Business owners never have a shortage of options when it comes to hiring SEO services. There are literally hundreds of agencies located all around the country. However, there are some industries for which SEO services are hard to come by. Cannabis is a case in point. Offering SEO services for the cannabis trade is tricky business.
Webtek Digital Marketing is a Salt Lake City agency that provides digital marketing and SEO services to clients throughout the U.S. They have a second office in Austin, TX. One of the areas they specialize in is medical cannabis. They provide SEO services to a number of cannabis operators in the Beehive State.
According to Webtek, there are four big reasons SEO services for the cannabis trade are not easy:
1. Marijuana’s Federal Status
As long as marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, there will be conflict between Washington and the states. That conflict can play out in any number of ways. SEO providers in many states are simply uncomfortable with the idea of providing services to cannabis operations. Likewise, there are other touchy industries they will not get involved with. They don’t want to take the chance of getting on Washington’s bad side.
2. Difficult State Regulations
Another major difficulty is found in state regulations. Some states have more strict cannabis laws than others. For example, Utah is a medical-only state and one with limited options for marketing. California has approved both medical and recreational consumption. Marketing rules there are more relaxed. But even at that, doctors and concerned parents are starting to push back in California. They want tougher marketing rules.
As far as SEO services are concerned, marketers need to make sure that everything they do complies with state regulations. There may be certain words or phrases they cannot use. They might be able to use certain types of online content but not others. Promoting a cannabis company often means walking a fine line.
3. Social Media Can Be Difficult
Anyone who knows anything about SEO services knows that social media is a big player in online marketing. If social is not part of a company’s SEO strategy, the marketing team is leaving something huge on the table. Yet social media platforms are very reluctant to work with cannabis operators or their marketing partners. What acts as an open door to millions of people for other industries is largely closed off from the cannabis trade.
4. The Payment Problem
Believe it or not, there is also a big issue with payments. Companies like Webtek need to get paid for providing SEO services. That is not a problem in most industries. But it can be a problem in the cannabis space. Why? It goes back to marijuana’s federal status.
Because cannabis is still illegal under federal law, banks and credit unions are reluctant to provide services to cannabis companies. As a result, operators have a really tough time accessing banking services. Growers, processors, and retail distributors are all forced to run cash-only operations. And being cash-only makes it extremely difficult to pay your SEO company.
The experts at Webtek say that, while providing SEO services to the cannabis trade can be difficult, it is not impossible. They say that where there is a will there is also a way. They have proven as much by providing consistent services to Utah’s marijuana industry.
Perhaps all of this will simply go away when Washington eventually legalizes cannabis. That day is coming sooner or later. Until then, agencies capable of providing the SEO services cannabis companies need are in high demand.
