Case study · Canada · SEO · Dec 2024 to Oct 2026
Owning “Canada data sovereignty” in search
Across 185 tracked Canadian keywords, search visibility for a Canadian cloud service provider rose from 6.1% on September 2, 2026 to 13.7% on October 1, 2026, 3.4x its nearest competitor, OVHcloud. It ranked #1 on Google for 14 sovereignty and Canadian cloud terms, all inside the AI Overview.
What were the results?
| Result | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 13.7% | Canadian search visibility on Oct 1, 2026, up from 6.1% on Sep 2 | Semrush Position Tracking, Google Canada, 185 keywords |
| 3.4x | The visibility of the nearest competitor, OVHcloud (Sep 30, 2026) | Semrush Position Tracking |
| 14 | Sovereignty and Canadian cloud terms at #1 on Google, all inside the AI Overview | Semrush Position Tracking, Oct 2026 |
What was the challenge?
In December 2024 the client's visibility across 185 tracked Canadian keywords was 1.6%. By spring 2026, OVHcloud had pulled ahead on the same sovereignty terms (9.96% vs 6.94% in March 2026).
What did I do?
- Made the sovereign cloud page the pillar for Canadian data-sovereignty searches.
- Published one guide covering data residency, data sovereignty and the US CLOUD Act (June 18, 2026).
- Refreshed both pages in late September 2026 and tracked the full Canadian keyword cluster daily against competitors.
Which terms reached #1?
| Keyword | Searches a month | Ranking page |
|---|---|---|
| canadian based cloud storage | 170 | Sovereign cloud page |
| data residency | 140 | Data residency and sovereignty guide |
| data sovereignty canada | 140 | Data residency and sovereignty guide |
| canada data sovereignty | 110 | Data residency and sovereignty guide |
| cloud act canada | 70 | Data residency and sovereignty guide |
| cloud providers in canada | 70 | Sovereign cloud page |
| canada sovereign cloud | 50 | Sovereign cloud page |
| canadian sovereign cloud | 50 | Sovereign cloud page |
Plus 6 more sovereignty terms at #1. Source: Semrush Position Tracking, Google Canada, October 2026.
What should you know before reading too much into it?
- Visibility here is Semrush's estimate of click share across the 185 tracked keywords, not traffic.
Who did this work?
I did this work in-house as the lead for AI search visibility and organic growth at a Canadian cloud service provider, 2024 to 2026. The client isn’t named. Numbers come from Google Analytics 4 and Semrush, with client details blurred in the screenshots. Download the slide deck (PowerPoint) for the charts.