Other factors to consider as you build your franchise development website could include the key selling points of your brand for the type of franchisee you want to attract, or how much research you want a potential lead to be able to do before getting in touch. When you put thought and effort into the right elements, you can create a franchise development website that is both effective and high-performing.

Landing Pages

The goal of a franchise development website is to have qualified leads fill out your inquiry form. In addition to a handful of pages that provide general information, supplemental landing pages that are geared to your target franchisee are instrumental in the conversions of qualified leads. For instance, if you are seeking multi-unit operators looking to expand their portfolios, you should have a landing page that specifically highlights the opportunity for multi-unit ownership in your franchise.

Personalization is key to any successful marketing campaign, and franchise development is no exception. Having tailored website content in the form of landing pages, allows you to have strategic advertising campaigns that will further drive qualified lead generation. By pairing this approach with data-driven tracking, you can gain deeper insights into what’s working from a marketing standpoint, helping you refine your strategy even further.

Thoughtful Visuals

In today’s media landscape, it’s true that audiences— including your franchise development audience— are more likely to watch a video than read a full webpage. Include space on your franchise development website for video franchisee testimonials so new leads can envision themselves as a part of your network. Thoughtful photos and graphics on your website will also have this same impact. Be sure to include imagery of what you are selling your franchisees: the inside of their future location, for instance, or their supporting network of fellow franchisees.

Effective Copy

Though images and videos are important, considering the copy on your website is also essential. For leads to find your franchise development website in the first place, your site must rank high on Google. This means you need SEO-friendly copy living on your website, with language that aligns with how qualified leads are searching for information and opportunities. Marketing strategies like blogs make an impact here — posting subject-specific blog topics on your franchise development website will boost your SEO, making your website more visible to qualified, interested leads. You should also be including SEO keywords as alt text to the images on your website, so Google can crawl your images. Without investing in optimized copy that can drive clicks, you’re missing out on potential leads who could be looking for an opportunity just like yours.

Your Franchise Development Website Checklist

So, what must be included on your franchise development website? Four key elements will do more to attract qualified leads than any flashy design or eye-catching features. By checking these boxes, you’ll ensure that your franchise development website is optimized for lead generation.

1. An Easily Accessible Interest Form

Your franchisee interest form is the part of your franchise development website that will allow you to get in contact with qualified leads. For this reason, making your form easily accessible and prominent on your site is important. No matter the qualifying details you request on the interest form—from cash available to contact information—ensuring that the form is easy to fill out and pops up right away on your franchise development website will ultimately increase the number of leads you receive.

2. Financial Investment Details

Many potential franchisees who visit your website are more curious about the financial investment than any other information. Some franchisors choose to copy their entire Item 7 from their Franchise Disclosure Document onto their franchise development website to provide as much transparency as possible.

When you include major investment details about your franchise on your website— including the marketing fees, royalties, and the initial investment cost— you are more likely to attract leads who are financially equipped to become a franchisee. Depending on if you have an Item 19 and the figures you share, it could be helpful to include revenue details to share some insight on what sales can look like. Furthermore, you will attract more qualified leads if you include areas open for development on your website in the form of a territory map.

3. Support and Process Information

One of the biggest advantages of franchising for entrepreneurs is the ability to follow a proven business model. That’s why, no matter who you’re targeting, your franchise development website should showcase the support and resources available to franchisees.

Eager new business owners will be looking for information about how franchisors guide them through the lead qualification process and what initial and ongoing support will include for marketing and operations. By contrast, experienced multi-unit owners will be curious about your franchise’s time to market. Including these details on your franchise development website will bring in leads who are well-informed about your brand’s support plan and ready to move forward.

4. Key Selling Points

While the goal of your franchise development website is to receive prospective franchisees’ contact information, don’t shy away from sharing the key differentiators that set your brand apart from competitors. Emphasizing your key selling points, from a recession-resistant product to family-oriented values, will bring in passionate franchisees who believe in your brand’s mission.

As you collaborate with your web developer and marketing team to create your franchise development website, keep these key tenets in mind. Every element on your site should be designed to attract qualified leads, drive inquiries, and fill your pipeline with serious prospects. With a strategic, well-optimized website, you can turn interest into action and maximize your franchise growth potential.

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Bailey Golden is the Vice President of Sales and Strategy of All Points Public Relations, a franchise-focused integrated PR agency based in the Chicago area, www.allpointspr.com.

In addition to a leadership team consisting of Matthew Haller, President and CEO of IFA, Mike Williams, CFO of IFA, Michael Layman, Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Public Affairs of IFA and Sarah Bush, General Counsel of IFA, the Law Center also has a 15-person Advisory Board comprised of franchise companies representing a cross-section of industries, including quick service restaurants, hotels, retail, health and wellness services, residential services and other key stakeholders in the franchise community. The Advisory Board will provide strategic guidance to the Law Center leadership based on the challenges and issues impacting franchisors, franchisees, employees, consumers and local economies.

“The IFA Law Center will serve as a valuable tool defending the interests of franchisors and franchisees alike,” said David Humphrey, Chair of IFA.  “We have assembled a talented and nimble leadership team and recognize that litigation can be an essential element in a comprehensive strategy. We are grateful to have representation on our Advisory Board from a wide swath of industries and look forward to the Law Center making a meaningful and substantive impact to the franchising landscape.”

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its final rule expanding joint employment between franchisors and franchisees. The rule provides a path for franchisors and franchisees to be deemed joint employers based on a new, vague definition of “indirect control.” Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has increasingly scrutinized the franchise model in proposed rulemakings and requests for information, disregarding the unique attributes of the franchise relationship and contributions of the franchise model to the U.S. economy.

The IFA Law Center will be structured within the existing IFA infrastructure. Its Advisory Board and leadership team will meet quarterly concurrently with IFA board meetings.