Web Design for Franchises: Top 5 Things Your Website Needs to Have

A great deal of our society is driven by what we read, see, and hear online, and someone’s first impression of your brand is often made by your website’s homepage. With that said, those critical few seconds after they click on it could be the difference between acquiring their business and never hearing from them again. 

At Integrated Digital Strategies (IDS) we believe the power of your digital footprint is invaluable, and we’ve seen how it can impact results in the franchise space - having a team of detail-oriented marketing experts by your side will help your business stand out. 

1. High Resolution and Eye-Catching Imagery & Videos

Did you know that a drop in user engagement could be directly related to your website’s images and videos? Images and videos have a huge impact on SEO  — low-quality and slow-to-load content could be why your most important pages aren’t ranking well. 

Videos have become one of the most popular ways to consume content, which is a trend that isn’t changing anytime soon. YouTube is the second most-popular search engine, with over 1 billion unique visitors each month. If you want to make sure your brand is staying relevant and adopting SEO best practices, having quality videos and visuals is crucial. 

2. Clear Placement of CTA & Lead Capture Forms

Lead forms and call-to-actions (CTAs) are the last stop before conversion, so you need to make sure your users have a clear understanding of where they should go if they’re interested in learning more. It’s essential to have a clearly-placed CTA on all your content, from your company homepage to your next social post. By simply adding a CTA to your Facebook page, studies have shown that you can increase your click-through rate by 285%. 

Examples of effective CTAs:

We want to help you enhance your digital marketing presence. Contact a member of the IDS team today for a complimentary website audit.

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When you target a specific audience, it’s also important to fully understand the reader’s perspective. Does your current layout clearly show the next steps your reader needs to take? If you mention a form on your website, is it already in front of the reader, or do they have to go through multiple steps to find it? These are all questions to consider when thinking about effective franchise web design.

3. Educational Material: Blogs, Resource Library, FAQ

If you ask for someone to take action and invest in your vision, it’s important to give them something useful first. Sure, your users might think about asking you questions directly, but it makes much more sense to position your brand as a resource. At IDS, our content and franchise web design teams will take the time to understand your brand, process, industry, and business model. We look for what stands out about your opportunity and uncover areas that you could focus more heavily on, so your leads are more qualified, not confused. 

The stages in a buyer’s journey are often initial research, education, and then reach out/decision. You may not realize it, but your website is the bridge between a user and a qualified/ready lead. You’re not just a salesperson, but an educator and thought leader in the industry. By highlighting a blog, resource library, or FAQ page on your main navigation, your users will know exactly where to go if they have questions.

4. Testimonials, Awards, Highlight Top Numbers

One of the most important steps in any buyer’s journey is validation. There are plenty of franchise brands out there that say they offer the top opportunity in their industry. However, those words mean nothing without something to back them up. By showcasing awards, testimonials, and even growth numbers, you can help your leads validate their potential investment. 

Awards will show that your brand has been recognized by esteemed members of your industry. Testimonials from existing franchisees could help your leads hear from likeminded people who were once in their shoes.  And by highlighting the year-over-year-growth, leads will see your brand as an opportunity, instead of questioning your credibility. 

5. Clear and Clean Navigation

Finally, the most important part of good web design for franchise brands is laying everything out in an easy-to-understand format. If someone new to your opportunity has just found your homepage, how are they greeted? Are all the pages that are important to them clearly displayed on your site navigation banner? If so, are there too many tabs, or are topics organized as relevant dropdowns? The people who visit your site are giving you their time. They should leave with all or most of the information they need, not frustrated and potentially ready to learn more about your competition. Here’s a list of some of the most important pages to have on your franchise website navigation bar:

• Industry/Opportunity
• Training and Support
• Contact Us
• Resources
• FAQ
• The Process
• Investment 
• About Us
• Available Territories 
• Testimonials

At IDS, we believe that perfecting your digital marketing campaign starts with your website. If you feel like this might be your opportunity to up your game, get in touch with a member of our team, and we can provide you with a complimentary site audit to uncover any strengths and weaknesses.

If you’d like to learn more about our web design for franchise brands, feel free to reach out to the IDS team. We look forward to hearing more about your company and your goals for 2021.