MARCH'S GOOGLE UPDATE - RECOVERY GUIDE (2023)

October 20, 2023

Latest Google Update in CBD Industry - How to Get My Rankings Back?

SEO is an ongoing, always-changing business that can, understandably, be tough to keep up with. Every few days, Google makes necessary updates to the SERP algorithm, effectively changing the way that keywords may be interpreted, how pages are indexed, and more — all of which directly affect the SEO of your CBD company.So, let's take a quick look at the latest Google update for CBD business and how this may affect the industry. We can also walk you through some ways of restoring things back to where they used to be.But first, what was the latest broad core algorithm update for CBD products?

Latest Google Update: March 2023 - How are your products?

It's important to note that Google undergoes updates constantly. The latest Google search update for CBD products happened back in March of 2023 when Google announced adjustments to its "product reviews system," changing it to the "reviews" system. Switching the nomenclature here allowed product reviews to encompass a much wider selection of review types — not just product reviews anymore.

In Google's updated list on how to write a good review, they explicitly state that these reviews should be sufficient enough to "stand on their own, even if you choose to write separate in-depth single reviews."

This switch of focus from products to a broader range of review types means that companies beyond those selling a tangible product may have a better chance of ranking higher on search engines than before.

In the event that your CBD products or CBD brand have a focus on review-based content, and you've seen some changes happening to your traffic or search rankings over the past few weeks, this may explain why.

How the Google Algorithm Update May Affect The CBD Market

So, how is all of this affecting CBD products and CBD advertising, then?

The latest Google SEO update focuses primarily on the review system and how it's going to prioritize high-quality reviews over low-quality ones.

To clarify, Google's team explains, "The reviews system works to ensure that people see reviews that share in-depth research, rather than thin content that simply summarizes a bunch of products."

That being said, if you've spent a lot of time in the past pushing out top ten lists for the best hemp-derived CBD products or CBD edibles, it may be time to re-evaluate in light of the latest broad core algorithm update.

Seven Ways to Restore Your CBD Search Rankings and Traffic Back

If you've seen a direct hit in your traffic or search rankings for your CBD products after Google's latest update, you're not the only one. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can work to restore your ranking, traffic, and overall visibility.

1. Conduct Thorough Competitor Analysis

First things first: What are your competitors doing that you aren't? If you have a competitor that's recently overtaken you in search position, it's important to take a look at this page and analyze it for its content and structure.

Does this new page offer information or language that you're missing? Is the page targeting long-form or short-form content on CBD products? More importantly, what are the top five pages doing that you may not be?

Conducting a bit of competitor analysis can help you see where the gaps are for your content, helping you create better pages to compete with.

2. Check the Relevance of Your Lost Pages

If you have a page that used to perform well on Google but isn't anymore, it's good to re-evaluate the relevance of the page.

Using tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics, you can see firsthand what kind of search queries people were making to get to your page; are these queries still applicable? Or, does the content need a bit of updating? After all, the world of CBD advertising moves pretty fast around here.

3. Ensure Your SEO Basics Are Up-to-Par

It may sound simple, but sometimes, your lost pages all come down to some header tags, meta-descriptions, or alt text.

Take the time to ensure that your SEO basics are where they should be, and that every page and blog post is structured and functioning as effectively as possible. A poor meta-title may seem small, but it can have a huge impact on your traffic when you're surrounded by better, more engaging titles.

4. Do you have enough backlinks?

As an average the top CBD companies acquire 300-500+ backlinks monthly - like medterra, cornbread and other ones. If your strategy covers only 10-20 per month (as an average we see in the market) - IT'S NOT ENOUGH.

5. Publish New, High-Quality Content

One of the best ways to restore your numbers after a Google update is to continue curating new, high-quality pieces of content.

When you slow down your content production, Google ads notices this! And while updating old pieces is very helpful, it's integral to ensure that you have a steady flow of new content for Google to pick up and start evaluating.

It's also important to guarantee that your content is as accurate as possible. You must be careful when navigating the world of CBD food additives and FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, as Google ads policies won't want you advertising accidentally false claims. Defining legal THC limits can also be helpful, as ads promoting higher THC content may cause red flags on Google.

Remember, that the only FDA-approved pharmaceuticals with CBD is Epidiolex, so you must be careful with nomenclature when writing about CBD food additives or other hemp-derived CBD products.

6. See if Your Reviews Align With Google Ads Latest Update

Finally, in the event that your brand has seen a particular impact on your CBD products review pages, it would be worthwhile to go over Google's new review standards in-depth to guarantee that your content aligns with what they're looking for.

You read all about Google ads policies the latest review update and its nitty-gritty details by clicking here.

page experience growth thanks core web vitals

7. After all - Pagespeed is KING!

The Rules are as easy as pie. If your website is not going under page speed experience requirements - you'll never grow again.

More good pages you have - more impressions. Less good pages - less traffic.

Staying On Top of the Latest Google Search Updates

Google makes 1-10 algorithm updates per year, making it difficult to stay on top of when major changes happen — and understand how these changes may affect your CBD advertising. Thankfully, once we're aware of these updates and their implications, it becomes easier to work with them, figuring out how to better mold our SEO practices to what Google's looking for.

If you've found that the latest Google update for CBD products has had a direct impact on your cannabidiol brand, it's integral to take the time to familiarize yourself with the nitty-gritty changes that have been made.

Then, CBD Local SEO can help you bounce your CBD business back, preparing for the next Google algorithm update when it comes.

If you would like us to assist you with March's Google Update Recovery just press "Book an estimate" button and we'll reach out to you shortly.

March's 2023 Google Update Restoration Checklist

We have analyzed 100+ websites regarding this update and what's exactly affecting your rankings. At the bottom of the document we showing a case study where we got from 150K to 1K daily clicks on "cbd gummies" and what influenced this growth.