Every franchise owner dreams of landing on the first page of search results when potential customers start typing. That’s a straightforward goal when you’re optimizing a single website, but what happens when you’re juggling 200 locations across the country? Suddenly, it’s a whole different ballgame.

In this article, we’ll explore franchise SEO for multi-location businesses, including where to start, how to execute a winning strategy, and the top tools built for this unique niche. 

What is Franchise SEO?

Franchise SEO is all about amplifying your online presence to pull in local customers and steer traffic to your franchise locations. It’s the art of fine-tuning your digital assets – websites, profiles, and content so that your brick-and-mortar stores or service teams pop up when nearby searchers are hunting for what you offer.

Here’s what matters most in franchise SEO:

• Local keyword targeting & links. Zeroing in on location-specific terms and building links to boost your rankings in local searches.
  
  
• Google Business profile optimization. Making sure your listings are sharp, accurate, and primed to stand out in map results.
  
  
• Localized content. Crafting pages and posts that resonate with the community around each location.
  
  
• Technical SEO fixes. Tackling behind-the-scenes issues like site speed, mobile usability, and clean navigation.
  
  

Whether running storefronts or service-based franchises, a well-executed SEO campaign is a game-changer. It’s not just about getting seen – it’s about building brand recognition, driving website clicks, and emails, and ultimately, closing more sales. But here’s the catch: franchise SEO isn’t as simple as slapping a city name in your page titles. It demands a smart, strategic approach to local search domination.

Challenges of Franchise SEO

Franchise SEO operates on two distinct levels: national and local. Each comes with its own set of strategies to master.

At the local level, the mission is to put each franchise location on the map, literally and figuratively, in its own community. This means optimizing for hyper-local search terms (like “coffee shop in [city]” or “urgent care near me”), ensuring every Google Business Profile is accurate and fully dialed in, and climbing to the top of map pack results. When someone nearby searches, your standalone franchisee must be the first name they see.

At the national level, this involves optimizing content for broader, industry-specific keywords, designing a website structure that seamlessly handles dozens or hundreds of locations, and maintaining a consistent brand identity – while still leaving room for that local flavor each market craves.

There is no one solution to franchise SEO. The right approach hinges on how your websites and digital assets are built. A one-size-fits-all strategy won’t cut it when you’re juggling multiple locations with unique needs.

To discover the best approach to developing your strategy, we suggest you research the main problems and tackle them together to produce an appropriate SEO plan for your businesses.

Subfolders, subdomains, or separate domains for each franchise?

Franchise SEO success hinges on website structure—subfolders, subdomains, or separate domains. The smart move? Use them all for maximum visibility and growth. Build microsites for franchisees on the main domain and a network of local sites to shield your brand and empower top performers. This also streamlines localized paid campaigns, boosts SEO, and ensures Google recognizes local branches correctly.

Why limit franchisees for your own convenience? Tools like SeoSamba FMOS eliminate the hassle, outshining WP Multisite with an all-in-one platform that blends marketing, CRM, eCommerce, CMS, and AI-driven content. What must absolutely be included on the website?

• Localized titles & H1 tags. Tailor them to each specific spot like “Best Burgers in [City]” or “[Service] in [Neighborhood].”
  
  
• Conversion-driven layout. Hit visitors with clear calls-to-action (think “Call Now” or “Get Directions”) right up top.
  
  
• Embedded map. Pinpoint the franchise’s exact spot so customers can find you without a hitch.
  
  
• Real photos. Show off the storefront and team, authentic visuals build trust fast.
  
  
• Short video or virtual tour. If you can swing it, this ups the wow factor and keeps visitors engaged.
  
  
• Service rundown. Spell out what this location offers - no guesswork for potential customers.
  
  
• Social proof. Highlight local reviews and testimonials to seal the deal.

Beyond design, content localization is the secret sauce for climbing search rankings. Sprinkle targeted local keywords strategically in key spots:

• Page title tags.
• Meta descriptions.
• Headers and subheaders.
• The opening paragraph.
  
  

Insight. Layer in location-specific details: full address, phone number, operating hours, and nearby customer reviews. This isn’t just fluff; it makes each page stand out to Google as unique and relevant while giving searchers exactly what they need to choose you.

These tweaks signal to search engines that your page is the real deal for that area, while also making it a one-stop shop for users hunting for your services nearby. More relevance, more clicks, more business.

Setting up business profiles on Google, Bing, and Apple

Want every franchise location to pop up when customers search “near me”? You’ll need rock-solid business listings on directories like Google Maps, Bing Places, and Apple Maps. These profiles don’t just help people find you – they also push your locations into Google’s coveted local map pack, that prime real estate at the top of search results. How to set up business listings?

