Why is my competitor ranking above me on Google in Cornwall?

If a Cornwall competitor ranks above you, it is almost always because Google trusts their page more, not because their business is better. Three things usually explain it: they have more or better reviews, their pages target the exact town-plus-service search more clearly, or they have more links and older content pointing at the right pages. Age helps too. A site that has been consistently active for 5 years carries more weight than a fresh one. The good news is none of it is fixed. Match their reviews, sharpen your page titles to name your town and trade, and build genuinely useful pages that earn links. That is exactly the gap proper Cornwall SEO is built to close.