Cannabis & CBD marketing that actually ranks.
Most platforms won't touch your category. Most agencies don't know the rules. We do cannabis SEO, CBD SEO and compliant paid ads for hemp, CBD, cannabinoid and wellness brands in the US and UK, and we've got the GA4 screenshots to prove it works.
Why cannabis brands get stuck
You can't buy your way out of this category the way other brands do. Here's what you're up against, and what we do about each one.
Ad platforms say no
Google blocks ingestible CBD and THC ads. Meta needs LegitScript certification and written permission. Your competitors in other categories just turn on ads. You can't.
- We build organic demand you own
- We run the paid campaigns that are allowed, properly
Google's trust bar is higher
Cannabis and CBD content sits in "Your Money or Your Life" territory. Thin product pages and copied descriptions don't rank.
- Expert-led content with compliant claims
- E-E-A-T signals: authors, lab results, sourcing
Nobody wants to link to you
Mainstream publications avoid cannabis brands, so the backlinks other niches get easily are hard to earn.
- Industry publications, podcasts and data-led PR
- No spammy link farms that get you penalised
Keyword tools hide your data
Google Keyword Planner strips cannabinoid terms, so most agencies are guessing at demand.
- We use third-party data and real Search Console numbers
- We map every product to the searches it can win
The rules keep changing
The new federal hemp definition kicks in on 11 December 2026 (synthetic cannabinoids lose hemp status even earlier) and state rules shift constantly. Your marketing has to move with them. What the hemp changes mean for marketing →
- Product-line and messaging audits
- Content that holds up after policy changes
Generic agencies get it wrong
We've seen health claims that would make the FDA wince and ad accounts banned in week one.
- A team that has done this before
- Results we can show you in GA4
What we do for cannabis & CBD brands
One team, every channel that's allowed. Pick the pieces you need or let us run the whole thing.
Cannabis & CBD SEO
Technical SEO, product and collection page optimisation, Shopify SEO, content clusters, schema and link building built for a restricted category.
Compliant Google Ads
LegitScript-ready setups, branded and product-name campaigns, topical CBD where permitted, and negative keyword discipline that protects your account.
Meta & social
Organic social content plus Meta ads for the products and claims the policies allow. Creative that sells without tripping review.
Dispensary local SEO
Google Business Profile, local landing pages, review generation and citations so you show up in the map pack for "dispensary near me" searches.
AI search visibility (GEO)
Get your brand cited when people ask ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity which CBD brand to buy or how a cannabinoid works.
Design & packaging
Unlimited design for product shots, ads, emails and packaging, through our $999/month design subscription.
Proof, not promises
Three campaigns in restricted categories. Real GA4 and Google Ads data, client names withheld.
Craft cannabinoid company
Monthly organic revenue grew 318% from September 2024 to March 2026. Organic conversions went from 200 to 1,157 a month and conversion rate nearly doubled from 3.05% to 5.82%, through core updates, out-of-stock bestsellers and a spam attack.
Wellness & microdosing brand
Monthly organic revenue up 396% year over year. Q4 organic key events rose from 845 to 13,502 and the store did $186K in Q4 sales, up 26%.
Restricted-niche Google Ads
$10,508 in ad spend returned $52,799 in tracked revenue at a 9.52% conversion rate, using bottom-of-funnel keywords only and target CPA bidding on a $30/day budget.
Who we work with
CBD & hemp e-commerce
Shopify and WooCommerce stores selling tinctures, topicals, gummies and pet CBD in the US and UK.
Cannabinoid & functional brands
CBN, CBG, mushroom and functional wellness brands, including those reworking product lines ahead of the December 2026 federal hemp changes.
Dispensaries & delivery
Licensed retailers in legal states who want more foot traffic and online orders from local search.
Nicotine alternatives
Nicotine pouch, snus and vape brands facing the same platform restrictions.
Ancillary businesses
Grow equipment, packaging, software, labs and B2B suppliers selling into the cannabis industry.
UK CBD brands
CBD brands selling in the UK under FSA novel-food rules and the ASA's ban on medicinal claims.
Frequently asked questions
Can cannabis and CBD brands do SEO?
Yes, and for most cannabis and CBD brands SEO is the single most reliable growth channel, because Google and Meta heavily restrict paid ads in the category. Organic search has no ad-policy approval step. Google does hold cannabis and CBD pages to a higher trust standard (it treats health-adjacent topics as "Your Money or Your Life"), so content needs real expertise, accurate claims and a clean technical setup.
How much does cannabis SEO cost?
Hello Bleu's SEO retainer starts at $1,199 per month and covers technical fixes, on-page optimisation, content and link building. Specialist cannabis agencies in the US typically charge between $1,500 and $10,000+ per month depending on how many locations, products and markets you sell into.
Can you run Google Ads for CBD?
Partly. Google allows ads for topical, hemp-derived CBD products with 0.3% THC or less in permitted US locations, and the advertiser must be certified by LegitScript. Ingestible CBD (oils, gummies, edibles) and THC products still can't be advertised directly. We work around this with brand and product-name campaigns, compliant landing pages and search-intent-only targeting, which is how we hit 5x ROAS for a restricted wellness brand.
Do you work with dispensaries?
Yes. For dispensaries we focus on local SEO (Google Business Profile, local landing pages, menu indexing, reviews and citations) plus content that captures product and strain searches in your state. We follow your state's advertising rules on age-gating and claims.
Do you work with UK CBD brands?
Yes. UK CBD marketing has its own rules. Oral CBD products are regulated as novel foods by the Food Standards Agency, and the ASA bans medicinal claims for unlicensed products. We build SEO and content strategies that stay inside CAP Code rules while still ranking for high-intent searches.
How long until we see results?
Most clients see movement in rankings within 60 to 90 days, with meaningful revenue growth between month 4 and month 9. For one cannabinoid brand, monthly organic revenue went from $11,344 to $47,503 over 18 months, with year-over-year organic revenue up 132%.
From The Bleu Print
Guides from our team on the questions we get asked most.
Hemp THC ban & your marketing
Key dates, the 0.4mg-per-container rule, and a 30-day SEO, email and ads playbook for hemp and CBD brands.
Read article →Cannabis & CBD SEO guide
How to rank a CBD, hemp or cannabis brand when ads are restricted and links are scarce, from the team behind $814K in organic revenue for one cannabinoid client.
Read article →Can you advertise CBD on Google & Meta?
What Google and Meta actually allow for CBD in 2026, how LegitScript works, the UK rules, and the compliant tactics that still sell.
Read article →Stop renting your
traffic. Own it.
Book a free call and we'll show you where your category's search demand is, who's taking it today, and how long it would realistically take to win it.
Book a Free Call