SEO
What is off-site SEO?
Off-Site SEO
Off-site SEO is the practice of impacting your search rankings with actions done off of your website. Since this definition is all-encompassing, we’re going to break down some of the most important aspects of optimizing your off-page SEO.
Backlinking
Backlinking is the bread and cannabutter of off-site SEO. Backlinks serve as an indication to Google that your site’s content has authority. You can earn these in a variety of ways.
- Organically – If a cannabis blogger is blown away by the knowledge of your budtenders and throws your website into their blog, boom. Backlink. If you get these types of organic backlinks, pat yourself on the back. This means your content is both shareable and engaging.
- Reaching Out – Ask your professional contacts if they’d be interested in providing a link to your website, from theirs. In return, you can do the same! This practice mutually benefits both businesses involved. Win, win.
- Directories – Dispensary directories are a great way to provide Google with more information about your brand. There are many different directories, and these directories have ranging domain authority, so you’ll have to do some research to find out which directories are best for your dispensary.
One thing to keep in mind when using directories: Make sure your NAP is the same everywhere they are listed. NAP stands for Name, Address & Phone. Your dispensary will likely be on many listing sites, so it’s important to stay on top of this.
Domain Authority
Domain authority is a term that describes the ranking given to a website that measures credibility. Contrary to popular belief, domain authority is not a real metric used by Google. This isn’t to say domain authority isn’t incredibly important and necessary for best SEO practices, just the domain authority metric was created by Moz.com.
When it comes to backlinking, domain authority is a huge consideration. Websites with fewer backlinks that have high domain authority will bolster your dispensary’s website more than having many backlinks with lower domain authorities.
Tip: Sites like Leafly and Weedmaps are a great place to start to list your dispensary. These sites have massive traffic and command a strong domain authority. Here’s how.
Social Media
SEO doesn’t always have to be technical! Simply creating quality social media content and encouraging your customers to shout you out can deliver great visibility results!
Social media is a beast of its own. If you want to learn more about how to champion social media efforts, start here. Choosing the right social media platforms are important if you want to reach your target market. Investing effort and money into irrelevant social media platforms will be a headache and a waste of your time.
Reviews
While getting testimonials can often be a struggle, they are imperative to being found (and trusted) online. When customers view your reviews (whether it be Facebook, Google or native to your website), you have an opportunity to establish trust with them.
Google Reviews
Google reviews may be the most important type of review. Why? It’s used as a ranking factor! Beyond the ability to ‘wow’ people through word-of-mouth, it incentivizes businesses to request Google reviews from their customers by showing business listings with the most (and highest quality) reviews.
In general, Google reviews have the ability to improve local search rankings, establish trust with your customers and influence people to visit your dispensary’s website.
Facebook Reviews
While Facebook reviews carry less SEO weight, they are still very important. Since submitting a Facebook review requires an active account, the majority of Facebook reviews come from real people. As a result, customers are more likely to trust these reviews
Since Facebook is a social platform, people will feel more comfortable with leaving reviews on Facebook. In turn, you can respond and engage with them. This type of two way communication will help your dispensary garner a consistent and loyal customer base.
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