If you’re running a franchise, visibility for your local businesses is crucial. You might have brand recognition, but that won’t help if no one can find you when they search.
Google wants to serve the best, most relevant local results. If you give Google what it wants, you’re more likely to show up. If you don’t, it becomes a much bigger challenge, no matter how big your parent brand is.
That’s where a franchise SEO campaign comes in. It’s how you make sure every location earns its spot in local search results. Here’s what you need to know.
What Is SEO for Franchises?
Franchise SEO is about getting found by the right people in the right place at the right time.
You’ve got a name people recognise, which is great. But if each location doesn’t show up when someone searches near them, you’re leaving money on the table.
So what is SEO for franchises? It’s search engine optimisation, done with both local reach and scalability in mind. Local franchise SEO services are about attracting the right kind of traffic: customers who are ready to walk in, call, or book an appointment.
It makes your local pages rank. It gives each unit a fighting chance in its own area. And when you do it right, it scales. You get location-level wins and brand-level growth.
Who Is Franchise SEO For?
Franchise SEO is for any business that operates in multiple locations under the same brand but wants each of those locations to win locally. Have a chat with Perth’s SEO experts to learn if our franchise SEO services are right for you.
The Difference Between Franchise SEO and Other SEOs
Franchise SEO is not the same as traditional SEO. Here’s how it’s different.
1. Multiple Franchise Locations Means Multiple Challenges
With a regular small business, you optimise one site for one audience in one market.
With a franchise, you’re managing:
- Multiple business locations
- Multiple audiences and demographics
- Different teams (and possibly different goals)
- Shared branding that still needs local flavour
You can’t just write one home page and call it a day. You need to localise at scale. That means writing specific content for each area.
At the personnel level, it’s also critical to ensure franchise owners (also known as franchisees) fully understand your brand and messaging as well as their obligations. This helps keep your brand consistent across all your locations, which is why it should be integrated into a franchise SEO strategy.
2. You’re Playing Two SEO Games at Once
Franchise SEO lives at the intersection of local SEO and broader enterprise SEO.
You’re optimising each location’s Google Business Profile so it ranks in local searches. At the same time, you want to protect the main brand franchise website so it carries domain authority across the board.
You can’t just target broad keywords like “window installation.” You need to zero in on “window installers in Perth” and make sure that the page is connected to the overall site structure.
3. Local Signals Matter More Than You Think
When it comes to local SEO for franchises, Google cares a lot about signals like local backlinks and customer reviews with location references.
Say your pages don’t have these, or all your locations use the same generic copy. The algorithm will treat them as duplicates, and you may not rank as highly.
4. Brand Consistency vs. Local Content
You need your brand voice and visuals to match. When you do this, you build trust.
Smart franchise SEO holds on to consistent branding for franchise businesses but gives you space to personalise every page to its market.
5. You’ve Got to Delegate Local SEO Strategies
Many franchise owners try to hand a different local SEO strategy off to each location, but without a clear system, this can backfire.
You might end up with:
- Messy, off-brand content
- Inconsistent or inaccurate contact information between locations
- Broken or incorrect links
- Poor business review management
The better option? To have central oversight with local input. If you build a rock-solid SEO foundation at the brand level, you can then work with franchisees to add a local touch where it counts.
The Benefits of Franchise SEO
When done right, SEO for franchises turns every location into a magnet for local customers. Some of the best benefits include:
- More foot traffic and calls. Showing up more often when someone nearby searches leads to more visits, more bookings, more customers, and more revenue.
- Google Business Profile visibility. Each of your locations can rank in the local map pack, being especially valuable for targeting mobile users.
- Better brand consistency with local flexibility. You stay on brand across every touchpoint but still speak directly to each local market.
- Long-term organic growth. Organic keyword rankings build over time. Once you’ve built a strong organic rank, you can find a better balance with any ad budget. This saves you money and builds authority.
- Attract new franchisees for expansion. Franchise SEO strategies are a great way to catch the attention of potential franchise owners who can manage new locations, fueling further brand growth.
- Better review management for each location. Reviews influence both SEO and buying decisions, making responding to them a key factor in franchise SEO efforts. A review management tool can be a great way to streamline this process.
Good Practices for a Local Franchise SEO Strategy
There are plenty of SEO practices that work well for franchises. We’ve listed some of our favourites below:
- Give each franchise its own page with its own address, hours, services, and as much unique local content as possible. Add a map, parking details, and any other information that would be helpful to your audience.
- Use location-based keywords. Instead of ranking for “plumbing service”, try ranking for “emergency plumber in Fremantle.” Every franchise should have pages that match what local customers actually type into Google.
- Set up and maintain your local business listings within Google Business Profile. Fill it out completely, and always respond to online reviews.
- Make sure your name, address, and phone number match your site and listings. If even one field is off, it can hurt your local visibility on places such as Google Maps. This makes it important to schedule a regular audit.
- Build local links where you can. See if you can partner with nearby businesses and join local directories. You could even sponsor local events.
- Use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to track online visibility and traffic to each location page. Watch for impressions, clicks, conversions, and keywords at each location and adapt where necessary.
Choose White Chalk Road for Trusted SEO Services
Looking for a team that understands the challenges franchises face when it comes to showing up online? White Chalk Road has got you covered.
We’re Australia’s longest-serving SEO agency, with decades of experience in building sustainable SEO strategies designed to get you the results you want. We understand all forms of SEO and are ready to help you grow with trusted marketing efforts.
From detailed keyword research to full-scale location optimisation, we build systems that can help every franchise location to thrive while keeping your brand strong and your results measurable. Get in touch with us today if you’re ready to get started.