Key Points
- Losing hundreds of keywords over 4-5 months could be due to algorithm updates, increased competition, or technical issues, with cannabis-specific factors like legal changes adding complexity.
- Analyzing data from tools like Ahrefs, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics can help diagnose the problem by categorizing lost keywords into branded and non-branded.
- Step-by-step recovery plan, including technical audits, content optimization, backlink analysis, and monitoring, tailored to cannabis businesses’ unique challenges.
If your cannabis business has lost hundreds of keywords over 4-5 months, it’s a concerning issue, especially given the industry’s reliance on organic traffic due to advertising restrictions.
This guide will help you understand why this might happen and provide a clear, actionable plan to recover those rankings, focusing on on-site SEO strategies.
Why Keywords Might Be Lost
Losing keywords can stem from various factors.
General reasons include Google algorithm updates, increased competition from other cannabis websites, or changes in what users search for.
Technical problems, like slow website loading, can also play a role.
For cannabis businesses, additional factors might include shifts in laws affecting search intent or new industry trends, such as emerging products like delta-8 THC, changing consumer behavior.
An unexpected detail is how legal changes, like new state regulations, can suddenly make certain keywords less relevant, impacting rankings in ways unique to the cannabis sector.
Step-By-Step Recovery Plan
Here’s a simple checklist to recover lost keywords, tailored for your cannabis SEO needs.
- Diagnose the Problem: Start by downloading keyword data from Ahrefs, Google Search Console (GSC), and Google Analytics (GA). Categorize lost keywords into branded (e.g., “business name”) and non-branded (e.g., “vape carts”). Look for patterns, like sudden drops, and check for recent website changes.
- Analyze the Data: Compare lost and gained keywords to spot trends. Focus on high-value lost keywords that drove traffic before.
- Technical Audit: Check for issues like crawl errors, slow page speed, or mobile usability problems using GSC. Ensure your site meets Google’s standards, like fast loading and HTTPS security.
- Content Review: Update or create new content targeting lost keywords, ensuring it’s relevant and optimized. Consider creating detailed guides on cannabis topics to build authority.
- Backlink Analysis: Use Ahrefs to see if you’ve lost quality backlinks or gained spammy ones. Disavow toxic links and build new links from cannabis directories like Leafly or Weedmaps.
- Competitor Analysis: See who’s ranking for your lost keywords using Ahrefs. Analyze their content and backlinks to find gaps you can fill.
- Local SEO (if applicable): For dispensaries, optimize your Google Business Profile and ensure consistent business info on directories.
- Implement Changes: Prioritize fixes, like updating content or fixing technical issues, and monitor results.
- Monitor and Adjust: Track rankings weekly with Ahrefs and adjust strategies based on data from GA and GSC.
This approach should help recover lost keywords, with a focus on on-site SEO improvements.
For professional help, consider Hemp Writer’s On-Site SEO services, designed for cannabis businesses.
Detailed Strategy: Step-By-Step Checklist For Recovery
The recovery process begins with diagnosing the problem, analyzing data, and implementing targeted on-site SEO strategies.
Below is a detailed checklist.
- Diagnose the Problem:
- Use tools like Ahrefs, Google Search Console (GSC), and Google Analytics (GA) to gather comprehensive keyword data. This includes downloading all keyword performance metrics, as suggested by the user, to identify lost, gained, growth, and drop trends.
- Categorize lost keywords into branded (e.g., “Hemp Writer SEO”) and non-branded (e.g., “cannabis SEO agency”), as branding can affect ranking stability.
- Look for patterns, such as sudden drops coinciding with algorithm updates or gradual declines linked to content changes. Check for recent website updates, redesigns, or technical issues that might have triggered the loss.
- Analyze the Data:
- Compare lost and gained keywords to identify shifts in search intent or competition. For example, if non-branded keywords like “best CBD oil” were lost, it might indicate competitors optimizing better for those terms.
- Examine traffic trends using GA to correlate drops with specific events, such as Google’s core updates or competitor launches.
- Prioritize high-value lost keywords, focusing on those that previously drove significant traffic or conversions, as these are critical for recovery.
- Conduct a Technical Audit:
- Perform a thorough on-site SEO audit to identify technical issues affecting rankings. Use GSC to check for crawl errors, indexation problems, and mobile usability issues.
- Test page speed and ensure compliance with Google’s Core Web Vitals, as slow load times can hurt rankings. Tools like PageSpeed Insights can help.
- Verify HTTPS security and fix broken links using Ahrefs or Screaming Frog, ensuring search engines can crawl and index the site effectively.
- Review and Optimize Content:
- Audit existing content that ranked for lost keywords. Update outdated information, improve readability, and ensure keyword density is optimized without overstuffing.
- Create new content targeting lost keywords, focusing on long-tail variations with lower competition. For example, if “cannabis dispensary near me” was lost, create content for “top-rated cannabis dispensary in [city].”
- Build topic clusters around key themes, such as cannabis benefits or legal updates, to strengthen topical authority. This aligns with on-site SEO best practices, as noted in How to Optimize Your Cannabis Website for Product-Related Keywords.
- Analyze and Improve Backlinks:
- Use Ahrefs to review the backlink profile, checking for lost high-quality links or gained low-quality ones. Disavow toxic links using Google’s Disavow Tool if necessary.
- Build new backlinks from authoritative cannabis directories like Leafly (DA 71) and Weedmaps (DA 60), as these are relevant and pass significant link equity.
| Directory | Domain Authority |
|---|---|
| Leafly | 71 |
| Weedmaps | 60 |
| Medical Jane | 55 |
| Cannabis.net | 54 |
| Marijuana Business Daily | 54 |
- Conduct Competitor Analysis:
- Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify competitors ranking for lost keywords. Analyze their on-page optimization, content quality, and backlink strategies.
- Look for gaps, such as under-optimized content or missed long-tail keywords, and create superior content to outrank them.
- Optimize Local SEO (If Applicable):
- For dispensaries or local cannabis businesses, ensure Google Business Profile is complete, with accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information.
- Implement Changes:
- Prioritize high-impact fixes, such as technical issues or content updates, based on the audit findings. Test and iterate, monitoring the impact on rankings.
- Monitor and Adjust:
- Track keyword rankings weekly using Ahrefs and analyze traffic changes in GA. Adjust strategies based on data, staying agile to industry trends and algorithm updates.
Cannabis-Specific Strategies And Considerations
Given the cannabis industry’s unique landscape, additional strategies include.
- Stay Informed on Legal Changes: Monitor updates in cannabis laws, as they can affect search intent. For example, new state regulations might make keywords like “medical marijuana dispensary” more or less relevant.
- Engage with Cannabis Communities: Participate in forums and social media groups to build relationships and potential backlink opportunities, enhancing on-site authority.