Retention Marketing
May 27, 2025
Google remains the first place most shoppers turn to when they need a dispensary. According to Statcounter’s April 2025 data, Google still commands roughly 89.7% of global search traffic—an enviable slice of attention for any retailer. Yet for cannabis, the platform’s Dangerous Products & Services policy is as strict as ever. Google explicitly prohibits ads that promote, link to, or even imply the sale of cannabis or THC products. Violators receive escalating penalties that can end in permanent account suspension.
By
Zach
VP | CMO
Google remains the first place most shoppers turn to when they need a dispensary. According to Statcounter’s April 2025 data, Google still commands roughly 89.7% of global search traffic—an enviable slice of attention for any retailer.
Yet for cannabis, the platform’s Dangerous Products & Services policy is as strict as ever. Google explicitly prohibits ads that promote, link to, or even imply the sale of cannabis or THC products. Violators receive escalating penalties that can end in permanent account suspension.
So, how are cannabusinesses getting Google Ads? Here's a helpful “how-they-do-it” with a look at the more logical 2025-era tactics we use every day to grow dispensaries—without risking a Google smack-down.
Why Google Ads Still Put Cannabis Brands in the Crosshairs
Google’s policy treats marijuana the same way it treats unlicensed weapons or homemade explosives. The company now uses a blend of machine-learning classifiers and human reviewers to crawl:
Ad copy, headlines, and extensions
Destination URLs and every linked page
Image metadata and product schema
Structured data in shop menus or embeds
Anything that hints at THC, “flower,” “pre-roll,” or even “order online” for pickup can trigger immediate disapproval. Repeated strikes place the entire Google Ads account—sometimes all accounts tied to the same payment profile—on hold. When that happens, every campaign in the account history is wiped out, and your optimization data disappears with it.
How Some Dispensaries Still Manage to Appear in Google Ads
Can you advertise cannabis on Google Ads? Sure. You may have seen a sponsored result for what looks suspiciously like your competitor’s shop. Here’s the usual playbook for how a cannabis dispensary may achieve what appears to be a coveted ad:
Total Semantic Scrub – Every obvious keyword (“THC,” “weed,” “cannabis,” “dispensary”) is purged from ad text, image names, alt tags, and landing-page copy.
Decoy Landing Pages – Ads point to a minimal “wellness” or “CBD-only” micro-site that can be deleted if flagged. The real menu lives two clicks away—out of Google’s immediate reach.
Loose Geo-Targeting & Keyword Blending – Bids focus on broad terms like “herbal remedies Boston” or “alternative medicine delivery” rather than “THC gummies.”
Account Churn – As soon as disapprovals pile up, the advertiser closes the account, spins a new Gmail, credit card, and domain, and starts over.
Does it work? Sometimes, for a few weeks. Then Google’s crawler finds the buried menu link or cross-domain tracking pixel, the ad is yanked, and the budget (plus account history) vanishes. It’s a perpetual cat-and-mouse game that drains both cash and focus.
Risk vs. Reward: Is the Game Worth Playing in 2025?
Even a perfectly scrubbed campaign to get your dispensary or brand on Google Ads for cannabis exposes you to:
Budget Volatility – Random takedowns reset your learning period and spike your cost per click.
Lost Data – All historical performance data is erased when an account is suspended.
Brand Damage – A disabled Google Ads account can spill into other Google products you rely on, including YouTube and Google Business Profile.
Opportunity Cost – Every dollar you pour into a high-risk PPC loop is a dollar you’re not investing in channels that produce steady, comp-free growth.
When safer, equally scalable options exist, most operators decide the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
Alternatives to Google Ads for Dispensaries That Actually Deliver
Below are the core services we deploy for clients who want Google-level visibility without Google-level headaches. Each section links to a deeper dive on how we execute the tactic.
1. Organic SEO & Local Search
Organic rankings are still the number-one driver of high-intent traffic for dispensaries, so SEO services can be one of the best things you ever pay for to get eyes on your dispensary or business. A well-planned SEO framework optimizes:
Intent-Rich Keywords – “Dispensary near me,” strain names, product categories, and local modifiers.
On-Page SEO – Technical fixes, schema, and Core Web Vitals that keep Googlebot happy.
