Franchise SEO On A Local And National Level
by Tom Johnston
Owners of multiple-location local businesses, or franchise owners, are faced with a unique set of challenges and issues in regards to search engine optimization. The truth is more brands than ever before are going online to compete for search engine visibility. Corporate-backing from a franchise model doesn’t automatically mean you’ll do well in the local search results.
As far as things you can do to improve your rankings, there’s a number of things you can do. Throughout this post, we will discuss five ranking factors you should know about. A lot of the factors actually centers around a form of marketing called content marketing.
On the other end of things, there’s another issue website owners face. The issue is problems from SEO campaigns that were performed in the past. Problems with past advertising campaigns should be addressed immediately before you do anything else. With that said, here’s a few ranking factors you’ll want to keep in mind.
1. SEO problems You Should Be Aware Of- SEMrush published a great article about the main SEO issues franchise businesses usually run into. Duplicate content was one of those issues, and so was interlinking and domain health and risks. Those issues could be the reason why you are struggling with search engine optimization, which means you’ll want to pay close attention to those things.
Your content has to be different from content you published in the past and it has to not be thin, especially when it pertains to location pages. The best way to look at things is to think of each location page as a mini-site for that specific location and then publish quality content on each page. Don’t forget about adding unique descriptions and adding some quality videos and images.
As for on-page SEO, remove interlinking if it’s not necessary. Take a close look at your backlinks too. You want your site up to par when it comes to backlinks, and if you can afford it, then hire an SEO agency to audit your site. Most people who are involved with the SEO industry will recommend the same thing.
Sure, it’s expensive to hire an SEO expert and they can easily charge thousands to audit a small site. You can expect to pay a lot of money if you have a big site. Remember, removing backlink clutter takes time and effort, but you can do it on your own. The choice is ultimately up to you, but hiring an SEO expert is well-worth the investment.
2. Mobile Is Where It Is At- Have you cleaned up your link issues? If so, now you’re probably wondering how to get ahead in other ways. Mobile is where it’s at, and that is where you should focus your attention. You want to capture mobile users, encourage reviews and clean up directory listings.
More people are using mobile phones to search the internet for information than people using desktop computers to perform searches online. With that said, all of your pages should be using unique H1 and H2 titles and you should be incorporating SEO-friendly URLs. If you want to increase your chances of ranking in the search engines, then you’ll want to localize with a purpose and continue to think about both your content marketing and search engine optimization efforts.
3. Location Pages- In the past, an article was published on Business 2 Community’s blog and it provided five great tips. One tip was to get your site right. Other tips included optimizing your site’s location pages, leveraging your other franchise locations, addressing your online footprint and calibrating your business listings.
As far as location pages go, you want Google to have accurate info about your physical locations. This is important, especially with Google My Business pages and the increasing numbers of searches being conducted via mobile. If you’re not already doing so, then make sure you are catering your listings to mobile search users because Google factors in all kinds of location-specific info when it analyzes queries from mobile devices.
4. Consider Business Listings- A business listing includes info such as name, address, phone number and operating hours. Those four things are all things Google wants to see and this is because people who are familiar with your business wants to see them. So does your prospective customers.
When consumers type in a business-specific word, such as a location that appears after the name of your business, then it’s a strong signal for your information. Believe it or not, but many businesses actually don’t pay close attention to their listings, and when it comes to franchise SEO, keeping track of listings should be of the utmost importance. You’ll want to always include the basic info about your business and then you’ll want to research tips and advice on how to take your business listings to another level. The key is to always learn about the latest ethical SEO techniques that can help you with this.
5. Leveraging Franchise Models For Search Engine Optimization- Don’t copy past efforts and don’t waste your precious resources. For example, if one franchise worked on a social media campaign, then don’t have another franchise work on the same exact thing the following day. If you want to unleash the power of the network effect, then consolidate efforts.
So, how can you make sure your franchise locations know what one another is doing? That’s easy because just make sure they are talking to each other. It’s all about communication and making sure nobody is duplicating efforts.
Franchise businesses have many options when it comes to ways to improve their search engine rankings. Sometimes it’s a matter of making small changes, as well as being committed to content marketing. Remember, Google loves crystal clear business info, so always provide them with info that is accurate.
Have you been hit with penalties from the search engines or are you struggling with Search Engine Optimization? If so, then start analyzing your backlinks and focus on localizing content. As a franchise business owner or someone who runs multiple-location local businesses, you’ll want to place a lot of emphasis on mobile search engine optimization.
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly because if it isn’t, then you’re going to miss out. Also, keep the above information in mind because it can come in handy. With that said, take in what you’ve just learnt and start using it to your advantage.