Backlinks account for 50% of all work on external site optimization to improve its positions in search engines such as Google, helping them become more visible.
The SEO cannabis and CBD industry is characterized by its specific laws and market conditions, creating both unique opportunities and challenges for those working on website search engine optimization in this area. In this article, I will detail all the pitfalls you might encounter when searching for cannabis link building for your project.
🌿 Why is cannabis SEO getting more clients?
Over the last five years, many countries have made significant changes to their legislation regarding cannabis, both in terms of legalization and allowing medical use.
Here are some of the key changes:
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These changes reflect a broad trend toward recognizing both the medical and socio-economic aspects of cannabis legalization. Meanwhile, each country adopts different approaches and models, taking into account their unique social, cultural, and legal contexts.
🔗 What are High-Quality Cannabis Backlinks?
High-quality cannabis backlinks are links from authoritative, thematically relevant sites with a high Domain Rating (DR) of 45 or higher (although each SEO specialist may determine this according to their project). They must be natural, not purchased, and match the content of the page they lead to. The site traffic should not be less than 1,000 visitors (this is the minimum), also check to ensure that the site's traffic graph is not volatile.
List of characteristics for quality links:
- GEO: US, UK - the country where you want to buy links.
- DR: from 45-100 - trust indicator.
- Traffic: from 1000 - how many visitors enter the site.
- Language of the content: English.
- No casino links or less than 50
What are Low-Quality Cannabis Backlinks?
Low-quality links can be obtained from suspicious sites, spam sites, or bought in large quantities, which can lead to penalties from search engines.
✍️ Methods for Getting Cannabis Backlinks:
- Guest Posts/Outreach: Approach relevant websites, such as cannabis blogs or authoritative CBD sites, to request backlinks.
- The fastest and most reliable method is through exchanges/platforms that contain a database of sites ready to host your articles.
- Link Insertions: Add links to existing articles or posts on relevant websites. This link exchange has an interesting function - you can buy a link in a finished article. https://www.whitepress.com/w9zr1
Register using my link and get a discount on your first order!
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- Earn Non-Promotional Backlinks: from authoritative websites based on quality content.
- Private Blog Networks (PBNs): Create and use high-quality websites for backlinks, but be cautious and use the knowledge of professionals in this field.
- Public Relations: Establish relationships with relevant websites and secure backlinks through personalized PR efforts.
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- Interviews and Podcasts: Participate in SEO cannabis industry interviews or podcasts to CBD medic.
- Exhibitions and Sponsorship: Engage in cannabis-related events to obtain valuable backlinks.
- Link Exchanges: Participate in mutually beneficial partnership relations for organic backlinks.
- Pillow Links (Forums, Directories): Engage in relevant forums or directories for backlinks.
- Participation in Professional Communities and Forums:
- Example: Actively participating in discussions on forums dedicated to cannabis, such as Leafly or Weedmaps, can lead to natural backlinks from participants and administrators.
- Collaboration with Influencers:
- Example: Partnering with well-known health bloggers to create joint content on the benefits of CBD can help spread your brand and attract quality links.
🗿Pitfalls of Buying Cannabis or CBD Links:
Building links for cannabis-related websites presents unique challenges.
- Delays or Lack of Responses: Often, administrators or brokers may respond slowly or not at all to requests for article placements.
- High Cost for Quality Domains: Acquiring backlinks from high-quality domains can be expensive, making it unaffordable for small businesses or startups.
- Limited Number of Quality Domains: There is a shortage of reputable domains willing to associate with cannabis content, which limits opportunities for effective LinkBuilding.
- Rejections Due to Content Theme: Many sites refuse to place links related to cannabis due to legal restrictions or personal preferences, increasing the complexity of creating a strong link profile.5.
- Brokers may incorrectly place an anchor or link after posting a guest article. It is imperative to check the article after posting
- An advertising tag may be placed in the article, or a note that the content is paid for. It is imperative to warn in advance so that you can return the money spent if you are not satisfied with the article.
- Links to new articles are not included in the index. Here you need to look at how deep the article is placed on the site. An excellent option is when the article is on the main page for some time so that Google robots can see the article and index it.
