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How to Review a Franchise Website
Sure, creating a website is a huge accomplishment, but that’s not the final (and most crucial) step.
Once the revelry of the final moment of piecing together a website fades, it’s time to place your nose squarely on the grindstone once again. The time and toil of creating a franchise website isn’t over until the final review is complete. Here are five musts to tackle before launching a franchise website.
Check for typos and editing errors. First impressions are imperative and fleeting, especially when it comes to your brand’s online representation. A typo or copy error could put a brand’s credibility on the line and possibly put franchisee leads in jeopardy. Invest time in poring over every word on the website and making sure that all content is free of any possible snafus like dead links, missing punctuation, etc.
Ask for input. Ask friends and family to take the website for a test drive. After working so closely to the project, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision from sheer familiarity; that’s when an extra pair of eyes can come in handy. By soliciting the opinions of trustworthy site visitors, you can use their input to create a more cohesive, user-friendly site. Tweaks as simple as altering a navigation bar or streamlining a query form can take your website from a zero to a hero.
Bridge the gap between prospects and franchisor. Make sure you’ve utilized sound methods of gathering customer information. Do you have a fine-tuned franchisee inquiry form? Do you have a lead contact for interested candidates? Knowing what information you hope to gain from the site and how you process it is just as important as its purpose.
Make sure SEO is optimized. A stellar website means nothing if viewers are landing on it. Ensure that all relevant keywords are applied to your site and that it hovers at the top of search engines. If you’re not Google-savvy, then invest in a consultation with an agency that can make the most of your site’s online presence. I know of a damn good one.
Get social. By integrating social media widgets into your website, you can maximize the exposure received from visitors. Your website will drive more possible followers toward your social media platforms and help build a more robust following. There are also fringe benefits to beefing up your social media presence. If an interested franchisee is performing due diligence on your brand, then social media outlets will be crucial in legitimizing the brand’s presence.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
