With marijuana legalization recently passed in Canada and other countries worldwide, dispensary SEO, or search engine optimization (SEO) for dispensary websites is kind of a big deal. With the strict policies against advertising dispensaries on Facebook and Instagram, organic search and Page 1 search rankings are what’s needed for dispensary websites to be found online. SEO for dispensaries includes optimizing your dispensary website’s metadata, text, images, videos, and the website’s code with a highly relevant keyword strategy. Most web developers are just that – web developers and/or web designers. They aren’t SEO strategists or SEO experts so they are unable to understand the complexities of search engine optimization, user experience optimization, or website conversion rate optimization. That’s why you need an experienced Google certified SEO Strategist to help you increase rankings and qualified traffic to your dispensary website. Dispensary SEO needs to be an integral part of your dispensary marketing plan. To make things easier for you dispensary owners and cannabis company executives, we’ve published this article outlining dispensary SEO and exactly how to choose a dispensary SEO agency. We hope you find it useful. Please share this if you do! 420Digital.ca hello[at]420digital[dot]ca

1. HOW TO
CHOOSE AN
SEO AGENCY
FOR YOUR
DISPENSARY

2. 420Digital.ca
2
HELLO! WE’RE 420DIGITAL.ca!
420digital.ca is Canada's most experienced digital marketing
agency dedicated to marketing recreational marijuana
and medical cannabis. We partner with marijuana
companies who share our vision of destigmatizing cannabis
and breaking new ground in this dynamic industry.
Having a team that has been involved in the social and
digital marketing space since 2014, we believe our
experience speaks for itself. We’ve served over 100 clients in
a wide variety of B2B and B2C sectors, including medical
cannabis companies. We know what works and what
doesn’t.
We have developed marketing formulas and processes
which cut down on the research time before implementing a
strategy. We’ve also been able to advertise “medical
cannabis” and “medical marijuana” using those exact terms
in our ad copy. See case study on our website 420.digital.ca.
We understand cannabis marketing. You need to trust your
company’s marketing will be that lives for cannabis
marketing and the industry as a whole. Work with us! Let’s
grow together :) Email Us.
+1.905.246.6700
hello@420digital.ca

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why You Need SEO For Your Dispensary…………………………………………………………....4
Avoid These 3 Mistakes…………………………………………………...…………………………………....11
10 Questions to Ask Your SEO Agency…….………………………………………………………....15
Recommended Process for Choosing an SEO Agency……………………….……………...25
Sources…...……………………………………………………...……………………………...……………………....34
3

4. 1.
WHY YOU
NEED SEO
FOR YOUR
DISPENSARY
4

5. WHY YOUR DISPENSARY NEEDS SEO
1. SEO is not a cost, it’s an investment (with
high return): Lifting your site’s ranking into the
top 3 spots on the first page of search results can
have a massive return on a modest investment.
2. SEO turns the spotlight on your sales
rockstar: Your website is open 24/7 so it should
be generating sales, leads, and opt-ins like
clockwork. SEO puts attention on this sales
rockstar by making it the focus of your marketing
arsenal.
5

6. WHY YOUR DISPENSARY NEEDS SEO
3. SEO impacts the research/buying cycle: It
increases your sales without proportionally
increasing your marketing costs, thereby growing
profits exponentially over time.
4. SEO isn’t icing on the cake - it’s an
important ingredient: Google needs help
understanding your business. After spending
money on a website or content, you want to be
sure to showcase your business on search
engines in the best possible light.
6

7. WHY YOUR DISPENSARY NEEDS SEO
5. SEO helps protect your brand’s online
reputation: If you don’t strategically craft your
website’s title tags and meta descriptions, you’re
essentially letting you competitor decide who sees
your storefront - and that’s not good for business
at all!
6. SEO keeps you from missing out on free
advertising: With a strategically optimized
website you can show up on Page 1 for your
targeted keyword searches for FREE! Remember,
SEO is an organic channel, not a paid channel!
7

8. WHY YOUR DISPENSARY NEEDS SEO
7. SEO leverages social sharing: Content
shared by users on social networks are directly
related to SEO specific parameters like title tags
and meta descriptions.
8. SEO will help people find your website:
Your website is the first point of contact with your
audience online. It can generate leads, qualify
prospects and attract potential new customers,
partners or investors. But unless people can find it,
your website is not good for much. SEO plays an
invaluable role here.
8

