Franchise Development Website Awards: Fantastic Sams Claims Top Spot in 2019 Rankings

For the latest iteration of its Franchise Development Website Awards, 1851 Franchise did a deep dive into more than 175 websites to determine the brands that stood out from the crowd.

1851’s panel of judges evaluated each franchise development site according to three criteria: quality of site, quality of content and quality of form. Sites were scored on a five-point scale in accordance with these three criteria for a maximum score of 15 total points; the overall website rankings are based on a composite average of these scores.

1851 spent the month of May breaking down the top 20 franchise development sites, as determined by our panel of judges. At month’s end, just one remains—the site that claimed this year’s top spot is Fantastic Sams.

The hair salon franchise notched a composite score of 12.7 out of 15, scoring a 4.3 in quality of site; a 4.0 in quality of content; and a 4.4 in quality of form, with 5 being the highest score in each of these categories.

“This site is designed for the older investor with more money,” judging panel member and Franchise Business Review president and COO Michelle Rowan said. “It’s very traditional; there is good, front-and-center placement of a short inquiry form, with an ‘information report’ being offered, as well. Contact information is easy to find, and navigation is clear.” Rowan also applauded the site’s strong visuals, mentioning its video content, specifically.

FranConnect president Keith Gerson, who was not a judge in this year’s awards but possesses over 40 years of franchise industry experience on which to assess franchise development website content, called Fantastic Sams’ site very visually appealing, noting its cleanliness and great use of white space.

“It utilizes intuitive navigation, and prominent calls to action abound,” he continued. “Rich content is available freely, making it easy for those demanding, high-net-worth individuals to quickly determine their interest and fit. For those looking for more, the request for information form isn't daunting and won’t scare anyone away. Finally, the site provides a very nice example of a relevant FAQ section."

The Fantastic Sams site was built by Franchise Performance Group*. Deanna Bailer, VP of Operations at FPG, had this to say about the company's work: "Our objective when building and writing fantasticsamsfranchise.com was to attract and convert a more sophisticated, multi-unit investor while still speaking to the single salon passion player. I’m proud of my team here at Franchise Performance Group for their dedication and unmatched industry expertise. Thank you to 1851 and the awards judges for recognizing our efforts."