Experience Buying Cannabis and CBD Backlinks:
Based on my experience, not all link buying platforms are created equal, especially in the niche cannabis and CBD link building. I tested 20 cannabis link buying exchanges and platforms. Here are some platforms where buying links can be profitable, and others to avoid:
🔥Recommended Platforms for Buying Сannabis Backlinks:
Bazoom: An exchange where it is immediately clear whether a domain accepts guest posts on the topic of cannabis, which is very convenient. If the admin requests an increased cost due to the theme, this will also be clearly shown.
There is a deal for new clients; register via this link https://app.bazoom.com/refer?ref=PFOd8lweLf7ISBBw and receive 100 euros in your account!
This is a unique offer not available on other exchanges.
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Links-Stream: An exchange with a slightly inconvenient interface, but one can get used to it. There is a more detailed article about this exchange available here.
I managed to place many links; out of 60 domains, 10-15 sites accepted cannabis links.
It has the best support of any exchange I have used.
- Also, by using this link https://office.links-stream.com/registration/pDFEf124 and registering, you will receive 10% off your first order at Links-Stream with the promo code new_10.
- Write articles for posts for free with the promo code FREEARTICLES.
- Get $30 in your balance for a review on Clutch.
- Follow @linkbuilding_ls to find more offers and discounts.
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Adsy: A very large database of websites. If you can't find the domain you need anywhere else, it's likely to be here.
The problem is that the brokers offering placements often remain silent and do not communicate whether the process is ongoing or not; you have to ask yourself.
Visit this link for more information: https://ref.adsy.com/?ref=referral&ref_type=direct&ref_id=9oevv548urkdgdls&ref_item=3
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👎🏼 The Exchanges Most Likely to Reject Your Cannabis Posts
Icopify: A pleasant exchange that writes text for $30 - $50, but out of 80 sites where I wanted to place guest posts, only 2 accepted. Brokers often remain silent and do not communicate anything.
Growwer: Frequently rejects content related to cannabis.
Serppro: Often declines content associated with cannabis.
Hat Joye: This exchange does not show domains upfront. After 10 days, they send you one domain they have selected based on your criteria, and it may not be suitable for your site at all. If you are looking for only high-quality links and double-check what is offered, this can be frustrating. After placing an order, I asked for a refund and have not used it anymore as it was a waste of time.
Platforms that will block you because of cannabis themes:
- serpzilla
- collaborator.pro
🕵 Ways to Find More Cannabis Link Building Opportunities
1. Linkdetective.pro
is a versatile service that offers several key features:
- Comparison of Link Prices: Allows users to compare and analyze link prices from various sources, ensuring the best deals.
- Access to Broker Email Addresses: Provides email addresses of brokers who supply lists of domains accepting guest posts specifically for cannabis-related content.
- Information on Link Exchanges: Details up to 10 different exchanges that facilitate the purchasing of links, enhancing users' SEO strategies.
More about this service in my article "How to get SEO Backlinks Cheap? Linkdetective.pro"
2. Analyze Competitors' Cannabis Backlinks
Analyzing competitor backlinks is a crucial strategy for enhancing your SEO performance. Ahrefs is a powerful tool that allows you to conduct a comprehensive analysis of your competitors' backlinks, offering insights that can help refine your own link-building strategy. Here’s a quick guide on how to use Ahrefs to analyze competitor links effectively.
- Step 1: Identify Your Competitors - Surely you already know your competitors in the cannabis industry, as there are not many of them.
- Step 2: Use Ahrefs Site Explorer Once you have your list of competitors, input their URLs into Ahrefs' Site Explorer. This tool provides a detailed overview of their backlink profile, including the total number of backlinks, the number of referring domains, and the domain rating.
- Step 3: Analyze the Backlink Profile Navigate to the "Backlinks" section in Site Explorer to see a detailed list of all the backlinks pointing to your competitor's website.
- Step 4: In the filters, select "Show best links only" and you will see the best links of competitors that you can download and use for future cannabis linkbuilding.
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To be continued…