Weedmaps Listings: Benefits, Costs, and Smart Alternatives

The Benefit of a Weedmaps Listing

Weedmaps is one of the biggest online cannabis communities, with thousands of ratings and reviews. It’s often compared to Yelp for cannabis. Since starting back in 2008, it has become one of the fastest-growing sites of its kind with an impressive number of visitors.

The site gets almost 6 million visits every month from people searching for a local place to purchase cannabis, and listing with them can significantly grow your dispensary’s visibility. A Weedmaps listing includes features like dispensary profiles, product menus, and exclusive deals, making it a valuable channel for discovery.

Historically, Weedmaps offered a range of price options—including a free brand page—making it accessible to businesses on any budget. But as legalization has expanded, pricing has increased dramatically, with some dispensaries paying more than $30,000 a month for top directory placement. Free brand pages are also becoming less common, creating new cost considerations for operators.

The bottom line? Cannabis directory listings are great, and it’s cool to be a part of a popular online community. But are listings really the way most customers find a local dispensary?

Organic Traffic with Search Engine Optimization

Nothing beats organic traffic, and Google remains the top driver of new customers to dispensary websites. When people search for local businesses—including cannabis retailers—they usually type their query directly into Google rather than browsing a directory.

Think about the last time you looked up a local business. Most people rely on Google. Only a certain percentage of customers are going to go through the trouble of getting on a directory rather than just picking up their smartphones and using the default search engine.

While Weedmaps connects with millions of cannabis shoppers, most customers default to search engines. This makes weed SEO a critical investment for long-term growth. As Weedmaps listing prices rise, dispensaries should weigh the benefits of marketplace visibility against the scalability of search-driven traffic.

Advertising options are limited in the cannabis space, and investing in SEO continues to be the best way for businesses to attract new customers. Listings are a great tool, and they should be a part of a comprehensive strategy, but you shouldn’t rely on them as your sole method of gaining new customers. You also need a powerful local SEO strategy for maximum exposure and website traffic.

The Bottom Line

We love platforms like Weedmaps—they’re an essential discovery channel with unmatched consumer traffic. But as pricing evolves, dispensaries should avoid relying on listings alone. A balanced strategy that pairs Weedmaps with SEO, programmatic advertising, and SEM ensures maximum exposure and sustainable customer acquisition.

Ready to Get Found Online?

Is your dispensary getting found on Google? MediaJel helps dispensaries get top rankings and build strong digital foundations to grow their customer base. Reach out to learn more.