There is an abundance of SEO myths that currently plague the marijuana industry and most myths are often too believable. Once incorporated into an SEO strategy, these myths can wreak havoc on the entire website, crippling organic rankings and causing dispensaries to lose valuable audiences. What’s more, recovering from an SEO wound can take a long time. Here, we bust common SEO myths to ensure your marijuana dispensary stays protected from faulty SEO practices.
Myth #1: Domain Age is not a Ranking Factor
The age of a website’s domain does not, in any way, impact its ranking on Google. In other words, a site with a 6-month-old domain name has just as many possibilities to top a Google search as a 10-year-old domain name.
So, what created the myth of the domain age to emerge in the first place? Domain age may have been a ranking factor during Google’s earlier years according to a video by Matt Cutts, former head of Google’s Webspam team. While domain age may have mattered (however little) over a decade ago, today, it is nowhere associated with your Google ranking. In fact, a more recent insight from Google says, “Domain age helps nothing.”
The fact is, sites that have been around for a while have been putting out content in cyberspace for an extended period. Although this factor can give them added opportunities to gain authoritative backlinks, the age of a domain offers no guarantee of how well they would rank in searches.
If you plan on buying a domain for your marijuana dispensary, make sure you don’t base your decision on its age. Instead, acquire a new domain (it’s a lot cheaper than an old one anyway) and bring a dispensary SEO expert on board to take it to the top!
Myth #2: Meta tags don’t matter
Meta tags are HTML tags that display preview snippets of a webpage you’re about to enter. The three elements that make up a meta title include – the title tag, the meta description, and meta keywords.
The title tag occupies the head section of a web page, forming a necessary page element. Meta descriptions and keywords, on the other hand, appear under your headline. While meta descriptions are optional page elements, they can be extremely valuable.
Meta tag SEO and meta descriptions can make your search results more engaging and attract more clicks from your target audience. The right meta descriptions can make your audience feel your content can satisfy their needs. Your meta descriptions should be relevant to users and show them exactly what they’re looking for. They should describe the subject as clearly as possible while including the right keywords.
Myth #3: Once Ranked, Your Dispensary Will Stay on Top
One of the most harmful SEO myths goes like this… “Once you’re done ranking your site, your dispensary will forever top the searches.”
SEO is not a once-and-done story. Instead, it is a constantly evolving process that must be nurtured, analyzed, tested, monitored, and modified as long as your dispensary exists. Constantly analyzing what works and what doesn’t with your SEO strategy is the best possible way to outlive your competition and keep shining on Google.
The Google algorithm is an enigma. While you cannot truly decode it, you can always study patterns and put in the necessary efforts to stand out. To ensure your ongoing SEO journey is a smooth and consistent one, make sure you invest the time and resources to keep your links relevant and content evergreen.
Myth #4: Duplicate Content Won’t Affect a Dispensary’s Rankings
Duplicate content can prove to be insidious for your website’s health over time. Why? Because it triggers what is known as algorithmic suppression. This refers to the inability of your pages to rank well due to being detected by the algorithm’s filter.
When a site takes content from another webpage, for instance, it loses the opportunity to outring that page. This is because the search engine concludes that the original copy is more relevant to users than the one that has been lifted from a source. Since there is naturally no benefit of having two or more similar copies in the search results, the page gets suppressed. What’s more, duplicate content can lower the value of your overall website in the eyes of the audience and in some cases even cause legal troubles.
Myth #5: Marijuana Dispensaries Don’t Need SEO
Not having an SEO strategy is pretty much synonymous with your marijuana dispensary being non-existent. Why? SEO is the only thread that connects a brand with its audience. The lack of it means that your site stands no chance of appearing in searches. When customers can’t find you on Google, they will not know you exist! Every business understands that SEO is the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach their customer base. For more context, here are a few reasons SEO is the lifeblood of a marijuana dispensary:
- Organic search is the most common source of a site’s traffic. The only way your dispensary can gain visibility is if it has a high-quality SEO plan in place.
- SEO establishes trust and credibility by giving your dispensary the opportunity to present content that answers your customers’ questions and helps them find what they’re looking for.
- SEO data (SERP analysis, search query data, and analytics data) is the richest source of understanding the voice of your customers.
- Great SEO also provides a great user experience.
- Your local SEO efforts can shoot up traffic, engagement, and conversions. About 46% of all Google searches are local and about 72% of customers who perform local searches visit the store within five minutes. SEO can help your target customers find your dispensary and invest in your products.
- SEO enables your target customer to journey through various cycles of their buyer’s journey.
- SEO is essentially a form of PR. By helping you build long-term equity for your dispensary, SEO takes your brand’s profile to the next level. So, when people conduct a search, SEO enables your brand to be seen by your target audience.
The importance of SEO for your marijuana dispensary can’t be stressed enough. The best way to keep your SEO ship sailing would be to partner with an expert dispensary SEO agency. Having served hundreds of marijuana dispensaries, Dispensary Growth knows exactly how to craft SEO strategies that can boost your dispensary’s web presence now and in the future. Contact us today to discuss how we can take your business to the top!s leo.
