Why Should Your Franchise Use an SEO Agency?

Originally posted on https://buzzhive-marketing.com/2018/06/08/why-should-your-franchise-use-an-seo-agency/

Are you considering hiring an SEO agency for your franchise?

If your franchise location is among the 744,000 franchise establishments in the US, you need to find creative ways to capture your local market.

SEO is a way to do just that.

SEO has the power to get people to your website and to your location. In fact, 48% of local searches result in phone calls or people visiting that location in 24 hours.

While SEO has much potential, it can only be fully realized when it’s done right.

Keep reading to learn what an SEO agency can do and how they can help you improve your company’s revenue.

Marketing has changed for franchises over the years.

You used to be able to rely on billboards and TV ads for brand recognition and business.

The digital era changed that. Consumers became more savvy and impulsive. They can find virtually anything they want on demand. Marketing continues to shift from traditional methods like direct mail and TV to smartphones.

Even legacy brands like Midas and McDonalds have had to adapt.

Your franchise depends on capturing your audience when they’re searching for your product or services.

Let’s say that you own a gym.

When someone reaches the point where they start considering joining a gym, they’re going to research online. They’ll search for “gyms near me.”

Then they’ll look at the websites and schedule an appointment or call for more information.

That’s how most people find products and services.

Your franchise needs to be in the best position to be found online and an SEO company can do that for you.

Most franchisees spend co-opt dollars on social media advertising and direct mail.

Local search isn’t even among the top 10, even though it’s among the top marketing trends for 2018.

Not only is local search trendy, but it also yields a higher conversion rate. Therefore, you can see a higher ROI by investing your marketing dollars in local search.

With advertising such as direct mail or billboards, you don’t have a foolproof way to track the success of the campaign.

An SEO agency has the tools of the trade to track where your money is being spent, and what’s generating the most significant return on investment.

This data is invaluable because it leads to better marketing decisions.

They might find a set of keywords that people respond to and click on. You can invest more in similar keywords and let go of the ones that aren’t working.

Google uses over 200 factors in its algorithm to calculate search results.

Among them are the number and quality of backlinks, your directory listings, website content, online reviews, website structure, and speed.

It takes technical knowledge to make all of these factors gel.

That’s why you need an SEO agency to help you navigate the murky waters of SEO.

Search engines have strict policies when it comes to trying to rank your site.

For example, in the early days of SEO, you could purchase a bunch of spammy backlinks and stuff your keywords throughout your web pages and rank highly in search engines.

If you tried that today, odds are you’d be penalized and not even appear in search engines.

Did you know that if you have multiple locations, you co be doing more harm to your search results than good?

Many businesses that have multiple locations have experienced this first hand.

By hiring an SEO company, you’re working with an expert who knows what the policies are and will protect your site from being penalized.

SEO takes time.

You need to research keywords, know what your audience needs, and how they search, write content on a consistent basis. You also have to know how your website’s speed and structure influence search rankings.

Do you really have time to learn what it takes to rank highly and do the tasks to make it happen?

Probably not.

Outsourcing SEO can be a smart investment when you consider what your time is truly worth. When you take into account how much time you’ll save, and the potential return on investment, you’ll realize that outsourcing is the right move for your franchise.

Before you hire an agency, you should know that there’s a difference between agencies. Most agencies use techniques that are standard and comply with the terms and conditions of the key search engines.

There are also agencies that use black hat methods to try to rank your website in a short period of time so they look good.

Take it from J.C. Penney. The SEO company they hired was caught using black hat SEO and they lost millions in revenue due to penalties. They also had a public relations nightmare.

These are a few questions you’ll want to ask agencies before you hire them:

• What strategy will you use to rank my site?
• Do you have client referrals?
• How long will it take to rank number one?

The last question should be able to help you spot legitimate firms from the rest. SEO companies cannot guarantee that you will be number one in search engines nor guarantee the time it takes.

They can say that you’ll rank higher, and get on the first page depending on the keyword. They can give a range based on their experience, but again, there are no guarantees.

You should run from anyone who guarantees that you’ll be the top of search results in a short time frame.

Hiring an SEO agency can help you save time, generate leads, traffic and revenue.

By hiring experts to help you, you can leverage your resources to focus on managing your franchise, not trying to figure out the ins and outs of local SEO.

Contact us today to find out how we can help your franchise step up its SEO strategy.