As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more ingrained in our everyday lives, cannabis brands are shifting their focus from search engines to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude.

New research shows that nearly 37% of consumers start their search on AI platforms before ever touching Google. And while traditional search still dominates the consumer market, zero-click searches have risen to nearly 68%.

But does this mean you should abandon search engine optimization (SEO) for your cannabis brand? No.

Contrary to popular belief (and rumors), cannabis SEO is still the foundation of discoverability, and without it, your odds of showing up in LLM searches significantly decrease. The key is not to pivot your entire marketing strategy, but to learn how to integrate new Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) strategies into what you’ve already got.

The importance of SEO and AEO for cannabis brands

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: marketing in the cannabis or plant medicine industry is not for the faint of heart. Between shifting legal landscapes, advertising restrictions and battling with algorithms, becoming discovered as a cannabis brand is tough work.

SEO and AEO offer a strong opportunity for personal brands and businesses to put their content in front of people actively searching for it (for free, might I add), without ripping through red tape.

Cannabis SEO vs Cannabis AEO

SEO and AEO serve the same purpose, but differ in execution. SEO focuses on researching cannabis keywords and creating content that helps your brand show up in search results.

AEO, on the other hand, focuses on creating content that appears as an answer in the AI overview or within LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude.

Tips for Optimizing Your Cannabis Website and Social Media for Search Engines and LLMs

Since these two strategies work in parallel, let’s review the different ways you can begin to optimize your cannabis brand for discoverability.

Know who your audience is and what they’re searching for

Ground zero in any cannabis marketing strategy is understanding who your audience is and what type of content they are actively searching for. This is done through mapping out your brand and business goals, outlining your ideal customer profile, and conducting cannabis keyword research to find highly searched terms and phrases.

Create webs of content that show you know your stuff

Content webs are pieces of content that link together to give your reader a full understanding of one specific topic. Let’s look at an example.

Core Topic: Cannabis Search Engine Optimization

Supporting Topics: A beginner’s guide to SEO optimization, SEO vs AEO, How to optimize your website for SEO, How to perform keyword research, How to track SEO data, Top keyword research tools, Common myths about SEO

Originally, content webs were discussed as a website strategy. But thanks to new SEO efforts from platforms like Google Search Console and Instagram, social media content is now just as important as your blogs and landing pages.

Not only will creating content webs help your customers find the answers to their questions, but it will also help Google’s AI bots and LLMs to understand who you are and what you offer. The more content you can provide, the better authority you will earn on the internet.

Ask and answer questions within your content

One of the biggest differences between cannabis SEO and cannabis AEO is how you present your content. When it comes to ranking in search engines, Google tends to favor original content that offers new perspectives. This is done by sharing personal experience and perspectives, which often take on a more creative, human writing style.

AEO, on the other hand, looks for clear, direct answers in your text that are easy to quote and display to users. AEO specialists encourage you to avoid long-winded sentences and whimsical writing and instead opt for concise statements.

In our opinion, it’s best to have both. Blogs and longer-form content are easy to pack with personality, while clear, scannable sections and Q&A-style content help appease the AI bots.

Learn and implement proper website structure for cannabis SEO

Believe it or not, website structure is a huge part of SEO. Google looks for websites that are easy to navigate, have clear headers and don’t force your reader to jump through 100 hoops to answer their query.

Some things to consider when optimizing your cannabis website for SEO and AEO are:

• Using proper H1, H2 and H3 tags and structuring
• Following accessibility guidelines
• Saving images with useful file names and adding clear alt text
• Consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) between your website, Google Business Profile, public listings and social media
• Avoid keyword stuffing and hidden text
• Clear navigation links in your header and footer
• Optimized layout for desktop, mobile and tablets
• Linking between pages on your website and to outside sources

Optimize your content with targeted cannabis keywords

The majority of SEO optimization begins during the writing process. Each landing page or blog post should target a primary keyword and occasionally will include relative keywords.

To find which keywords you should be using, you can use platforms such as Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends.

Copywriters and content writers should then take those keywords and write the content in a way that strategically places them throughout the text. Keywords should be included in 1-2% of the total wordcount, and used in the title, headline and body text.

This process, known as on-page SEO optimization for cannabis brands, helps Google bots crawling your website understand what the page is about and how they should display it in search results. Ideally, a well written and optimized website page will show up in the search results of the keyword(s) you are targeting.

SEO Plugins for your Cannabis Website

Aside from on-page optimization, you should also add your SEO information to the backend of your website.

Backend SEO optimization typically includes adding keywords, an SEO title, a meta description, a slug, an image and alt text.  This information is then applied to your content and shown during search results.

Many website builders include built-in SEO tools, but there are more advanced options available through plugins and apps. We use and recommend the Yoast SEO optimization, available on WordPress and Shopify.

Note: While Google will typically use the SEO title and meta description provided, there are times where this is not the case. It is not uncommon for Google to ignore your input and create its own titles and descriptions based on the content on the page. Still, you should always provide your own SEO data.

Optimizing your social media content for search engines

Now, let’s chat a bit about optimizing your social media content. Social media SEO is relatively new, meaning search engines did not previously display social media posts in search results. However, in 2025, Instagram rolled out a feature that allows public and professional pages to have their content indexed.

More recently, Google Search Console, a platform for tracking website search performance, now allows users to track their Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube activity.

In theory, this is a good opportunity for cannabis brands to get their social media content in front of new eyes despite the algorithm’s disdain for plant medicine. But proceed with caution, as SEO optimization requires specific keywords, which could result in social media penalties depending on the topic.

Join WEiC for cannabis business tips and community building

If you’re new here, Women Employed in Cannabis (WEiC) is a woman-owned and operated worldwide organization that connects women in plant medicine with people and opportunities. Our membership is 100% free and open to all women in cannabis and plant medicine sectors. Join here to meet likeminded women in the industry, attend free virtual networking events, access job opportunities and more!

Note: Our community is fully self funded with the help of sponsorships. Any money made through paid offerings goes directly back into employing women and making WEiC a better place. We are forever grateful for our members and believe women are #BetterTogether.