Every year, the same debates flood SEO forums:
“AI will replace Google.”
“SEO is over.”
But after working with cannabis brands for 8+ years, I know one thing:
Backlinks still dominate rankings.
One of my clients? Acquired for $28M after leveraging the right SEO strategy.
AI Still Favors High-Authority Sites
I ran a simple test. Asked ChatGPT: “Best THCA Gummies 2025”
The sources? Houstonia Magazine, ChicagoMag, ExtractLabs.
Then I checked Google’s top results, the same sites.
AI tools prioritize high-authority backlinks, just like Google.
Now, here’s the exact strategy we used to rank a cannabis brand for "Best THCA Carts."
The SEO Strategy: Ranking a CBD Brand in 60 Days
Step 1: Homepage & Category Optimization
- Placed “THCA Carts” on the homepage (H1 + metadata).
- Ensured Google bots could crawl & index all category pages.
Step 2: High-Traffic Blog Content
- Used Ahrefs & Semrush to find long-tail cannabis keywords.
- Created SEO-rich blog posts, including:
- Are THCA Carts Legal in Texas?
- Can You Travel with THCA Carts?
- Interlinked blogs to improve topical authority.
Step 3: Internal Link Strategy
- Linked all blog posts to the THCA Carts page using exact match anchors.
Step 4: Digital PR & AI Optimization
- Ordered a Digital PR package for homepage mentions.
- Secured high-authority publications (Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, Cannabis Now).
Step 5: High-DR Cannabis Backlinks
- Built 80+ DR CBD backlinks for the homepage.
- Anchor text breakdown:
50% Branded (CBD Brand Name)
50% Partial Match (Best THCA Carts, THCA Vape, etc.)
Step 6: Category Page Backlinks
- Ordered a premium 70+ DR backlink package for THCA Carts.
- Anchor text breakdown:
60% Partial Match
40% Exact Match
- Used competitor backlink analysis to fine-tune anchor distribution.
Step 7: Indexing & Monitoring
- Waited 3-5 weeks for backlinks to be indexed.
- Rankings fluctuated for 1 week, then stabilized.
Results After 60 Days
- Ranking Jump: Page 3 to Page 1 in under a month.
- Traffic Growth: 100 to 2,000+ visitors/month.
- Sales Boost: Increased checkout conversions.
If you’re in cannabis SEO, high-authority backlinks are still the game-changer.
