5 Local SEO Strategies Perfect for Franchises

Using successful SEO strategies can make a massive difference in the success of a company. If your company isn’t showing up on search engines, people won’t know about it.

SEO is a critical digital marketing tool because it allows people to visit your website. This creates additional traffic and opportunities for profit.

Local SEO strategies are particularly important because locals are most likely to become recurring customers.

To help you learn the best way to do this, these are 5 local SEO strategies to start incorporating into your franchises.

1. List Different Locations in Google Maps

When people are looking for a certain product or service, most turn to Google. If you have all your business locations listed on Google, potential customers will see GPS directions to each of your locations instantly.

To get your locations to appear in Google, you’ll have to create a Google Business Profile. You can do this easily by filling out the information on the homepage and then your locations will appear when someone Googles a business or product near you.

2. Use Location-Based Keywords 

Location-based keywords are critical for digital marketing for franchises. These keywords increase your visibility and it’s important to include them in titles, headings, and the body copy.

Examples of things to include are “restaurants in Austin, TX” or “barbers in Atlanta, GA.”

This is a great franchise SEO strategy that can convert people into customers.

3. Use Consistent Branding in All Locations

Another strategy to keep in mind is to use consistent branding in all your franchise locations. This makes your business easy to identify and locate. People will connect your colors and logs with your products no matter which location they’re visiting.

This helps people remember your business and connect your franchises as one.

4. Encourage Customer Reviews 

Online customer reviews are critical for a successful business. 91% of people ages 18-34-years old trust online reviews.

If you don’t have online reviews, potential customers might not think your business is legitimate. The more reviews (and good reviews) you have, the better.

More reviews will also help your business rank higher in Google searches. You can encourage people to leave reviews by giving discounts and rewards.

5. Clean Up Your Website

To increase your business franchise SEO, you also need to have a good functioning website. This is a critical element in digital marketing for franchises.

Be sure your website provides a positive user experience with helpful navigation tools. Your website also needs to be mobile-friendly, secure, and load quickly.

It’s also a good idea to make your website scalable so as the business grows, your website can grow with it.

6. Claim and Optimize Google My Business (GMB) Listings 

All the locations must have GMB listings. This could be the most effective means of ensuring that the franchise locations appear in the search on Google and Google Maps results. How to optimize is to claim each location’s GMB listing separately.  

Complete All Information: Fill out all the information such as the name, address, phone number (NAP), website, business hours, and categories for each location. 

Add Photos and Videos: Add images and videos like interior and exterior photos, team photos, and videos to make the listing more engaging. 

Request Reviews: Request customers to leave reviews because positive reviews can improve local search rankings and make the business more credible. 

Post Regular Updates: Utilize the post feature in GMB to announce promotions, new services, or events. 

7. Consistent and Accurate NAP Information Across All Listings

Ensure NAP consistency in all online directories; otherwise, the search engines as well as the customers would get confused by the same, thus damaging the local search rankings. 

Ensure Consistency: All locations of the franchise must have the same NAP information across all their listings on Google My Business, Yelp, Yellow Pages, and other local directories. 

Use a Citation Management Tool: Utilize tools such as Moz Local or Yext to ensure NAP consistency across all platforms. 

8. Build Location-Targeted Pages on Your Website 

Every franchise location should be assigned a distinct page on your website that will make its local SEO better. The following should feature on the pages:  

Location-Specific Keywords: Geo-targeted keywords are to be used including the city or neighborhood name, mentioning local landmarks, events, or feature relevant to the location. 

Unique Content: There should be unique content at each location page including a very brief description of the location, services offered, and all special features of the franchise.  

Location-Specific Meta Tags: Meta titles, descriptions, and headers are to be incorporated with localized keywords for better ranking in SERPs. 

Embedded Google Maps: Include an interactive Google Map for each franchise location so customers can easily find the store. 

9. Optimize for Mobile Search

A good portion of local searches is done with mobile devices. Therefore, it must be ensured that franchise sites are mobile-friendly. All pages for the locations and the entire website must be responsive enough to load in a smooth manner on smartphones and tablets. 

Mobile Optimization: Ensure that your website runs at optimal speed on mobile phones and other devices. Identify weaknesses in your site and apply fixes using Google PageSpeed Insights. 

Click-to-Call: Place a “click-to-call” button on mobile location pages that will make calling the franchise much easier. 

10. Leverage Local Reviews and Testimonials 

Online reviews are a strong ranking factor for local SEO and may influence customer choice. Ask your franchise locations to create positive reviews on Google, as well as other related platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor. 

Answer Reviews: Encourage the franchisees to respond to both positive and negative reviews to let the customers know that you care about their feedback. 

Add Reviews to Websites: Add reviews and testimonials to the page for each location on your website to help them trust and have social proof.  

Review Management: Establish a procedure to monitor and manage reviews across all locations. 

Now You Have Some Local SEO Strategies to Incorporate 

These are 5 of the best local SEO strategies that you can start incorporating into your business franchise today. These tips can make a huge difference in getting more customers through the door.

Plus, local customers are critical customers to local businesses. And remember, your competitors are probably using these strategies. So, don’t get left behind!

And if you want to learn about more ways to grow your business, be sure to check out the rest of our blog. We have a ton of other helpful articles to help your business be more successful!

Read Also:

• An Advanced Guide To Local SEO For Small Businesses (SMBs)
• Improving Local Search Engine Rankings: The Ultimate Guide