Franchise marketing is important in increasing your brand visibility and getting constant customers. Marketing for franchises is slightly different than normal marketing efforts.
This is mainly because of the amount locations a franchise has to serve. Each of these locations has different needs and wants regarding marketing.
One of the fundamental parts of franchise marketing is doing SEO. Mainly franchise SEO. However, whether you are doing franchise SEO or normal SEO, there are things that you have to check for the best results.
We created an SEO checklist of 11 points for franchise marketing efforts. By following this checklist, you can ensure that your SEO is on point.
Also Read: Franchise Digital Marketing Strategy
11 SEO checklists For Online Franchise Marketing
Here are 11 SEO checklists For Online Franchise Marketing
1. Create different content for each location
The most important thing about SEO for franchise marketing is to create content depending on the location. Not every location is the same.
You will have different customers coming in and what they like and need is different. That is why you have to make separate content for each location.
When you are creating content for a different location, make sure to create something from scratch about that location. You shouldn’t use the parts and bits from other locations.
When you make separate content, your SEO will rank higher on the search results for that specific location.
2. Including internal and external links
Adding internal and external links within your content makes the content indexable. It allows search engines to understand what you are talking about easier.
Also, with external links, the website authority has to be high. This way, the search engines can understand better whether your content is quality or not.
Including internal links will allow your visitors to jump around your content more. When they go from one continent to another, your website’s popularity will also increase.
This will result in your website ranking higher on search results. Internal linking is also an amazing way to cross-sell.
The only use of external links is to make your content easily indexable and trustworthy for search engines.
3. You make sure that your content is readable with quality content
When you write and publish content, you should want to read that content yourself. If you feel like you are getting bored or it feels too complicated, your content is not quality enough.
Even if you can’t stand reading the content, you can’t expect others to stand reading it. These are some of the things to help your content be more quality:
- The title and the topic under the titles have to be interesting
- Your content must be longer than 1000+ words
- Don’t repeat the same thing all the time
- Aim for clarity
There are also other things to be careful about when creating quality content, but these things are fundamental. Perhaps the most important thing is to make your content clear to read.
It has to be easy to read and not stuffed with unnecessary words. These not only lower the quality of content but also makes it harder to read and understand.
4. Make sure your content is mobile-friendly
While creating content, you add images or other types of visuals along with different H1, H2, or other headings.
Your website design might be compatible with mobile phones, but your content doesn’t always fit into mobile phones.
You have to ensure that your content is compatible with mobile phones by using the right visuals and heading tags.
For example, your call-to-action buttons should be small and clear. Know what your users will be looking for and make it easier to scroll through.
Ideally, the content should go from the most generic topic to the most niche one. The best way to check it is to use your own mobile phone to see the content.
5. Doing deep research on keywords
The bedrock of a successful SEO is doing very deep research on the keywords to use. The keywords allow search engines to rank you on the search results.
Yet, you have to use the keywords extremely carefully. If you use too much, search engines will ban you. If you don’t use enough, it will not be enough to rank on the results.
Using Google’s keyword planner or other external resources like SEMRush could be a good idea to start. You can first do a generic search on your main topic keyword.
Then, looking at the suggestions or the questions that come up on the results, you can narrow it down. Having one to three keywords to use with one main keyword is ideal
6. Short and explanatory meta descriptions
Meta descriptions are small previews of a page. They describe the content of the page as simple as possible.
Its purpose is not only to inform the reader before clicking on the link but also to help search engines.
Sometimes, Google automatically puts a section from the text into the meta description. Depending on the search you make, this meta description could change.
The main point of the meta description is to give a basic idea so that the search engine can understand it better.
Using the information and keywords on the meta description shows the people more related pieces on the search results. A meta description must also involve the main keyword.
7. Adding at least one type of visual
Your content must be lively. While reading the text, a reader must enjoy and not burden themselves with a bunch of text. Adding some visuals, either images or videos, helps the reader understand the content better.
In addition to this, it also helps to read the material easier. Visuals are not only for an easy read. Visuals also help your SEO.
By adding the right visuals, search engines can put you in front of your audience. If your visuals are related to your content, especially if they are unique, your changes to rank higher on the results will be bigger. You can also use a stock picture, but the visual must be related to your content.
Check out our Franchise SEO Services that drives Revenue.
8. Try to focus on building backlinks
Search engines will look for quality backlinks to index your page and understand whether it is trustable or not. Backlinking means when other websites link your website in their content.
Suppose a high domain authority website uses your website in its content and links it. In that case, Google knows this is important because a high-ranking quality website uses your content believing it is trustable.
It is one of the best methods to increase the trust of search engines. However, this is also probably the hardest thing to do because you can’t do it yourself. Other websites have to do it.
To make this happen, you need to constantly create quality and unique content. People will see this and add your content to their website.
9. Write your own content and be unique
If another one of your content is out there or even a similar one, this will hurt your SEO. Google or other search engines takes this very seriously.
Using plagiarized content will probably get you banned from the search results. Writing unique content will not only help your content to rank higher. It will also help your visitors to get valuable information.
10. Add image alt tags
When you add a visual to your content, the search engine might not be able to scan it fully. Sometimes search engines don’t even scan the visual at all. You have to tell the search engine that there is a picture of something there.
The way to do it is via alt tags. Adding image alt tags or video alt tags to your visuals, you help the search engines.
Search engines will see that there is a picture of something there. Ideally, your alt tags should include your keywords, too. If you used a picture from another website, linking that website in the alt tag is also a good idea. This way, you will not steal someone’s image, and it also helps your website’s authority.
11. Make sure your content is not short but not too long
Another thing to be careful about is the length of your content. If you make your content short, the search engine understands that you are not providing detailed information about the topic.
It will also not be useful for your readers. Creating content that is at least 1000+ words long is the optimal method.
It is enough to give the context of the topic to the reader and the search engines to index you better.
The Verdict
SEO is the leading method to generate leads for any kind of business. It gets complicated and more important for franchises because franchise marketing needs to focus on multiple locations, topics, audiences, and many other diversified bases.
You need a handy SEO checklist for your online franchise marketing efforts.
This checklist includes unique franchise SEO attributes, such as creating content for each location, and traditional SEO checklists, like the length of the content, alt tags, and keyword research.
Sources
Amit Gupta is the founder of DrFranchises – a digital marketing agency that helps brands rank better on Google Maps through local SEO strategies. Amit has over 11 years of experience in digital marketing, SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing. He’s also the owner of multiple franchises and has helped countless brands achieve success online. When he’s not working, Amit can be found playing with his dog.