumer behavior in a growing ca abis market Growing ca abis acceptance is leading to reduced dispensary brand loyalty. Decreased branded keyword searches indicate consumers prioritize deals and specials, prompting the need for strategies to build customer loyalty and encourage return visits. ·23:22 - The diverse nature of ca abis related searches During ca abis keyword research, Andrea has come across an array of unusual queries including the relation between ca abis and sex. As a result, shes written an article on THC lubricants due to growing interest in such products.