How do you actually rank in local SEO?

My Google rankings are performing poorly, which is quite frustrating. Our brand terms aren't appearing at all in search results.

You need to do the competitor analysis to see what exactly they are doing to get on the 1st page. And check how many pillar contents they have created that are supporting their main pages throughout the website.

Focus on developing your EEAT. Add about pages of founder/ owner(if not done already). Link out social profiles. Add person schema. Google is focusing more on entity relationships (Owner and business) rather than backlinks

Local SEO isn't just about links. Proximity, correct GBP categories, strong on-page location signals, and consistent citations matter more. Also look at user engagement. Sometimes competitors rank higher simply because they're closer to the searcher.

If your backlinks are stronger than competitors and you’re still stuck on page 2, it’s probably not a link issue.


In local SEO (especially cannabis), rankings usually come down to:


• Proximity to searcher
• GBP engagement (recent reviews, posts, CTR, calls)
• On-page geo signals + local schema
• Behavioral signals (clicks, dwell time)
• Listing age & trust


Most agencies focus on links. Local SEO is about relevance + engagement.


Page 2 means you’re close — you’re likely missing 1–2 key local signals, not 100 more backlinks.