Franchises are one of the most preferred options for those who want to run their business, but aren’t sure of how to go about it. Franchises offer such individuals the independence of a business ownership, supported by the benefits of a big business network. Moreover, the rate of success for franchises is higher than that of start-up businesses, since people are well aware of the products already, and the brand already has an established reputation and image, which means there is a considerable amount of less work to do as of what is required in a new start-up.
So, you already have the brand reputation in place. Brand awareness is also already taken care of. Product availability is at its maximum. All you have to do is look after the customers entering your store, and ensure to make the maximum sales. Sounds all rosy, doesn’t it? But, don’t forget, a rose is not only about beauty and scent; it’s also about the thorns below! The thorn here is about managing local SEO and improving online visibility. SEO best practices are required to optimize the website of each individual franchise location and create business listings in national and local directories. Although this is the responsibility of the franchisor, yet whether they do it right or not will also affect your franchisee business too. Anything wrong at one franchise location is certain to affect business at another location too. Hence, it is team work to maintain the reputation of the brand you’re having a franchise for.
SEO for franchise is quite different from general local SEO, considering which we’ve come up with a few franchise SEO tips that can help franchise websites rank high on SERPs and gain visibility, thus attracting new customers and boosting the possibilities of enhanced sales.
Consistent branding
The entire purpose of a franchise chain is to offer the same user experience at every physical location, which means that the online presence should be the same for each franchise store. That’s because people who visit one branch of a franchise will expect a similar experience at the other branch too. A similar layout and colour scheme for each franchise website will offer a good user experience. And, a good user experience is a very significant factor for ranking on SERPs.
Using the right NAP
It is absolutely essential to be particular about the name, address, phone number, and hours of operation for each website. Using the right format and being updated about each detail is critical for local SEO. Just like the colour scheme and layout, the NAP format should also be same across each website. Each location’s NAP can be used, while including corporate contact details in a separate section.
Building locality
Every location and locality is different; thus, while keeping the layout and colour scheme same is important, it is equally important to build locality into each individual website, depending upon the particular location and target audience. The franchisee pages must be optimized with the most search localized terms. Embedding a Google map of the franchise’s location is a good idea. In addition, direction details and a structured local business markup should also be included.
Using location-based keywords and content
Just like building locality is important, so is using location-specific keywords. A keyword tool can help find competitive keywords that can help people in the locality find the store. In addition, a localized content marketing strategy should also be in place, by blogging about topics that are related to the specific location or area of each franchise to attract customers better.
Getting listed on Google Business Profile
Creating a Google Business Profile listing for every individual business is important. Each location should have its own profile listing. Each listing can be set up under a common Google account, and franchise owners can be added as users to manage and control their listings. In addition, profiles can be created on other popular directories too, such as Apple Maps, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc.
While the entire system should be the same for every different franchise location, it is yet important to stay unique for each. If that’s becoming difficult to handle, partnering with a digital marketing company in Bangalore can help create a roadmap and a list of guidelines that every individual location must adhere to.
