Oji Vape

As a local budtender in San Francisco, Adnan had been working in the cannabis industry since 2013. With the inevitable regulation and legalization of marijuana in California, medicinal and recreational users alike were searching for the next health-conscious option to consume cannabis products. The high demand for vaping batteries allowed Adnan to recognize the expansive opportunity to provide vaping supplies.

In 2015, Adnan originally began his operations under the name budtouchvape.com to produce custom-branded batteries, cartridges, and vape packaging. Like many entrepreneurial businesses, Adnan developed his clientele from industry networks and connections, going door-to-door to local dispensaries.

Various challenges limited his ability to grow, including his first mishap with Google search. BudTouchVape, named after one of Adnan’s offshore manufacturers, was thought to drive higher search volume due to its partial-match brand name for the keywords, ‘bud’ and ‘vape’. Unbeknownst to him, a partial-match URL served as a double-edged sword.

Due to federal regulations surrounding credit card processing for company names using cannabis-related keywords, BudTouchVape was flagged and was divested of its bank accounts.

The Birth of Oji Vape

Adnan remained resilient. The business quickly rebranded under the new name: Oji Vape. ‘Oji’, which translates to ‘uncle’ in Japanese, stood as a tribute to Adnan’s uncle whose entrepreneurial success in San Francisco had influenced his dream of building a business of his own.

After switching payment platforms and processors, Adnan knew he had to build up his online presence to attract customers. But in a competitive landscape where paid ads on search and social platforms regarding cannabis were aggressively monitored and removed, Oji Vape’s best alternative was to approach SEO.

Oji Vape engaged with several digital marketing consultants that specialized in SEO over the course of a year. What first appeared to be promising partnerships, only ended in empty promises. Scheduled deliverables were outsourced, his hired consultants didn’t take the time to understand his business, and their recommended campaigns used outdated SEO tactics that no longer applied to Google’s constantly-evolving algorithms.

Ultimately, Adnan felt left out of his own strategy. Oji Vape was provided only barebone data on reports with ‘no meat’, a sure sign his SEO had no data-driven strategy. At one point, his SEO budget was even reallocated for retargeting ads – a feeble attempt that led to <1% conversion rate.

“Pursuing paid/retargeting, and social was very difficult. Cannabis (still) has a very negative connotation with Google which makes it hard to run paid ads. Even if you do run an ad, you have to tread very carefully. SEO is a much better long term investment.”

Propped up only by his own offline sales, it immediately became clear to him. Adnan knew he had to cut his losses and quickly find a reputable agency to lift Oji Vape out of its struggles before it loses its opportunity in the flourishing cannabis industry.

On a brisk November morning, as Adnan sat back at his office desk in the Tenderloin contemplating his next move, he looked out the window with his laptop in front of him. He pulled up a simple Google search, ‘best SEO company in San Francisco’.

And that’s how he found Victorious.