7 Franchise Web Development Tips that Franchise

Owners Need to Know

Owning and operating a franchise is a great way to expand a small business opportunity, create

financial security in a tenuous economy, and even generate substantial passive income over time.

Successful small business owners who franchise their business are able to step back somewhat

from the demands of business ownership. New, imaginative, and passionate individuals can step

up to the helm of the business ship, using their skills and talents to grow individual franchise

locations. Now, the work doesn’t stop when a small business owner decides to franchise. Instead,

the work simply shifts to include new demands, new requirements, and new marketing strategies.

One of these shifts is in the area of franchise websites and franchise web development. The

development and optimization strategies for a franchise website are quite different from the

strategies used to market a single small business. For this reason, many franchise owners hire the

services of a franchise marketing agency, like ClickTecs. ClickTecs has the resources,

experience, and industry knowledge necessary to create a brand new, effective marketing

campaign for a new franchise opportunity. Different tactics and strategies will be put into play to

transform a business websites into franchise sites.

A successful franchise website starts with these seven basic web development tips for franchise

owners. Implementing these strategies will boost a franchise website’s prominence on search

results pages and direct interested franchisees to the franchise opportunity.

Constant and Thorough Keyword Research

First, franchise websites must be managed constantly, and effective management requires

constant and thorough keyword research. Keyword lists are essentially maps that show what

consumers are searching for via search engines like Yahoo or Google. This information changes

every day, and staying abreast of the latest keyword trends will ensure that franchise sites are

leading consumers directly to the relevant pages. ClickTecs can perform keyword research and

niche market studies to decide for what keywords a franchise website should be optimized. This

is one of the most important steps of the entire process.

Geographically-Specific Keyword Optimization

It’s also important to consider geography when optimizing and developing franchise websites.

Many franchise owners want to expand their businesses locally. Local expansion is beneficial for

two reasons. First, the small business can open a franchise in a locale where customers are

already familiar with the business name, which drastically reduces the amount of marketing

efforts required to generate profits.

Second, many franchise owners need to regularly visit the franchise establishment to ensure that

quality, service, customer relationships, and daily operations are up to the franchisor’s standards.

If a franchise location opens up hundreds of miles away from the original business location, this

task becomes increasingly difficult. Optimizing a franchise website for local keywords will

direct local entrepreneurs to the franchise site.

Responsive Web Design

There is no getting around it: responsive web design is the future of web browsing, and it can

make or break a company’s reputation. Consumers are browsing on a variety of different devices

such as tablet computers, smart phones, and desktop computers. If a consumer visits a franchise

website on a tablet, for instance, and finds a poorly laid out website with convoluted content, he

or she may automatically assume that the franchise opportunity is of poor quality. This can be

devastating for the business.

ClickTecs employs a team of professional web designers who can work with franchisors to

optimize and develop a website for various devices. No matter what device a site visitor uses, he

or she will see the relevant franchise information displayed in an easily understood way.

Multiple Pages of Information

One common mistake that franchisors make when expanding their businesses is creating a

simple, one-page website and leaving their marketing efforts at that. One-page sites can be

beneficial for attracting page views, but they are becoming more and more ineffective at

generating leads and converting site visitors into interested franchisees.

Investing in a franchise is a massive, life-changing decision, and entrepreneurs cannot be

expected to make this decision lightly. If they visit two different franchise websites for two

different franchise opportunities, they will immediately begin comparing the information

contained on the sites. Multiple pages that answer all possible questions will alleviate an

investor’s hesitancy more effectively than a single landing page. ClickTecs can help franchisors

develop tiered-page websites that guide visitors through the learning process and lead to

profitable conversions.

Content-Oriented Web Design

This, of course, leads to the importance of content-oriented web design. Gone are the days when

flashy graphics and web design were enough to keep a site visitor clicking through page after

page. Consumers today are looking for content that is thoughtful, interesting, informative, and

easy to find. Content-oriented web design presents all the necessary information in a way that

consumers can quickly absorb. There is no hunting for answers to questions. There is no need for

constant clicking and backtracking to navigate through the website to find information.

ClickTecs can help develop franchise sites that are clear and concise.

Specific Landing Pages for Targeted Keywords

While web development and search engine optimization for the main page of franchise websites

must use general keywords, it’s also a good idea to diversify keyword strategies through the use

of landing pages. Consider a franchise opportunity for pest control in Toronto. Optimizing the

main page with keywords for a specific pest, like termites, would be detrimental to the entire site

because customers looking for ant, roach, or spider control would never find the main page.

Landing pages, on the other hand, are single pages created for highly specific keywords. The

landing page’s sole purpose is to direct consumers to the main page or to encourage consumers

to ask for more information. By creating more landing pages, a franchise website can target a

wider variety of consumer keyword searches.

Social Media Development and Optimization

Finally, franchise website development should work in tandem with a franchisor’s social media

strategy. Social media development and optimization, while not as complex as web development,

is an important part of overall marketing success. Many potential franchisees use social media to

find new business opportunities, and this method of attracting attention cannot be ignored.

ClickTecs can create social media development strategies that mirror web development tactics,

and this creates a seamless, consistent approach to marketing that will greatly benefit a

franchisor.

Web development is an important first step in franchise marketing. Hiring a marketing agency

like ClickTecs, which specializes in franchise web development, will ensure that none of these

significant tips are neglected during the most crucial stages of the marketing process.