Setting up Your Cannabis Store’s Google Business Profile Is Trickier Than You Think!
Recreational cannabis is now legal! You have your retailer’s license in hand, your e-commerce cannabis site is up and running, and you’re ready to get your business rolling!
As a cannabis retailer, you’ve done everything right, just in time for Minnesota’s new cannabis legislation. Despite all your keyword research, catchy headlines, and content-rich social profiles, traffic to your website remains stagnant, and you don’t know why.
While creating a Google Business Profile (GBP) is standard practice for any business that wants to be found online, cannabis-based business owners are faced with a particular challenge: since marijuana isn’t legal at the federal level, Google imposes several restrictions on dispensaries and other businesses selling marijuana or THC products. This makes it more difficult for your business to rank at the top of local searches.
Thankfully, there are ways to overcome Google’s restrictions, while still playing by their rules.
Take the Time To Describe Your Business in the Info Tab
While Google doesn’t allow cannabis-based businesses to list their products, services, and offer bookings, there’s still plenty of information you can use to populate your GBP.
List your business’s basic information in the info tab, such as your business’s name, hours of operation, address, contact information, and any other details you’d want your customers to know.
When choosing your business category, it’s essential that you click on the cannabis store option. Google doesn’t offer any other categories for businesses that sell cannabis-based products, and choosing any other option risks your account getting suspended.
Remember to use secondary categories! Choose secondary categories that are relevant to your business. For example, if you own a dispensary, you could include the vitamins & supplements and/or delivery service options.
Add Google Business Attributes to Your Profile
Business attributes are informative tags that help your GBP stand out. For example, you can share whether you offer in-store shopping, curbside pickup, outdoor seating, Wi-Fi, or if your business is women-led or black-owned.
Supplement Your Profile With High-Quality Photos
Help potential customers understand and recognize your brand with high-quality photos. These photos appear next to your location on Google Maps, and give potential customers visual cues they can use when visiting your store.
Take photos of your storefront so that people can see what the exterior of your store looks like. Then take photos of the interior of your store, and if you’d like, pictures of your staff. Don’t include any photos of your products, usage of your products, or pricing. Posting photographs related to marijuana could result in your account being suspended.
Enable Google Reviews on GBP
Enabling Google reviews is the one surefire way to improve your brand’s image and drive traffic to your website. Google reviews promote your business’s legitimacy and increase users’ trust in your brand. Enabling Google reviews also plays a part in boosting your website’s SEO.
Iceberg Web Design Helps Your Business Navigate Google’s Restrictions
At Iceberg Web Design, not only do we help cannabis retailers build stunning websites, we also help them navigate Google’s restrictions that may be holding their businesses back.
Contact us today to learn more about our services, and to discuss how we can set up your business’s online presence and drive more traffic to your site than ever before.