Local Landing Pages – City-or neighborhood-specific pages that capture voice-search queries like “open late near Albany.”
Authority Content – Blog posts and evergreen guides that answer common questions (“What’s the difference between live resin and rosin?”) and earn backlinks.
Paired with review campaigns and local citations, SEO compounds over time, giving you durable rankings Google can’t take away.
2. Conversion-Focused Web Design
A beautifully branded site is only half the battle—you need pages engineered to turn traffic into orders when it comes to web design. The best custom websites are:
Menu-Integrated – Seamless with Dutchie, Jane, Tymber, or I Heart Jane, so shoppers can add to cart without leaving the site.
Lightning Fast & ADA-Optimized – Built to pass Core Web Vitals and WCAG standards, which improves rankings and accessibility.
Mobile-First – Over 70% of dispensary traffic now starts on a phone; responsive templates load under one second on 5G.
When a user lands from Google organically or from Maps, the site does the selling—no paid dispensary ads needed.
3. Email & SMS Retention Marketing
Paid clicks are great, but owned audiences are better. Therefore, retention marketing can be one of the best investments for a very real return.
If you're not familiar with retention marketing, it's always a good idea to bring in an experienced marketing firm that specializes in cannabis. The regulations surrounding retention marketing can still be a bit iffy, so plans have to be laid just so to negate any issues.
Our Retention Marketing team handles:
List Growth – On-site pop-ups, QR posters, and post-purchase opt-ins tied to loyalty programs like Alpine IQ.
Segmentation – Separate flows for first-time buyers, VIPs, and price-sensitive shoppers.
Automations – Welcome journeys, “back-in-stock” alerts, and last-call sale reminders that run 24/7.
Most clients see 20–30% of monthly revenue originate from email and SMS—traffic you own outright and can’t lose to a policy change.
4. Programmatic Display, Native, and CTV
Cannabis-friendly dispensary ads networks such as Mantis and Safe-Reach run display, native, and connected-TV campaigns on hundreds of mainstream publisher sites that explicitly allow cannabis ads. Mantis alone serves billions of impressions across endemic and lifestyle media.
A good marketing team can help you build creative ads that meet each network’s guidelines, launch campaigns at the DSP level, layer on geo-fencing, and optimize bids daily—delivering broad awareness without Google’s red tape.
5. Content & Influencer Marketing
Short-form video, lifestyle photography, and educational blog posts do more than entertain—they earn backlinks and social proof that lift your organic rankings. A few ideas that can help you gain some traction include:
Create in-store reels, strain spotlights, and how-to tutorials for social media pages.
Inject your blog with lifestyle or expert pieces that represent your brand and may get backlinked.
Find micro-influencer partnerships for Instagram and TikTok.
Because the assets live on your channels, they keep driving engagement long after the initial post date.
6. Cannabis-Friendly Directories & Review Platforms
While Google Ads stays off-limits, Google Business Profile (GBP) remains a gold mine. Be sure to optimize your GBP with:
Accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data, UTM-tagged menu links, and weekly posts.
High-quality photos geotagged to your storefront.
Automated review-request systems that boost star ratings.
Complement GBP with paid placements on Weedmaps or Leafly—still the two directories that dominate SERPs for strain and product keywords. Enhanced listings and brand pages put your menu in front of shoppers already comparison-shopping.
Crafting an Integrated Strategy
None of these channels exists in a vacuum. A well-rounded cannabis marketing plan looks like this:
SEO & Content drive first-click discovery.
Optimized Website converts that discovery into an order.
Email & SMS bring the customer back at 1/10th the cost of a new click.
Programmatic Ads add top-of-funnel awareness in local markets.
Directories & GBP capture “ready-to-buy” users in real time.
Ready to Grow—No Google Ads Required?
Yes, a handful of dispensaries still “get away” with Google Ads for cannabis by hiding cannabis keywords, cycling throwaway domains, and praying Google’s bots stay busy elsewhere. But loopholes close fast, and penalties hit harder every year.
If you’d rather build lasting traffic, capture first-party data, and scale profitably, let’s talk. Our team has launched hundreds of compliant campaigns that out-rank, out-retain, and out-sell competitors—without dancing around Google’s ban.
Reach out today, and we’ll put together a custom cannabis marketing roadmap that works right now—and tomorrow.
