SEO research on online searches related to CBD shows that 2 countries share the first place. France and the UK have the highest number of searches per capita. The SEO research we realized in 31 countries also shows significant differences in the keywords used.
Follow us into the beautiful world of CBD online; it may surprise you!
Summary
- Introduction
- Methodology
- What are the most searched CBD-related keywords per country?
- Volume/difficulty ratio: ranking of European countries
Introduction
Cannabidiol (or CBD) is a substance increasingly marketed in Europe. It is often found in the form of oil but sometimes also in candy. This popularity is reflected in the searches related to CBD done on Google.
We have researched the keywords related to CBD in 31 European countries. The results show significant differences between countries, both in terms of volumes and the nature of the searches.
If you only have 30 seconds
- We have realized research on online search volumes for CBD-related keywords in 31 European countries.
- The research shows that the UK and France realize the most searches per capita.
- The research highlights that in the majority of cases, Internet users are looking for information on CBD oil
- The difficulty of ranking on the 1st page is elevated in most countries. However, the research reveals that some niches combine high traffic with low difficulty.
- In this article, we present a new SEO metric that will allow you to determine at a glance the value of investing time on a keyword; based on monthly volume and difficulty
Methodology
The analysis of Google searches related to CBD has allowed us to rank the countries of the Old Continent according to the volume of monthly searches they generate. But first of all, we would like to specify that we distinguish between the total volume of searches related to CBD and the volumes specific to each query.
(source: Ahrefs)
All the SEO data collected was taken from Ahrefs, while the demographic figures were taken from the Eurostat 2020 report. All of this was organized in a spreadsheet, and we assigned for each of the countries examined:
- its population
- the number of searches for “CBD”
- the total volume of searches on the subject “CBD”
- the difficulty of the keyword “CBD”
- the most searched keyword after “CBD”
- search volumes per 1000 inhabitants
- the ratio of search volumes according to the difficulty of the keyword
Statistics on the CBD market in Europe
- 500 million potential CBD consumers in Europe
- European market value: $1.9 billion in 2020, estimated to reach $25.8 billion in 2027 (link in English)
- 400 French sales outlets in 2021 (link in French)
- More than 800,000 monthly searches for the word “CBD
- About 5.7 million Google searches related to CBD each month
What are the most searched CBD-related keywords by country?
The results show that “CBD” is not necessarily the most popular keyword. In most countries, the first place is occupied by a combination of keywords. In almost 1/3 of the cases, the most popular search is for CBD oil. Indeed, there are many questions about its use and the associated dangers.
Apart from oil, “CBD drops” is a search that has met with some success in the Czech Republic and Slovenia. But also, “CBD [name of the country]” comes first in Portugal. This reflects targeted searches for local sales outlets.
For example, “CBD [oil]” is searched 640000 per month in Europe, 200000 less than “CBD.” From this small gap, consumers have an intense desire to obtain information about the nature and even the purchase of a derivative product. The following map shows which aspect of CBD attracts the most curiosity of Internet users on the continent.
Volume/difficulty ratio: ranking of European countries
(source: Ahrefs)
To compare the countries, we have reduced the search volumes to the number of inhabitants.
In the table below, we present the TOP 10 results related:
- to the single keyword “CBD
- to all the keywords associated with CBD
| Country | Total volume of research (per 1000 inhabitants) | Volume of searches on the word “CBD” (per 1000 inhabitants) |
| United Kingdom | 19.4 | 1.4 |
| France | 17.8 | 4.3 |
| Germany | 16.8 | 1.6 |
| Slovakia | 13.9 | 2.5 |
| Austria | 12.4 | 1.5 |
| Poland | 11.8 | 1.8 |
| Switzerland | 11.5 | 1.9 |
| Netherlands | 10.3 | 0.8 |
| Czech Republic | 9.5 | 2.4 |
| Hungary | 8.2 | 0.6 |
Thus, the United Kingdom and France are the most interested in CBD, with 1.3 million and 1.2 million monthly searches! Note that France is the country that searches the most for the single keyword “CBD” on Google, followed by Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Finally, Germany, Austria, and Poland also get a high score per capita.
Statistics on the CBD market
- The United Kingdom, 2021: CBD market has become the second-largest in the world
- Slovakia is the last EU country to legalize CBD, March 2021
We have worked with “difficulty classes” to penalize KD that are too high. Despite opposed SEO realities, some countries can have a similar volume/difficulty ratio.
The following illustration shows the European portrait of the online CBD ranking according to our Volume/KD score.
(source: Ahrefs)
The Czech Republic, Poland, and especially Slovakia turns out to be countries with under-exploited SEO potential. Let’s take the case of Slovakia: the combinations “CBD olej” (oil in Slovak) and “CBD” accumulate more than 30,000 monthly searches, all for a very low difficulty of access to the first page of results. The reason is simple: it is the last state to have legalized CBD in Europe.
Finally, after Central Europe, it would be wise to focus your SEO efforts on Belgium, Sweden, and Portugal. These countries have achieved relatively high volume/difficulty scores compared to their neighbors: this is where the best opportunities to enter the CBD market in these parts of Europe are to be found! Note that some agencies are now purposely focusing on SEO CBD like this one.
