You do not need to speak fluent SEO to run a dispensary, but you need enough vocabulary to read a report and question an invoice. These are the terms that actually come up, alphabetized, defined the way an operator would use them.
Skim the list once, then keep it open on your next agency call. Each definition sticks to what the term means for a cannabis business specifically, and where two terms get confused with each other, like citation and backlink, the entries say so.
Terms A to C
Backlink
A link from someone else's website to yours. Search engines treat quality backlinks as votes of credibility, and they are scarce in cannabis because mainstream sites hesitate to link to plant-touching businesses. One relevant local news link beats fifty directory entries.
Canonical URL
A tag that tells Google which version of a page is the official one when several URLs show the same content, such as menu pages with tracking parameters. Wrong canonicals quietly remove pages from search. It is one of the first things an audit checks.
Citation
A mention of your business name, address, and phone number on another site, such as Weedmaps, Leafly, or Yelp, with or without a link. Consistent citations support local rankings. A citation is not a backlink, though a single listing can contain both.
Click-through rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who saw your search listing and clicked it, reported in Google Search Console. High impressions with low CTR means the title and meta description need work before anything else does.
Crawling and indexing
Crawling is Google discovering your pages; indexing is Google storing them so they can rank. A page that never gets indexed cannot appear in search no matter how good it is. Search Console's page indexing report shows what got in and what got left out.
Terms E to I
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, the qualities Google's quality rater guidelines reward. Cannabis content touches health and money, so it is held to a high bar. Real authorship, accurate claims, and careful sourcing are how a site signals it.
Google Business Profile (GBP)
Your free business listing on Google, the one that powers the map pack and displays hours, photos, and reviews. For a dispensary it is the highest-value free asset in local search, and an unfinished profile is the most common local SEO failure.
Impressions
How many times your site appeared in search results, clicked or not, found in Search Console. Impressions rise before clicks do, which makes them the earliest signal that new content is starting to work.
Terms K to M
Keyword intent
The goal behind a search: informational (how do edibles work), local (dispensary near me), or transactional (buy live resin online). Pages succeed when their format matches the intent, not just the words.
Map pack
The block of three map results Google shows for local searches. Rankings there depend on proximity, relevance, and reputation, meaning reviews, categories, and citation consistency, not just your website. For most dispensaries this is where the money is.
Meta description
The short page summary that often appears under your title in search results. It is not a ranking factor, but it is your ad copy for the click, so it directly affects CTR.
Terms O to T
Organic traffic
Visitors who arrive from unpaid search results. In cannabis, where Google Ads is unavailable, organic traffic usually is the search strategy rather than half of one.
Schema markup
Code, usually JSON-LD, that labels your content so machines can read it: business details, FAQs, articles, products. It helps search engines and AI assistants present your information correctly and can earn richer listings.
SERP
Search engine results page, the page of results itself. When someone says a SERP is competitive, they mean the specific mix of ads, maps, and listings for that query, which is worth eyeballing before you write anything.
Topical authority
The credibility a site earns by covering a subject thoroughly rather than once. Twenty connected guides about concentrates will usually outrank one orphan post, because depth signals expertise across the whole topic.
Key takeaways
- Local terms, map pack, Google Business Profile, and citation, decide most dispensary revenue.
- Search Console vocabulary, clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position, is how progress gets reported.
- A citation is not a backlink; both matter for different reasons.
- Use the glossary to interrogate reports and invoices, not to become the practitioner.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these terms matters most for a dispensary?
Map pack and Google Business Profile. Most dispensary revenue is local, and the map pack is where local buying searches get decided. Learn those two entries first and the rest follow.
What is the difference between a citation and a backlink?
A citation is a mention of your name, address, and phone number; a backlink is a link pointing to your site. Citations support local rankings, backlinks build sitewide authority, and one listing can provide both.
Do I need to memorize all of this?
No. Bookmark it and read your next SEO report with it open. The goal is to ask sharper questions, not to do the work yourself.
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