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

Show Notes

• 02:08
  Working in SEO within the cannabis industry

  Given the restrictions on paid advertising in terms of cannabis, organic traffic is the primary traffic for websites. However, as SEO for cannabis is new, the SEO role within cannabis companies involves a lot of internal education because of the confusion surrounding SEO.
• 03:53
  Creating SEO awareness within a cannabis 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 cannabis marketing

  Varying state marketing regulations around cannabis demand segmented website content for compliance and search engine visibility. Additionally, due to product disparities across states, PharmaCann employs generalized global content creation to avoid specific product references.
• 08:54
  Navigating local SEO challenges in cannabis

  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 cannibalization for terms like “dispensary Denver” as almost all of their dispensaries are in Denver.
• 10:14
  Adapting website components for state specific cannabis regulations

  Verilife.com was recently migrated from a Drupal site to Adobe Commerce. Now that the site is being optimized, PharmaCann 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 cannabis 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 cannabis.
• 14:18
  Optimizing cannabis websites for organic search amidst restrictions

  "Weed'' is a restricted term on cannabis sites, despite its high search volume. However, Google links "weed" to "cannabis," enabling PharmaCann'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 cannabis industry

  Following an algorithm update, PharmaCann'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 cannabis industry

  Though Verilife and Livwell are eCommerce sites, they cannot accept payments. Ultimately, PharmaCann 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 cannabis industry

  Customer segmentation in the cannabis industry varies widely across different states. In medical-only states, searches are often strain-specific, while in states with recreational cannabis, there's a mix of strain-specific and informational searches.
• 22:03
  Adapting to changing consumer behavior in a growing cannabis market

  Growing cannabis 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 cannabis related searches

  During cannabis keyword research, Andrea has come across an array of unusual queries including the relation between cannabis and sex. As a result, shes written an article on THC lubricants due to growing interest in such products.