Top Franchise Development Website: Number 4 — Batteries Plus

The 1851 Franchise’s Franchise Development Website Awards are back to highlight the best-of-the-best in franchising’s development sites. A panel of eight expert judges evaluated each franchise development site according to three criteria: first impressions, quality of content and ease of use. Sites were scored on a five-point scale in accordance with these three criteria, with the overall website rankings based on a composite average of the judges’ scores. 

Coming in at number four is Batteries Plus’ franchise sales website, which received an overall average score of 4.4. The battery retailer’s franchise development website secured an average score of 4.3 for first impressions, as well as an average score of 4.7 for content and 4.4 for ease of use. 

“The Batteries Plus site is detailed and descriptive on each page,” said Liane Caruso, senior vice president of entrepreneur media and one of this year’s expert judges. “It made the top five because it is bright and colorful, with a clean design and a good user experience. As you navigate the page, it is like you are following a journey.”

The first impressions metrics for each franchise development site are determined in consideration of five subfactors: usability, UI/UX design, site performance, SEO and mobile accessibility. The Batteries Plus website scored high in this category thanks to a sleek design and easy accessibility, as well as user-friendliness from a design and technical standpoint. 

The content metrics are determined by the presence and strength of three subfactors: motivating content, calls to action and reasons to buy now. It is imperative that franchise sites tell compelling stories that are specifically designed to drive action. The Batteries Plus site features industry analytics, high-quality graphics, introductory videos and video testimonials from franchisees. The site also features a section specifically dedicated to blog posts and press articles where prospects can read more about the brand’s latest news. 

The ease-of-use metrics score was determined in relation to location, depth and ease of application. For example, a successful development website should provide a simple, navigable inquiry form so that prospects can quickly tell franchisors that they are interested. The form to request more information should be easily accessible on every page and easy to view. 

“I liked the Batteries Plus website because the contact form is right at the top of the page,” said Caruso. “I like how they are clearly trying to attract multi-unit owners with ‘enhance your portfolio’ and a ‘multi-unit’ button. They clearly cover the ‘Why’ on the home page and highlight the available markets.”

Throughout the Batteries Plus website, there are several forms to request more information, as well as easily downloadable reports and phone numbers to call. The site also provides high-level details of costs so that under-qualified candidates don’t waste the franchisor’s time and qualified candidates know the specifics of what they are getting into. 

The three metrics of first impressions, content and ease of use offer a streamlined way to analyze the effectiveness of a franchise development website. As the rankings show, when these three factors come together, the website can become the starting point of the franchise development process and serve as the primary entry point into the brand.