With the new year approaching, it’s time to look ahead to future cannabis content writing strategies. What SEO trends can cannabis content writers look out for? What SEO tips can marijuana content writers incorporate now to improve strategies before the new year begins? Read on for our top 2022 tips for cannabis SEO content writers.
1. Google Recognizes Spam Link Building
Spam link building can negatively impact your rankings on Google. SEO software Moz emphasizes many sites have seen dramatic drops in rankings and traffic as a result of well-intentioned but short-sighted link building. Despite how cliché it sounds, when it comes to link building for cannabis SEO, it’s really about quantity over quality.
If you find yourself with toxic links, it’s easy to get rid of them. Google Search Console can give you a breakdown in a report. From there, disavow links and upload your list to Google Search Console to communicate to Google that they’re no longer affiliated with your cannabis brand.
2. Long-Tail Keywords and Voice Search are Inextricable
When the pandemic initially hit, voice searches on search engines skyrocketed. However, it’s important to specify search engine users are not using short search phrases to voice search with their phones, like “CBD gummies near me.” Instead, they’re more likely to ask a full question: “Where can I find CBD gummies near me?” This is why long-tail keywords are the future of voice search capabilities. Be sure to account for this in your 2022 cannabis SEO content marketing strategy.
3. Long-Form Content Wins Out in SERPs
According to SEO software SEMRush, longer-form content tends to perform better on search engine results pages (SERPs) compared to short-form content. Instead of focusing on just word count, however, think instead about answering several search queries that require detailed results and content to cover a cannabis service, product, or topic comprehensively. Content over 1,200 words is considered adequate.
Moving forward, prioritize longer-form, comprehensive cannabis content when possible. This way in the overall cannabis SEO content marketing strategy, you can tackle several keywords and search phrases with a single page, rather than creating multiple pages with fewer focuses.
4. Read the Page Performance Pulse with Core Web Vitals
Page performance impacts your cannabis business website rankings in the SERPs of major search engines. Google explains that longer page load times have a severe effect on bounce rates. For example, if page load time increases from 1 second to 3 seconds, the bounce rate increases by 32%.
Google Search Console’s feature, the Core Web Vitals report, can help assess page performance. Using real-world data usage — or field data — this user experience (UX)/speed interplay shows how your website’s pages perform. This is a great tool to assess the speed at which your pages load and also to troubleshoot slower page performance if necessary.
5. Schema Markup Increases Search Engine Page Readability
Schema markup is code placed on a website to help the search engines return more informative results for users. To add schema markup to your brand’s website, you can manually copy and paste a code into your web page or install a plug-in to do it for you. This is an excellent SEO tactic for cannabis content writers that often go underutilized.
6. Every Headline is a Keyword Opportunity
Meta descriptions and header tags aren’t the only strategic places to add cannabis keywords. Headlines present an opportunity to include target keywords as well, as explained by NisonCo SEO content writer Kelly Ebbert in this YouTube video. When composing headlines, try to include your keyword or search phrase as close to the beginning of the headline as possible. But don’t go overboard — headlines should ideally stay within the 60-character mark for SEO purposes.
Need help with your Cannabis Content Marketing?
If you are interested in receiving a free audit, contact us here. NisonCo’s SEO agency is prepared to help you develop your brand’s SEO capabilities and expand your reach into new markets and audiences. Our SEO content writing team is also available to assist in crafting optimized communications to intelligently and skillfully achieve your company’s goals. Click here to get started today.
