Over the years, I’ve seen dispensaries make the same SEO mistakes and leave opportunities on the table. Some play a part in your search engine visibility. Others prevent your visitors from converting.
Let me show you some of the most common ones and how to fix them.
1. Using an iFrame menu instead of a native menu
I would argue the type of menu on your site has the biggest impact on dispensary SEO.
If you’re using an embedded iFrame, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for organic traffic and sales. You probably won’t show up in search results for product categories, strain names, etc.
For example, let’s say your customers love Northern Lights pre-rolls. When someone Googles “Northern Lights pre-roll in [city],” you won’t be listed if your menu’s an iFrame. Googlebot can’t read inside iFrames the way it can with regular site content.
For a while, most dispensaries chose iFrames because they’re easy to set up. But the savvy dispensaries have already switched to native menus, where all the menu pages live on their domain and can be indexed by Google. People can then find their products in search results.
To show you what I mean, here’s what the top results look like for “Northern Lights pre-roll in Boston.” They’re all native product URLs.
How to fix this mistake:
- Switch to a native menu that lives on your site so you’re in control of analytics, design, and functionality. Many providers (like Dispense, Dutchie, and Jane) offer native options. We also offer this at Cannabis Creative.
- Once your native menu is live, double-check that all the pages in it are crawlable and indexable. Use a crawler like Screaming Frog to do that. You can also check to see which pages have been indexed (or not) in Google Search Console.
2. Google Business Profile isn’t claimed or filled out
This one will affect your local visibility. Most dispensaries have claimed their Google Business Profile (GBP). So, if you haven’t done that yet – or it’s missing information – you’re losing visibility to competitors who have theirs optimized.
This profile is often the first thing people see when they search localized keywords (like “Boston dispensary”). It’s like skipping the line and going right to the front – the profiles appear as map listings above all the standard organic listings. But if it’s incomplete or has wrong information, potential customers might not get what they’re looking for. And they might go somewhere else.
Closed on holidays, but the special hours aren’t listed? The profile will show you’re open, which will inevitably confuse people. No photos of inside or outside? People will go somewhere else that looks more welcoming.
How to fix this mistake:
- Claim your GBP, which is free.
- Fill out every section possible.
- Choose “cannabis store” as your primary business category. Otherwise, Google may not even list your profile alongside other dispensaries.
- Add photos. Include shots of the store entrance, the interior, your staff, etc. Real images help build trust.
- Ask happy customers to leave a review, which is more important for ranking than you think.
3. Lackluster usage of keywords
I can’t tell you how many dispensary sites I’ve come across that don’t even use the word “dispensary” on the homepage.
If you’re not using keywords that people are actually typing into Google, then you might not show up. And you’re not helping Google understand what your business is or where you’re. And some visitors to your site might not be sure they’re in the right place.
Here’s an example of a dispensary that does it right:
RELATED PORTFOLIO: Full Harvest Moonz needed a full-service marketing partner
How to fix this mistake:
- At the very least, use words like “dispensary” and “cannabis” so people and search engines make the connection to your business.
- Use localized phrases like “dispensary in NYC” or “New York recreational cannabis” to show up for people searching in your area. There are plenty of keyword research tools to help you identify what to target.
- Use keywords in meta tags, headings, and body copy in a natural manner.
Pro tip: Load your homepage on your phone and hand it to someone who doesn’t know about your store. Ask them to tell you what type of business you are without scrolling or tapping anything. If they can’t tell you in two seconds, your keyword usage needs work.
4. Keyword stuffing and over-optimized content
Inserting keywords everywhere makes things hard to read and doesn’t help with SEO. If anything, it hurts because you’re wasting time doing it. Over-optimized content comes off as inauthentic, and people (and Google) can tell.
“Imagine if every time you asked your friend a question, they just started rattling off buzzwords instead of answering your question,” says Kavya Sebastian, our Associate Director of Brand Strategy. “That’s how your customers feel when you stuff keywords into your website content. They’re smart enough to know when you’re delivering real value versus gaming the system!”
If a sentence looks anything like this, then you’re stuffing:
“Visit our dispensary in Jersey City for dispensary deals and top-rated NJ cannabis near you.”
How to fix this mistake:
- Don’t force anything. Keywords should fit into your content the way they’d fit into a normal conversation. If it sounds weird when you read it out loud, fix it.
- Focus on readability. Fix the phrasing of keyword-stuffed content to flow smoothly.
- Prioritize value. Help people understand what makes your dispensary worth visiting.
5. Content is AI, low-quality, or off-topic
If your messaging or blog posts feel generic, it’s not doing you any favors. And you won’t attract much organic traffic that way.
Creating informative content with your own perspectives and insights about products, cannabis education, and local news is what will help you show up in local search and get people’s attention.
Dan Serard, our VP of Sales and Marketing, confirms the importance of content:
View this post on Instagram
I’ve done content audits for dispensaries where the only posts on their blog were clearly AI fluff, just to have something there. If it has no personality or anything unique, Google has no reason to index it or show it to searchers.
