Medical marijuana is now legal in 34 states. With national legalization highly anticipated in the market, cannabis is seen by many investors as the new gold rush.

If you have your own dispensary store, then you know there are two types of customers:

• those who already know what they want and search your name in Google to find you,
• and those who aren’t actively looking for a shop to buy from but are curious about products like the ones you sell.

And in this article, I’ll show you how to attract both types of customers.

All you need is the right strategy and a few simple tips.

Why is local SEO important in cannabis marketing?

Retail marijuana is a big business and it’s hard to stand out as a small owner. But when it comes to local SEO, little players can have a huge impact.

This is because people interested in cannabis aren’t randomly searching for dispensaries all across the country – they want an easy solution to find a store close to them as quickly as possible.

So your shop can rank higher because more often than not, your target audience is searching for highly localized content. And when they look for dispensaries nearby, your small business can be the first to pop up in the search results.

Local SEO gives you a clear advantage over large companies – so use it!

Here’s how to do it in 3 easy steps:

1. Confirm your location

46% of all Google searches are local.

Local search is the key to more customers finding your brand. But a lot of business owners overlook the importance of registering on free platforms.

A good first step to optimizing local SEO is to confirm your location on Google My Business.

Why is this important? Think of how many times you’ve searched for a restaurant, food or event using Google Maps.

Whatever results you received were pulled from a Google My Business Listing.

Now let’s say a potential buyer searches for “cannabis dispensaries near me Colorado” in Google. Their results will look something like this: 👇

You want to make sure that you’re at the top of that list.

Not only that being part of GMB’s database will put your business on the map and make it more visible to prospects, but it’s also crucial to ranking higher than your competition in a specific geographical area.

Google+ may be going away, but Google My Business is just getting started. So make sure that you’re on their list.

2. Focus on cannabis content marketing

Never mistake your prospects for leads.

Just because someone has seen your product or is interested in it, doesn’t mean they’re also convinced to buy it.

For that, you need a content strategy. This way you’ll provide the opportunity for people to first learn about your product, see how it works and why it would benefit them. And then they’re more likely to try it.

A popular way you can do this is through an industry-related blog. You can also piggyback on local news stories, share podcasts and create polls or infographics about cannabis use.

3. Build relevant links

When it comes to local SEO, links are your most competitive advantage.

They can increase online orders and conversion rates. But most importantly, they drive organic traffic and grow your business through word-of-mouth marketing.

Here are some best practices to follow:

• Optimize your website with relevant keywords and short URLs
• Share industry-related press releases
• Be active in cannabis boards and forums
• Leverage local partnerships
• Join local dispensaries to build citations

Conclusion

In today’s competitive market, having a powerful local SEO strategy is crucial to business growth.

Given that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of results online, you want to make sure that your store’s name is the first one people see.

There’s a big market out there looking for the right shop to buy from. Now you can use local SEO to tap into that market and reach prospects before your competition does.