Thursday, April 30, 2026
From Jobless to Award-Winning: Inside the Rapid Rise of a Cannabis Marketing Agency Cannabis Websites & SEO Earn 2026 Top Canadian Marketing Agency
Rob Rapiti didn’t set out to build an award-winning agency; he built a job.
As cannabis stores continue to close across North America under mounting competition, the longtime marketer found himself in a similar position during COVID, out of work, with no clear path forward. So he created one.
Drawing on experience dating back to 1997, he focused on one underserved space: cannabis, and began developing a system designed to deliver measurable results quickly.
Against that backdrop, Cannabis Websites and SEO, a division of The Mastermind Agency, has been named Top Cannabis SEO and Marketing Services in Canada 2026 by Cannabis Business Insights Magazine.
Conceived in late 2023 and launched in 2024, the agency has grown rapidly, supporting nearly 40 cannabis e-commerce and retail businesses and expanding from a two-person startup to an international team of more than 15.
President & CEO Rob Rapiti built the company after losing everything during COVID and being unable to secure employment. He borrowed money and built his own job, working six days a week, including Sundays, during the first six+ months to develop a system focused on cannabis search visibility.
Why they won comes down to three things: exceptional customer service, continuous site optimization for maximum profitability, and a system built to dominate local search.
The result is measurable.
While most SEO timelines suggest waiting 60–90 days for traction, Cannabis Websites and SEO have demonstrated early performance in as few as days. One client ranked and converted within the first 9 days, while another increased impressions by nearly half a million within six months.
Clients are achieving multiple page-one rankings for the same keywords, often pushing competitors to page two, where visibility drops off by 95% according to Google’s own data.
In highly competitive markets across North America, this level of search dominance has become a critical advantage.
“Working with Rob and his team changed how we think about our online presence. We’re not just showing up—we’re not just dominating key searches in our neighbourhood, but right across Toronto and the results speak for themselves.”
— Spiritleaf Little Italy (see case study)
Rapiti’s approach is rooted in nearly three decades of experience.
In 2027, he will mark the 30th anniversary of launching his first agency in 1997, originally serving the music industry, long before cannabis retail or AI-driven search existed.
“We often know more about their online market than they do before we even speak.”
Rob Rapiti says of his prospective clients. He goes on, “Now with AI, we need to ensure that all web pages are AI-proofed with AEO and GEO”.
The award from Cannabis Business Insights Magazine is based on subscriber nominations and evaluation by a panel of industry executives, thought leaders, and editorial staff.
Cannabis Websites and SEO continue to expand their reach, with search and AI-driven visibility already extending into the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and South Africa.
Rapiti also launched his AI avatar on LinkedIn this week, positioning himself as an early mover in the space.
Rob Rapiti is available for media interviews on cannabis retail closures, search visibility, the impact of AI on digital discovery, and the evolving role of SEO in the cannabis industry.
For Further information, please contact:
Arman Shuvo, Marketing Assistant
