A franchise or multi-location business wins customers one town at a time, under one brand. That creates problems a single-site business never has: dozens of Business Profiles that drift apart, location pages that are copies of each other, ad accounts nobody can see across, and owners who each think marketing is working for someone else. As a marketing agency for franchises and multi-location businesses, we set up one consistent system and report on it by location.
- For franchise brands, franchisees and owner-operated groups with several locations, in the US and UK.
- A Business Profile per location, kept consistent to Google's rules, with reviews at every site.
- Location pages and local ads built from one playbook and adjusted by each location's numbers.
- Reporting by location, so head office and every owner see the same truth.
Business Profiles at scale
Google's guidelines ask chains to keep names and categories consistent: all locations in the same country must use the same name, and all of them share the one category that best represents the business. Franchisees may use the brand name if they're an authorized, fully dedicated seller of the brand's product or service. Get this wrong and profiles get edited, merged or suspended one by one.
| Task | What Google offers | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Verifying many locations | Bulk verification for 10 or more locations of the same business | Not for service-area businesses, and not for agencies with several businesses in one account |
| Managing access | Business groups, which work like a shared folder for profiles | Former staff and franchisees left with owner access |
| Service-area franchisees | One profile per franchisee for its whole area | Up to 20 service areas, no more than about 2 hours' driving |
| Ads near each location | Google Ads location assets, for locations you own or stores that sell your products | Addresses that don't match the profiles |
Sources: Google Business Profile Help on bulk verification, business groups and service areas, and Google Ads Help on location assets, read November 2026.
Location pages that aren't copies
Every location needs its own page on the brand's site, because that's what ranks for searches in that town and what the profile links to. A page that only swaps the town name helps nobody. A good one has the address, hours, booking, the team, photos of that location, reviews from its customers, and what's different about it, such as parking, services offered or the area it covers.
Local ads, one playbook
Search ads run best as one tested structure applied to each location, with budgets moved toward the locations and services that bring customers at the best cost. On Google, location assets show the nearest address and distance in the ad. On Meta, store location features in Ads Manager work with the awareness or sales objective; Meta's separate store Pages structure is only available to managed clients, so most networks run location campaigns from the main Page instead. Either way, every location's leads should land with that location, fast.
Proof: what we can show you
We haven't published a franchise client. The closest published work is a climbing gym with two sites in the English Midlands, taken over from another agency. Two locations with different catchments, demographics and competitors had been sharing one campaign; we split them and tested each properly. It's a two-site leisure business, not a franchise, and the method is what carries over: results by site, and spend moved to what works at each one.
What we do for franchises
- Local SEO. Some locations show in the map results and others don't, and nobody knows why.
- Reviews and reputation. Review counts and replies vary wildly between locations.
- Google Ads for local businesses. You want one search playbook, run location by location, with budgets set by each site's numbers.
- Facebook ads for local businesses. Openings, offers and events that need to reach people near each location.
- Website design. Location pages are thin copies, and the store finder doesn't help anyone book.
- AI marketing automation. Enquiries go to the wrong location or wait in a shared inbox.
How it fits together
Audit every location
Profiles, names, categories, pages, reviews and tracking, location by location.
Agree ownership
Who owns accounts, profiles and data: brand, franchisee or both, in writing.
Fix the profiles
Consistent names and categories, business groups, and access cleaned up.
Build location pages
One real page per location, linked from its profile.
Roll out the ad playbook
Search and social structures tested, then applied location by location.
Route every lead
Calls and forms to the right location, with a first reply in minutes.
Report by location
Leads, bookings and cost by location and channel, every month.
What it costs
| Service | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Ads management (Google, Facebook or Instagram) | $500-$2,000 a month | Month-to-month, no setup fee, ad spend paid straight to the platform |
| SEO and AI search visibility | $500-$2,000 a month | Month-to-month, no long-term contract |
| Website, landing page or store build | $1,200-$15,000, fixed price | Agreed in writing; 50% to begin, balance on delivery |
Entry plans start at $500 a month. Full details are on our pricing page.
Who we're not for
- Networks where nobody can decide who owns the accounts and profiles.
- Anyone who wants fake locations or virtual offices listed to cover more towns.
- Brands that want reviews bought, written or filtered.
Guides for multi-location businesses
- Business not showing on Google Maps?: the checks to run at each location
- Google Business Profile suspended?: what to do first, and what not to do
- Tracking bookings from Facebook ads: when each location books in its own system
- What a digital marketing agency costs: and what changes the price
Questions franchises ask a marketing agency
What does a franchise marketing agency do?
It helps every location win its own local customers under one brand: a Business Profile per location kept consistent, location pages that rank, local ads with a shared playbook, reviews at every site, and reporting by location so head office and each owner can see what's working.
How should a franchise set up Google Business Profiles?
One profile per location, with the same name and the same primary category across a country, as Google's guidelines ask. Franchisees may use the brand name if they're authorized, dedicated sellers. A business group keeps the profiles in one place and access under control.
Can we bulk verify our locations?
If you have 10 or more locations of the same business and they're not service-area businesses, usually yes. Google doesn't allow bulk verification for service-area businesses, and agencies managing several businesses in one account can't bulk verify.
What about franchises that go to the customer, like cleaning or plumbing?
Each franchisee is a service-area business: one profile for its own area, with the address hidden, up to 20 service areas and no more than about two hours' driving from its base. Those profiles are verified one by one.
Who should own the ad accounts and profiles, head office or the franchisee?
Decide it in writing before anything is built. We usually set up accounts the brand controls, with each location given access to its own reporting, so nothing is lost when a franchisee changes.
Do you report by location?
Yes. Calls, bookings and sales by location and by channel, so head office sees the network and each owner sees their own patch.
Have you worked with franchises?
Not with a franchise brand we can publish. Our closest published work is a climbing gym with two sites, and that's labeled as what it is on this page.
How much does franchise marketing cost with you?
Ads or SEO management runs $500-$2,000 a month per scope we agree, month-to-month, plus ad spend. Location pages and websites are fixed-price, from $1,200. Larger networks are quoted on the number of locations.
Want to see how each of your locations shows up locally? Book a strategy call and we'll check a few of them with you.