What to Look for on a Franchise Sales Website

Buying a franchise should be one of the more heavily researched decisions in your life, so it’s vital to not get distracted or confused by the deluge of information a brand provides its potential franchisees.

There is a range of critical metrics for franchisors to apply when designing their development sites, but for franchisees, finding the right information is not always so clear cut.

Here’s what every prospective franchisee should look for — including red flags — when visiting a brand’s franchise site.

Do You Sense A Bait and Switch?

If you’re buying into a brand, it’s fair to demand complete coherence and competence from all of the brand’s public-facing literature. That means the site needs to make sense to you.

The first thing to keep in mind is: How did you find this brand? Did you encounter them in person? Did you see an ad on social media? Did a franchising broker present it as an option?

Jack Monson, the host of the Social Geek Radio, a Top 25 podcast on iTunes in Marketing and the Chief Revenue Officer at Social Joey, has been working with franchise brands and small businesses in social media marketing for 13 years. 

According to Monson, prospects should always check for a consistent message. 

“The brand should make it a seamless customer experience from the Facebook ad or LinkedIn ad to the franchise sales site,” said Monson. “I see a lot of people who are positioning their brand one way in some of their advertising, and then when you get to the franchise sales site it’s a different message, a different look, different content that doesn’t relate to the ads.”

If the brand has blown this first, vital step, it’s a bad sign. Monson said that if it feels like a bait-and-switch, trust your gut. 

What Does The Website Prioritize? 

Every brand has a story. Literally every one of them. Monson says to look out for franchise sales websites that spend too much time going through the brand’s narrative. Ultimately, you want to find out what the brand can do for you.

“‘What’s the opportunity for me? What’s my life going to look like? How much money can I make? How is this going to affect me and my future?’ These are the questions you need to get answered,” said Monson. “If I’m a franchisee candidate, I want you to tell me a story about how well the franchises are doing.” 

Does The Website Talk To The ‘Zees?

Look for testimonials from other franchisees. Does the website provide details on who they are? If possible, connect with the franchisees and interview them yourself. 

Do The Numbers Grab You?

Beware of averages and medians. A franchise sales site that deals only in averages, like the average revenue per location or median profits, maybe covering something up. Some franchises work great in one region and have several high-performing locations. This doesn’t exactly mean the brand would perform the same in your region. Dig into specific numbers and see if they seem relatable for you. 

Does The Website Work As A Website? 

When 1851 ranks franchise sales websites, it looks at three areas: First impressions, content, and ease of use. We’ve already talked about the first impressions and content, but now let’s talk about ease of use.

Does the website work? Does it load quickly? Are the contact info forms easy to fill out? Does it come up first in Google search results? Does it look good? 

The website should function well as a website. With tens or hundreds of thousands of your dollars on the line, it’s ok to kick the tires a bit on the website.