Case Study: An Inside Look into How Highland Cannabis Increased Organic Search Results by 57%

About Client:

Meet Highland Cannabis, Kitchener's beloved mom-and-pop cannabis shop. Since their launch in February 2021, they've proudly served their community with local, craft, and independent cannabis products. They’re known for their stellar customer service and eye-catching store design, recognized by the Decorators & Designers Association of Canada. 

Goals:

Before teaming up with us, they sat at number 7 on Google Maps when you searched for "cannabis store Kitchener." Not bad, but they knew they had to do better to increase foot traffic and sales. As one of the first cannabis stories to open in Kitchener, they had a solid reputation and plenty of Google reviews. But they were facing serious competition. Between big box retailers and illicit distributors, Highland struggled to outrank its competitors online.

Solution:

Facing the challenge of standing out online, we optimized their website and Google Maps listing. Our goal? For Highland to secure a top-three Google Maps ranking for keywords like “cannabis store near me” to increase visibility and drive store visits. 

Results Call Out Section:

• #1 Ranking on Google Maps for “weed kitchener”

• 57.07% organic search increase

• 96.6K overall impressions

Results:

Within the first three weeks of working together, we got Highland to the number three spot on Google Maps. We’ve been working steadily with Highland on an ongoing basis ever since June 2021, and have landed them in the #1 spot on Google Maps for priority keywords like:

• “legal weed in kitchener”

• “legal weed kitchener”

• “marijuana kitchener”

• “weed kitchener”

Highland stayed on the top of Google Maps for six months before a Google algorithm update and aggressive competitors caused their rankings to slip. 

To get Highland back to the top of Google with backlinks, we launched our most successful digital PR campaign to date.

The project focused on “Camping and Cannabis” and ran from June 2021 to August 2022. It was featured notable industry media publications like  Leafly (domain authority: 7), Revista THC (domain authority: 44), and The Bluntness (domain authority: 41). 

The results? Thanks to these features, Highland saw an impressive 57.07% organic search increase and received 96.6K overall impressions.