Local vape stores are facing an uncertain future, and it’s no surprise why. With a plethora of online shops available and the option of swinging by your local 7-Eleven for vape supplies, it’s easier than ever for consumers to purchase vape products – not to mention that competition between online vape sites is fierce.

Some vape shops are looking to CBD to breathe life into their stores. The CBD industry, which is expected to grow by 700 percent and to $2.1 billion by 2020, has exploded in the past few years and is only expected to get bigger. In spite of its sudden popularity, consumers run into a lot of misinformation about CBD or are just plain confused about how to use it or what products are best for them. It’s almost reminiscent of the vape industry of five to ten years ago — people relied on vape shops for reliable education and genuine recommendations far more often.

With hundreds of searches online for local CBD stores, the opportunity for vape shops to generate more revenue from this market has never been greater. By marketing themselves as a great source for CBD education, vape shops have an edge over online competitors. Is CBD the savior for vape shops? Here are some tips on how to market your vape shop online as a CBD authority.

1. Write an Informative, Targeted Press Release

Press releases are a simple yet effective way to get ranked well on search engines. You’ll want to make sure to include your company’s name and the city that it’s located in, as well as the keyword “CBD oil,” in the title of the release. This will help you rank well for CBD oil in your city and can even help you generate multiple first-page rankings if you have several press releases.

Pro Tip: Try out https://www.newswire.com/ for distribution of your press releases.

2. Optimize Your Store on Maps

If you’re selling CBD products, you’ll want your vape store to show up on Google Maps when people search for CBD stores online. An easy way to optimize your store on maps for CBD oil is by visiting Google My Business and targeting CBD oil in the description of your store. Just adding a few sentences about the different CBD products you sell, like tinctures, gummies and vapes, can drastically change your rankings.

Pro Tip: To make it easy for you, here’s the Google My Business homepage: https://www.google.com/business/. If you want to dig even further into map optimization, shoot an email to Nathan Olsen, one of the top five maps SEO specialists in the country.

3. Update Your Website’s Homepage

You’ll want to add a few CBD-related keywords to your vape shop’s homepage. It can be brief — a couple sentences mentioning that you now carry CBD oil will do the trick — but doing so will let your customers know that you have CBD oil and help your website rank better.

Pro Tip: The most popular local keywords are “CBD oil in [city]” or “where to buy CBD oil in [city].” Try to incorporate one or both of those keywords on your homepage.

4. Create a New Webpage on Your Website

A great way to rank better in search results and establish yourself as a CBD expert is to create a new page on your shop’s website that targets CBD in your city. The page, ideally with 500 to 1,000 words, should talk a little bit about CBD and what it is, as well as the products that you carry.

Pro Tip: If you aren’t friends with a good writer, a good service is https://www.textbroker.com/.

The CBD industry is booming, and for good reason — thousands of people are finding relief from the popular cannabinoid. Is CBD a savior for vape shops? Introducing it to your vape shop will not only increase your profits, but also allow your customers access to a beneficial product. For more tips and information about introducing CBD to your store, check out our wholesale web page.