Rohan Thakare
Co-founder & Strategist
Bronze Product Expert
- community answers
- 150+
- recommended by Google
- 30+
community answers
recommended by Google
Franchise SEO services for every location in your system.
Local Owl keeps every franchise location's Google Business Profile and listings to one brand standard, whether HQ or each franchisee holds the profile. You get one report for HQ covering every location.
- One brand standard on Google, location by location
- Works when franchisees own their own profiles
- From $400 a month for the brand, the rest agreed on the call
Franchise check, sample
Sunny Side Cafe, 6 locations
Strongest to weakest
- Denver, HighlandsMeets the standardOK
- Denver, Cherry CreekMeets the standardOK
- BoulderWrong primary categoryFix
- AuroraCity added to the nameRisk
- LakewoodOwner access pendingFix
- LittletonDuplicate listing foundRisk
Fix firstTake the city out of Aurora's name
- Google Product ExpertsVerify the badge on Google
- Since 2012The local SEO arm of WisdmLabs
- Two business daysA person replies to every check
- From $400 a monthFor the brand, plus each location
How it works
How franchise SEO works when franchisees own the profiles
Franchise SEO keeps every location found on Google by the customers near it, without the locations drifting apart or competing with each other. The catch in most systems is access: each franchisee often owns their own Google profile, so the work starts with an agreed standard and their permission.
- 1
We agree the standard with HQ
How every location's name, categories, services, hours and photos should look on Google, and what franchisees may change.
- 2
Each franchisee adds us as a manager
They keep ownership of their profile. We work inside it, and HQ sees what changed.
- 3
Every location is brought to standard
Location by location, then kept there every month, with a report for HQ.
Recognized by Google
Who looks after your franchise locations
Bronze Product Expert is a public recognition Google grants for verified, community-recommended answers in its Business Profile Help Community. It cannot be bought or self-awarded. Both co-founders who work on your locations hold it.
Shubham Kakkad
Co-founder & Strategist
Bronze Product Expert
- community answers
- 260+
- recommended by Google
- 45+
community answers
recommended by Google
What we do
What our franchise SEO services include
One brand standard on Google
We agree with HQ how every location should appear on Google, so HQ, franchisees and anyone else who touches a profile work from the same rules.
- Name format and categories
- Services, hours and photos
- What franchisees may change
Every profile kept current
Hours, holiday hours, categories and services checked at every location, and edits by Google or the public caught and put right.
- Holiday hours across the system
- Unwanted edits caught
- New locations set up to standard
Reviews at every location
The review request system at each location, so every franchisee asks customers the same way, inside Google's rules.
- The same ask at every location
- Reviews counted per location
- In the HQ report
Listings, duplicates and location pages
Duplicate profiles and wrong listings near each address cleaned up, and a page on your brand site for each location's area, approved by HQ.
- Duplicates reported and removed
- Name, address and phone matched
- Location pages HQ signs off
Reporting
One report for HQ, covering every location
HQ sees every location side by side, what changed and anything a franchisee needs to do. This sample is for a made-up cafe brand.
Every location ranked
Strongest to weakest against the brand standard.
What changed this month
The fixes made at each location.
What a franchisee needs to do
Access to give, photos to send or a change only the owner can make.
Calls and reviews
Calls, direction requests and reviews from Google, location by location.
Franchise check, sample
Sunny Side Cafe, 6 locations
Strongest to weakest
- Denver, HighlandsMeets the standardOK
- Denver, Cherry CreekMeets the standardOK
- BoulderWrong primary categoryFix
- AuroraCity added to the nameRisk
- LakewoodOwner access pendingFix
- LittletonDuplicate listing foundRisk
Fix firstTake the city out of Aurora's name
Local OwlSunny Side Cafe, HQ summary
Six locations, sample
Calls from Google, all locations
AprMayJunJulAugSep
- Meet the standard
- 4 of 6
- New reviews
- 41
- Fixes made
- 14
- Aurora: name fixedDone
- Lakewood: owner to add usFranchisee
- Littleton: duplicate reportedWith Google
ForHQ and the brand team
Pricing
Franchise SEO pricing and packages
A fee for the brand and one for each location. Franchise systems differ in who holds the profiles and who pays, so the exact price is agreed on the call.