9. WHY YOUR DISPENSARY NEEDS SEO
9. SEO is a crucial part of your marketing
mix: SEO is the master of pulling in prospects
and boosting conversions.
10. SEO goes to the heart of your business: If
organic search is responsible for more than half of
your website’s traffic, SEO lies at the heart of
your business.
Without a good heart surgeon you could die,
right!?
9

10. MAKE SURE YOUR SEO AGENCY IS...
1. Easy to work with!
2. Going to deliver real value to your business.
3. Consistent!
4. Knowledgeable about the industry.
5. Within your budget :)
10

11. 2.
AVOID
THESE 3
TYPICAL
MISTAKES
WHEN
VETTING AN
SEO AGENCY
11

12. 1. USING GOOGLE AS YOUR FILTER
Mistake #1
● The best SEO agencies don’t necessarily need to rank well
on Google because they’re overwhelmed by doing “real”
work for paying clients all the time.
● People refer them to their personal networks.
● Companies that show up in google search ‘best SEO
company - city name” are typically SEO companies without
client work, so are focusing their energy (and money) on
trying to get new clients.
12

13. 2. TRUSTING “TOP SEO” LISTS
Mistake #2
● Don’t type in bestSEOs.com or topSEOs.com
● These websites are essentially just aggregators with
people trying to sell these listings.
● Don’t trust agencies that have paid to be on these listings.
● Trust agencies that are on recommended SEO lists that
they can’t pay to get on, as well as recommendations from
your network.
13

14. 3. BELIEVING THERE’S A ‘SECRET SAUCE’
Mistake #3
● Don’t believe a company’s sales pitch if they say they have
“secret optimization techniques”.
● No one has a secret proprietary process so if you ask them
how they do a certain SEO technique, they should be able
to tell you.
● There are no secrets in SEO today.
● Never accept that it’s a ‘secret’ as an answer - it is a huge
red flag.
14

15. 3.
10 QUESTIONS
TO ASK
YOUR
SEO AGENCY
15

16. YOUR SEO VETTING PROCESS
THE 3 STEPS
STEP 1: Develop a List of Criteria
● Having some criteria beforehand will make you think
critically about your expectations, protect you from going
in blindly, and keep you in charge of what you want.
● Think about things like:
○ Budget & desired contract duration.
○ Whether you want a local service provider or a
remote agency.
○ Reporting frequency.
○ Any other potential deal breakers.
16

17. YOUR SEO VETTING PROCESS
STEP 2: Talk to 3 Different SEO Agencies
● It’s smart to talk to at least three SEO providers before
you make a decision.
● This is a generally good idea for the sake of knowing all
your options.
● It also helps give you some leverage for possible
negotiations regarding prices, services, and contract
stipulations.
17

18. YOUR SEO VETTING PROCESS
STEP 3: Make a List of Interview Questions
● Asking the right questions before signing a contract can prevent
the majority of SEO horror stories.
● Have the questions ready to ask each agency you speak with, so
later you can compare answers and have plenty of information
to help guide your decision.
● Any honest and well-established agency will happily answer
your questions and address concerns or reservations. Pay
attention to how receptive they are to providing answers.
● Don’t sign a contract without having the SEO agency answer
these following 10 questions first...
18

19. 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEO
AGENCY
1. Can you guarantee that my site will have a top
ranking position?
● An SEO should never guarantee a client a top ranking
position as there are no guarantees.
2. Do you have any examples of work you’ve done for a
similar business?
● Successful SEOs are quick to provide case studies or
examples of businesses they’ve helped.
19

20. 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEO
AGENCY
3. How many people on your team are working on
client accounts?
● If an agency has 500 active client accounts and only 30
team members, chances are they’re either reducing the
quality of their work to get it done or outsourcing.
4. Do you work with business that would be
competitors of mine?
● If a direct competitor hires the same SEO, but they have a
bigger budget, you could be in trouble.
20

21. 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEO
AGENCY
5. Does your agency ever deviate from Google’s best
practices?
● You’ll want make sure your SEO team are Google Analytics
Certified and Google AdWords certified professionals,
who only use proven “white-hat” SEO tactics.
6. Has your agency ever bought links?
● Never work with an SEO agency who buys links. Instead,
you want SEOs who create relevant, high-quality, content
that earn high-quality backlinks.
21

22. 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEO
AGENCY
7. What specific content pieces will be done for my site?
● Depending on the package you choose, your SEO team
should create and optimize the following types of content
each month:
○ Blog articles - 1000-1500 words each, with images.
○ All images for your website and/or blog content.
○ Infographics and/or PDFs.
○ Promotional 0:30-0:60 or informational (3-5 mins)
videos.
22