How to fix this mistake:
- Take a local approach. Mention your city, nearby neighborhoods and landmarks, and local happenings. That’s how you show Google (and customers) that you’re a relevant business in the community.
- Stick to topics your customers care about. Write about your best-selling strains, how to choose the right product, and why people should check out your dispensary.
- Don’t even bother with AI content. It often sounds weird or robotic, it can be factually incorrect, and it’s just regurgitating what already exists on the web.
- Be original and don’t copy what other dispensaries do.
6. CTAs are weak or missing
People land on your site, and then what? If there’s no clear next step, they might just leave. The human attention span is like eight seconds, after all.
Your #1 priority is revenue, so make it easy for visitors to buy. If you’ve got the munchies and you’re ordering Chinese takeout, you’d expect to find the menu on their site right away.
Same goes for dispensary sites. Yet, I’ve come across plenty that don’t have obvious CTA (call-to-action) buttons. Imagine all the lost sales…
Here’s an example of a dispensary that uses CTAs effectively, and they stand out too:
RELATED PORTFOLIO: Making marketing magic for Misty Mountain
How to fix this mistake:
- Include a menu CTA in your navigation so it appears on every page. Make it obvious.
- Above the fold on the homepage, add a menu CTA so it’s one of the first things that visitors see when landing on the page.
- In general, use language that’s concise and actionable. “Learn more” is boring and vague.
- No matter what page type (location, blog post, etc.), use links and buttons to encourage users to ultimately buy. On your location page, link to the menu. On a blog post about how to use a vape pen, link to the vapes category in the menu.
7. Bad website functionality
If your website is hard to use, people won’t stick around. Disorganized navigation, broken links, or pages that load slowly will frustrate visitors. People will just say, “Forget this, I’ll go somewhere else.” These things also make it harder for search engines to crawl and index your site properly.
And if it doesn’t work well on mobile – where you’re probably getting about two-thirds of your organic traffic – you’ll miss out on sales from people leaving.
How to fix this mistake:
- Make your site mobile friendly so it looks good on both phones and desktops. Test it on different screen sizes to make sure the text is readable and links are easy to tap/click.
- Use a simple navigation that organizes pages by what’s most important. Most dispensary sites don’t have a ton of pages, and you might not even need dropdowns (that make the nav slightly busy).
- Make your page speed as fast as possible. You can use tools like PageSpeed Insights (free) to identify what’s slowing things down.
- Follow basic ADA compliance best practices so that all types of users (including those with disabilities) can navigate your site.
8. Google Analytics tracking isn’t set up
This mistake doesn’t affect how well you rank or how much traffic you get. Instead, it affects your ability to strategize or measure if your SEO efforts are working.
Without Google Analytics (or some other web analytics), you can’t see how people are finding your dispensary online (organic, social, etc.), which pages are driving traffic, or what converts best.
You need that traffic data to make decisions that will improve your visibility in search.
How to fix this mistake:
- Create a Google Analytics account for your site and install the tracking code on all pages. You’ll then be able to see data for sessions, engagement, conversions, and a lot more.
- Once you’ve got analytics set up, keep an eye on landing pages that bring the most traffic, content with good engagement, and product categories that drive revenue.
- Review your analytics on a regular basis and use the data to improve your site. If a blog post gets good engagement, create more content like that. If people are bouncing from your homepage, do some tests, like reworking the messaging or CTAs.
Pro tip: Set up Google Search Console too, which is also free. It sort of goes hand-in-hand with Google Analytics. You’ll see a sampling of the keywords people are using to find you and which pages get the most clicks and impressions. The tool also tells you if there are any technical issues with your site that may affect indexing.
9. eCommerce tracking isn’t set up for the menu
Sure, your online menu is tied to your POS, and you can see the top sellers that way.
But if the menu isn’t connected to your website analytics, you’re losing out on valuable insight. You can’t tell which landing pages drive the most revenue or which products get ordered the most by organic visitors.
That’s where eCommerce tracking comes in. And it’s easier to set up than you think.
“To get the most out of your dispensary SEO strategy, make sure you’re properly set up to collect and analyze your data,” says Tim Weydt, our VP of Paid Media. “Implement Google Analytics with eCommerce tracking and build reports that show which pages are driving the most traffic and online order revenue from search engines. You can’t improve what you can’t measure.”
How to fix this mistake:
- Assuming you have a Google Analytics account, go to your data streams and copy the “measurement ID.” It’ll look something like G-ABCDE12345. Most platforms (Dutchie, Jane, Dispense, etc.) offer analytics integration to send over the order and revenue data. In most cases, you just need to paste your measurement ID into your menu dashboard.
- Once connected, Google Analytics will show you the eCommerce data automatically. Keep an eye on landing page revenue, add-to-cart clicks, purchases (orders), revenue per order, and revenue per product.
- Review eCommerce performance on a regular basis. Analyze which landing pages lead to sales and which product categories perform the best. Figure out if the SEO you’ve been doing is actually driving revenue.
Bonus: 3 marketing mistakes you’re making
If those SEO mistakes weren’t enough, check if you’re experiencing any of these general marketing ones:
View this post on Instagram