A typical location
$250a month
Plus a brand fee from $400 a month for HQ. These are where we usually start; the exact price is agreed on the call.
- Its own Google Business Profile, managed
- 50 citations built
- Review request system
- 4 location landing pages
Who pays for what
Franchise systems split it in different ways. These are the usual ones.
| What | Usually paid by |
|---|---|
| The brand fee | HQ or the brand fund |
| Each location | The franchisee or the brand fund |
| Profile cleanup | Agreed on the call |
| More than 10 locations | Agreed on the call |
Your franchise agreement decides what the brand fund can pay for. Month to month.
How we work
How we work
The usual way we work with franchise systems. The details are agreed on the call.
Starting prices
The prices on this page are where we usually start. The exact price, and any one-time cleanup, is agreed on the call.
Owners keep their profiles
Whoever owns a profile today keeps it. We work as a manager, and access can be removed at any time.
Month to month
No long contract for HQ or for franchisees. Locations can join or leave month by month.
Inside Google's guidelines
One profile per real location, the real brand name with nothing added, and no ranking promises.
Getting started
How to get started
- 1
Step 1
Free check
Up to five locations ranked, with the first fix for each, within two business days.
- 2
Step 2
A call with HQ
We agree the standard, who pays and the price.
- 3
Step 3
Franchisees opt in
We start with the locations whose owners add us as a manager.
- 4
Month 1
First month and report
Work starts on the locations that opted in, and the first HQ report.
Fit
Who this is for, and who it isn't
A good fit
- Franchisors and brand teams responsible for local search
- Growing systems where every location should look like one brand
- Systems opening new locations that need each one set up right
Not a fit
- A single franchise location, where our Starter plan fits better
- Groups where one owner runs every location
- Agencies managing their clients' locations
- Anyone who wants guaranteed rankings
Own all your locations yourself? See multi-location SEO
Franchise FAQ
Franchise SEO questions
What is franchise SEO?
Getting every location in a franchise system found on Google search and Maps by the customers near it, while keeping the brand consistent and stopping locations from competing with each other.
How much do franchise SEO services cost?
Ours usually starts at $400 a month for the brand plus about $250 a location, and the exact price is agreed on the call. Agencies that publish prices charge from about $1,500 to $10,000 or more a month.
Who pays: the brand fund or the franchisee?
It depends on the system. Often HQ or the brand fund pays the brand fee and each franchisee pays for their own location, but some brand funds cover everything. Your franchise agreement decides what the fund can pay for.
Who should own the Google Business Profiles, HQ or the franchisee?
Either can, and many systems have a mix. What matters is that the owner can always get in, and that the brand can add a manager. We work as a manager, so ownership stays where it is.
Can a franchisee do local SEO for their own location?
Yes, and many do. The risk is each location doing it differently. A shared standard lets franchisees keep their profile current without breaking the brand or Google's guidelines.
How do you stop franchise locations competing with each other?
Each location's profile, categories and location page point at its own area, so two nearby locations don't chase the same searches.
Can every location use the brand name, or add the city?
Use the real brand name as it appears on the sign. Adding the city or a keyword to the name breaks Google's guidelines and can get a profile suspended.
How do you set up a new franchise location on Google?
Create or claim its profile with the brand standard from day one, verify it, and give it a location page. Brands with 10 or more locations that customers visit can ask Google for bulk verification.
Do you work with home service franchises?
Yes. Service-area profiles hide the address and show the area served, and they can't use Google's bulk verification, so each one is verified on its own.
What if a franchisee won't give access or already has an agency?
We start with the locations that opt in and show HQ the rest from the outside. A franchisee with their own agency can work to the same standard.
How is franchise SEO different from multi-location SEO?
Multi-location SEO is for one owner who runs every location. Franchise SEO has to work across owners: different people hold the profiles and pay, so the standard and access come first.
Who does the work?
Our team, led by our two co-founders, both Google Bronze Product Experts.
See how five of your locations measure up
Send us up to five locations and we'll rank them against your brand standard and Google's rules, with the first fix for each, within two business days. It's free.
