In the world of franchise marketing, the traditional approach has been to have just one central website controlled by the corporate headquarters. This single website approach gives franchisees only a small presence, sometimes just a single page, on this corporate website. But as we enter an era of artificial intelligence and fierce competition in digital marketing, is this still the best way to go?
The central control strategy is based on the idea that having one unified online presence ensures that the brand looks the same everywhere, makes management simpler, and brings together all the marketing efforts of the franchise while maximizing how well it shows up on search engines. But this approach also means missing out on opportunities for local engagement and risks having content that gets stale when creativity is limited to a small or in-house team.
Some forward-thinking brands are starting to consider a different strategy: having multiple web domains.
SEO Advantage of Multiple Domains
Having multiple domains can be a big plus in the world of search engine optimization, or SEO. Each local domain can be optimized to show up better in local search results. This means more people finding the website through searches, which leads to more potential customers and more money.
Creating Content: The key is to use tools to make lots of high-quality, relevant, and unique content. The brand keeps control over the main ideas because the central team decides what they are. But the work of actually making the content is spread out across lots of local touchpoints. Tools that use artificial intelligence can help make unique content on a big scale while still following the brand’s rules. This method taps into the creativity of all the franchisees in an organized and targeted way.
Local Touch: Another great thing about multiple domains is that the content can be made to fit each local area. This makes the people in each area feel like the brand gets them and cares about what they want.
Getting Found Online: Current AI tools make it possible to create lots of content while also making sure it works well with search engines. This content is interesting and ranks high in search results, so more people find the website.
Some people, however, worry that having multiple domains might spread the power of the main website too thin. Including local domains alongside the main website does not prevent the main website from obtaining its own backlinks or appearing high in local search results on major search engines. By incorporating local websites, brands can perform the same actions that they could with their main websites, while also providing opportunities to enhance the directories of local franchisees and promote their activities further.
How Multiple Domains Help Franchise Sales
Having multiple domains also helps when a franchise business wants to grow. When a brand uses paid ads to target specific markets and combines that with more local websites, it gets more interest from people who want to buy franchises in those places. Anyone who has tried to open lots of outlets in one city knows that customers on one side of town might not know about the ones on the other side. Local online activity makes the brand show up better locally and can lead to more franchise sales. These leads are usually better because they already know about the brand from other franchisees’ websites.
Making the Change
Switching from one website to lots of them isn’t something that happens all at once. It’s a slow change that the corporate team leads. Brands still need a strong main website while also giving franchisees some space to do their own thing. The best way to do this is to mix things up and go slow.
Think of it like opening a bunch of new stores. You need to have a good main store and a good online store to get noticed in a crowded world. Just like the people who teach franchisees how to do things right and still let them be creative with their stores, the marketing team can help the franchisees while they start doing things on their own.
The corporate team still keeps control over the main things, like the main website and rules. But they also need a good system to help with the new websites, make things like ads and other things that help get people to see the content, and help make things with the help of artificial intelligence. This way, the franchisees get their own websites.
The websites can be changed to fit what each group of customers needs and wants. They can also show the brand in a way that makes sense for the people in that area.
Not every owner knows how to use the new access to the web. But with some easy learning and by getting ideas from other franchisees who know how to be creative online, this change can make more content faster. This content is also better because it’s made for the people who live in each place and still follows the brand’s rules.
In a world where big companies and brands with lots of money are in charge, the rules for online marketing are changing. A mix of online and offline work, sometimes with the help of AI tools, that lets the brand stay in control (but also lets the franchisees do things their own way) can help brands connect with customers better. This creates more interest and opens up new chances for growth.
How Your Online Capital Group Can Help Diversify Your Franchise
Moving from one central website to multiple web domains can be a big step forward in franchise marketing. It’s not just good for SEO; it also helps with making content, growing the franchise, and connecting with people in each local area. By keeping a strong main website and letting franchisees have their own space, franchises can make a deeper connection with their audience, engage more, and grow even more in the digital age.
For more information about how we can help diversify and grow your franchise structure online, give us a call at (904) 600-3600 today. We can increase your brand’s exposure, whether you are developing a franchise chain that needs support across several local areas or a concentration of expertise in a single location.
