For cannabis dispensaries looking to grow their online presence, a user-friendly website is a must. However, one often overlooked issue can hold a site back: slow page load times caused by widgets. Age-verification pop-ups, third-party menus, loyalty program sign-ups, chat boxes, and similar tools can enhance the user experience—but they can also slow your site to a crawl. In an industry where organic search traffic is invaluable, and customers often research dispensaries before buying, the performance of these widgets can make or break a site’s ranking on Google.
Why Speed and Search Ranking Go Hand-in-Hand
Page load speed isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore—it’s a ranking factor. Google prioritizes sites that offer a smooth, fast experience, especially on mobile devices. Metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) all play a role in search rankings. If your dispensary’s site takes too long to load because it’s bogged down by scripts and widgets, customers will leave before they even see your products. Worse, Google may demote your site in its search results, making it even harder for customers to find you.
How Widgets Slow Cannabis Retail Sites
Each widget—from menus powered by third-party services like Leafly or Weedmaps to sign-up forms and review displays—often requires its own scripts, style sheets, and server calls. Every one of these slows your site a little more. Add up a few different widgets on one page, and you could be looking at serious slowdowns. This can frustrate visitors and negatively affect your Core Web Vitals score, the key set of metrics that Google uses to evaluate user experience.
Optimizing Widgets Without Sacrificing Features
Fortunately, cannabis dispensaries don’t have to give up these helpful tools entirely. Instead, they can be selective and strategic. Begin by identifying which widgets truly add value to the user—for example, an age-gate is a legal requirement, but you may not need three different promotional pop-ups. Next, optimize the ones you keep. Many widgets allow for asynchronous or deferred loading, so they don’t block the rest of the page from appearing quickly. Consider lazy loading menus and third-party feeds so they only load when the visitor scrolls to them. It’s also a good idea to audit your code regularly with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to catch issues before they become costly.
Prioritize Speed, Improve Ranking
Your customers — and search engines — appreciate a smooth, speedy experience. Every second shaved off your load time increases the odds that visitors will stick around to browse your products. Prioritizing lightweight, well-optimized widgets also gives you a competitive edge in a highly regulated and competitive industry. In short, when it comes to your cannabis retail website, less really is more. Speed matters, and by choosing and using widgets wisely, you’ll boost your ranking, attract more visitors, and grow your business.