23. 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEO
AGENCY
8. How do you plan to optimize that content?
● Most experienced and reputable SEO agencies will use the
following SEO tactics to optimize your content:
○ Keyword research (short-tail, long-tail, related)
○ Optimization of image metadata (alt/title attributes)
○ Optimization of all webpage metadata
○ Mobile optimization
○ Conversion rate optimization
○ Page load time
23

24. 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SEO
AGENCY
9. Do you have any examples of work you’ve done
for a similar business?
● If the SEO agency is experienced and has achieved
significant ROI with their work, they’ll be more than happy to
show you relevant examples.
10. On average, when do your clients start to see results?
● SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. You can get some short term
gains with a good SEO agency, but realistically, SEO results
are typically seen within 6-12 months +.
24

25. 4.
RECOMMENDED
PROCESS FOR
CHOOSING AN
SEO AGENCY
25

26. STEP 1: ESTABLISH YOUR
GOALS
GOOD GOALS:
● Need traffic from specific target audiences
and cohort groups.
● Boost online (and in-store) revenue
through sales.
● Increase downloads, free sign-ups, demos,
free trials, and other lead magnets.
● Boost positive sentiment and overall
visibility for your brand.
26

27. STEP 1: ESTABLISH YOUR
GOALS
BAD GOALS:
● More traffic.
● Search Rankings alone.
● Beating a particular competitor out for
specific keywords.
● Vanity metrics (follows/fans)
27

28. STEP 2: FIND AGENCIES THROUGH SOURCES
● Aim for 3-5 recommended consultants or
agencies.
● Have conversations with them and dig into their
references.
● Know all of your options, which also gives
leverage for possible negotiations regarding
prices, services, and contract stipulations.
28

29. STEP 2: FIND AGENCIES THROUGH SOURCES
● Find your sources through:
○ Your friends, personal networks, and
professional networks
○ Similar non-competitive companies
○ Industry insiders
29

30. STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR AGENCY BASED ON...
● The trust you’ve established with a
company: through references, through the
conversation, through people that you've talked to in
your network.
● Through communication style match: If you
walk away from them feeling a little frustrated,
maybe you got the things you needed, but it didn't
flow smoothly, maybe that's a cultural mismatch and
you should look for another provider.
30

31. STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR AGENCY BASED ON...
● Through referrals: If you hear great referrals and
you trust those referral sources, that's a wonderful
signal
● Price and contract structure: SEO firms have
a contract structure that is month-to-month and that
has a certain length of time. You should expect to
pay some upfront payment and then some ongoing
monthly fee.
31

32. 32

33. SOURCES
● https://www.searchenginejournal.com/vetting-seo-agencies/196811/
● https://moz.com/blog/how-to-choose-seo-company-whiteboard-friday
● https://www.inmarketingwetrust.com.au/how-to-choose-an-seo-agency-50-p
oint-checklist/
● https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/294366
● https://www.seo.com/blog/5-reasons-hiring-seo-firm-inhouse-team/
● https://searchengineland.com/the-ultimate-list-of-reasons-why-you-need-sear
ch-engine-optimization-121215
● https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Google_%22G%
22_Logo.svg/1000px-Google_%22G%22_Logo.svg.png
● https://laurencarter808.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/avoid-these-things.jpg
● http://www.seocompaniesranked.com/wp-content/uploads/best-seo-companie
s-2017-300x233.png
● http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t7uu_f2ZJfs/VSVwl6wNYCI/AAAAAAAAAsk/lViVM0
gc1Wo/s1600/fir
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/vetting-seo-agencies/196811/
https://moz.com/blog/how-to-choose-seo-company-whiteboard-friday
https://www.inmarketingwetrust.com.au/how-to-choose-an-seo-agency-50-point-chec
klist/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/294366
https://www.seo.com/blog/5-reasons-hiring-seo-firm-inhouse-team/
https://searchengineland.com/the-ultimate-list-of-reasons-why-you-need-search-engin
e-optimization-121215
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Google_%22G%22_Logo.
svg/1000px-Google_%22G%22_Logo.svg.png
https://laurencarter808.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/avoid-these-things.jpg
http://www.seocompaniesranked.com/wp-content/uploads/best-seo-companies-2017-3
00x233.png
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t7uu_f2ZJfs/VSVwl6wNYCI/AAAAAAAAAsk/lViVM0gc1Wo/s
1600/fir
33

34. 34
CONTACT US
hello@420digital.ca
+1.905.246.6700
420digital.ca
420Digital.ca
1 St. Paul Street, Unit #A304
St. Catharines, Ontario