A few years ago, cannabis was viewed with a degree of disdain. In many countries and regions around the world, it was considered taboo to even mention the word, let alone use a cannabis product.
However, perception of the herb began to shift as various research institutions uncovered numerous medicinal properties of the plant. These findings have not only changed the general attitudes about cannabis extracts. They’ve also led to widespread legalization campaigns, making cannabis one of the fastest-growing herbal industries around the world.
If you’re considering venturing into this lucrative industry, now is the time to take the plunge. But as you shall find, the performance of your cannabis venture heavily depends on how you market your cannabis products such as ILGM.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective digital marketing methods for cannabis businesses. To succeed in your SEO marketing efforts, you must begin easy by engaging a competent SEO agency. Read on for more insights on how to choose an SEO service for the cannabis industry.
The very first step in choosing SEO services for cannabis businesses also happens to be one of the most commonly overlooked. Now, it would be illogical to hire an SEO agency for your cannabis venture if the company itself doesn’t rank high up on search engine result pages (SERPs).
If the agency is unable to rank high on search engines, then how can they guarantee decent rankings for your marijuana business? Choosing such an SEO service for your cannabis venture would be tantamount to having a doctor prescribe medications for a condition they themselves have been unable to treat.
So, when hiring a Cannabis SEO service for your marijuana venture, at least go for companies that appear on the first result pages of major search engines like Google.
Another crucial tip for hiring SEO services for the cannabis industry is to choose agencies that understand how the cannabis industry works. It’s undeniably true that cannabis continues to receive widespread legalization. However, many SEO companies are still reserved about associating themselves with the herb, ostensibly to protect their online reputation.
Thankfully, by conducting your due diligence, you can still find decent agencies that can undertake SEO campaigns for cannabis businesses. You only need to ensure that the agency has in-house specialists who understand the nitty-gritty of the cannabis industry.
To do that, you may need to book a physical or virtual appointment with the company. On the appointed date, try to gauge the company’s knowledge on cannabis by asking industry-pertinent questions like;
As you may expect, there are many SEO strategies out there, but not all of them will work for your cannabis business. So, when scouting for an SEO service for your marijuana venture, this is another critical thing to keep in mind.
Essentially, the agency should be able to examine your cannabis website and determine whether they’ll employ on-page or off-page SEO strategies. For instance, if you already have a vibrant cannabis blog, it may be necessary to consider off-page SEO methods like link-building.
Most importantly, the SEO specialist that you choose must explain to you why they opted for specific marketing methods and shunned the others.
One of the common mistakes that budding cannabis entrepreneurs tend to make when hiring SEO agencies is entering into an SEO contract. The contract model is generally favored by established SEO brands. In this model, you must pay the company an agreed marketing fee, regardless of whether their marketing efforts yield results or not.
However, all SEO campaigns should be performance-based, which means that you only pay when the results begin to trickle in. If you’re a new cannabis venture, your best bet is to choose an SEO service that offers the No-Contract SEO model.
There are numerous advantages of No-Contract SEO. Besides paying only when the agency’s marketing efforts bear fruits, the No-Contract model also tends to be cheaper. Most importantly, you can always bail out of the contract without being obligated to pay the full term fee, unlike the contract model.
As we’ve already mentioned, SEO is a performance-based digital marketing method. When trawling the market for an SEO firm for your cannabis business, inquire about the KPIs that a company uses before choosing them.
While there are plenty of Key Performance Indicators out there, you’re only interested in those that translate to more sales and a higher retention rate.
Very few clients want to be the first person heaping praises on a company for their exemplary services. When it comes to cannabis SEO services, you certainly don’t want to be that first person. So, choose a company that already enjoys a past happy client base.
To establish what past customers had to say about a cannabis SEO firm, just type the name of the company and add the word “review,” then run it on a Google search. Check how the company has been reviewed on reputable sites like Yelp, Better Business Review, and Yellow Pages.
You may also want to check out online community forums like Quora and Reddit for more insights on the kind of services to expect from the agency.
When all is said and done, you can only choose an SEO service for your cannabis business that you can afford. So, after honing in on the best SEO agencies, the last step is to compare prices and settle with the most affordable company.
However, don’t go looking for the bargain of the century and beware of firms that entice you with suspiciously low prices. Remember that good SEO doesn’t come cheap and companies that charge rock-bottom rates are likely to be masqueraders.
Therefore, ensure that even the most affordable SEO service still quotes within industry rates.
Choosing a suitable SEO service for cannabis industries is not a walk in the park. However, you can get a head start by implementing the tips that we’ve highlighted in this post.