Creating these profiles is free. Hit these links to get started:

• Google Business Profile
• Apple Business Connect
• Bing Places for Business

When setting up your profiles, don’t leave any details incomplete. Provide comprehensive information for each franchise location, including:

• Consistency is a concern for business phone numbers, names, and addresses (NAP).
• A clear description of your background, services, and purpose.
• Clear, high-quality photos of the storefront, staff, and products.
• Operating hours, accessibility features, and other services available.
• Regular changes, such as promotions or special events.
• Customer feedback and responses to encourage engagement.

Why Google Business Profile (GBP) matters most

Previously known as Google My Business, the Google Business Profile is the cornerstone of local SEO success. It is the primary data source for Google Search and Maps, directly influencing your local ranking potential. Prioritizing its optimization is a foundational step toward dominating localized search performance.

Insight. Imagine you own a car repair franchise. With a solid Google Business Profile (GBP), your locations are far more likely to show up for searches like “car repair near me” or “car repair open now.” Why? Google pulls directly from your GBP to match local intent with your location details.

To optimize your GBP, ensure you:

• You provide the correct contact information.
• Develop a compelling business description that contains the relevant keywords.
• Add quality pictures that depict your franchise.
• Post updates, events, and offers.
• Invite and respond to customer reviews.
• Add FAQs to address common customer questions.
  
  

Nail these steps, and your franchise will climb higher in organic search, pulling in more local customers.

List your business in local directories

Beyond GBP, keeping your business details current on directories like Yelp and Facebook Business Pages is a cornerstone of franchise SEO. These listings deliver a double win:

• Consistency validation. Google cross-checks your info across platforms to confirm accuracy.
• Boosted visibility. Many directories rank themselves well, giving your franchise extra exposure.

Aim for maximum coverage by listing in as many reputable, relevant directories as possible. Already listed? Use SEO tools to spot errors – like mismatched names or old phone numbers - and fix them. Then, hunt down key directories you’re missing to broaden your footprint.

When managing listings, ensure:

• Uniform NAP. Name, address, and phone number must match everywhere.
• Industry relevance. Stick to credible, sector-specific directories.

Updating multiple listings manually can take up time. Tools like SeoSamba streamline the process, letting you manage, publish, and track your information from one dashboard. It also handles review monitoring, duplicate removal, and local keyword tracking, keeping your franchise in pole position locally.

Technical SEO. Building local backlinks & optimizing website performance

Technical SEO is the engine that keeps your franchise website ranking high and user-friendly. It covers everything from page speed to mobile optimization and securing quality local backlinks to strengthen your digital presence.

Building local backlinks

Backlinks – links from other sites to yours – are like votes of confidence in Google’s eyes. The more authoritative the source, the bigger the boost to your rankings. For instance, a mention from a local news outlet can skyrocket your franchise’s credibility and search performance. Quality trumps quantity here. 

Try these tactics:

• Create link-worthy content. Share valuable insights – like a guide to car maintenance – that others want to reference.
• Tap local sources. Pitch to regional blogs, news sites, or directories.
• Analyze opportunities. Use backlink tools to find high-value sites ripe for linking.

Optimizing technical SEO for franchises

Technical SEO ensures search engines can crawl, index, and rank your site effectively while delivering a smooth user experience. Mess this up, and you’re looking at slow load times, clunky mobile navigation, and slipping rankings. Key areas to prioritize:

• Crawlability. Make sure search engines can access and index your pages easily.
• Mobile Optimization.  A responsive design is non-negotiable for today’s users.
• Page Speed. Faster sites keep visitors happy and rank better.

Google evaluates core web vitals to determine website performance. The three primary metrics to optimize are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). Main content should load in ≤2.5 seconds.
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP). Response to clicks should be ≤200ms.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Keep layout shifts ≤0.1 for stability.

You can check this via Google PageSpeed Insights. 

Insight. To further enhance performance:

• Fix crawl errors and broken links.
• Run Chrome DevTools audits to pinpoint slowdowns.
• Optimize images, enable lazy loading, and trim unused scripts.

Technical SEO isn’t a one-and-done task – it’s ongoing and can get complex. If managing it internally feels overwhelming, partnering with pros like SeoSamba can keep your franchise site finely tuned and ahead of the competition.

Ready-to-go solution for SEO for Franchise

With more than 15 years of digital marketing expertise, SeoSamba has earned its stripes as a go-to SEO and marketing automation platform for multi-location businesses and franchises. Franchise owners and operators have tapped into the company’s know-how to streamline SEO, manage business listings, and amplify their online presence.

SeoSamba delivers a full suite of services tailored to the distinct challenges of franchises, including automated SEO, local listing management, content distribution, reputation tracking, and performance insights. Its cloud-based platform strikes a smart balance: franchisors can oversee multi-location strategies from a central hub, while franchisees retain the flexibility to boost visibility in their local markets.

By leveraging SeoSamba’s tools, franchises achieve consistent branding, elevate search rankings across all locations, and drive more traffic, leads, and sales - all with less hands-on effort. It’s a proven solution designed to help multi-location businesses thrive in a competitive digital landscape.