If you are a franchise business looking to add SEO services that will increase the visibility of your brand and your local franchisees, you may be asking “how much does SEO cost?” The cost of franchise SEO can vary widely depending on the specific needs of the franchise owner and the level of service you are looking for. At Trebletree, we understand that every franchise is different, and that’s why we don’t offer one-size-fits-all SEO pricing. It’s essential to understand your business goals, website structure, and the results you want to achieve before deciding on an SEO investment.
What Affects SEO Costs?
When asking, “How much does SEO cost for a franchise?” it’s important to consider several factors that influence SEO pricing. SEO for franchises is unique in that it requires a balance between national visibility and local search optimization. The cost of SEO can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars a month depending on the following:
1. Number of Locations
The more franchise locations you have, the more SEO work is required. Each location needs individual attention to ensure it ranks well in local search results, which can increase your overall SEO investment.
2. Competition Level
Franchises in highly competitive industries or markets may need more extensive SEO efforts to achieve top rankings. If your franchise is competing with numerous other businesses in the same space, it may require a more aggressive SEO strategy, impacting the overall SEO cost.
3. Website Size and Structure
The size of your website plays a significant role in determining SEO costs. Larger sites with hundreds or thousands of pages, such as multi-location franchises, require more in-depth SEO efforts. This can include optimizing URL structures, metadata, and ensuring each location page is properly indexed and optimized for local search.
4. Scope of SEO Services
Whether you need technical audits, content creation, or an all-encompassing SEO strategy, the cost will vary accordingly.
Franchise SEO Kickoff
With all SEO clients, we’ll do comprehensive research and provide reporting and insight to build your SEO strategy. At Trebletree we break out this kickoff period as a separate project which can span anywhere from two to four months depending on the size of your organization and the availability of data.
Technical Audit
We’ll start with a technical audit. Technical SEO is an important step in understanding your current position and the opportunities available. An SEO technical audit is an in-depth analysis of a website’s technical aspects to identify any issues that might affect its search engine rankings. It involves reviewing a website’s technical infrastructure, code, and other elements to determine how well they conform to best practices for search engine optimization (SEO).
Our technical audit covers 150+ areas that directly impact your rankings users search here. During our SEO technical audit, we will review your website’s structure, URL patterns, metadata, schema markup, site speed, mobile responsiveness, crawlability, indexability, and other technical aspects that can impact its ranking on search engines.
The goal of an SEO technical audit is to identify areas that need improvement and make recommendations to optimize the website’s technical performance. This can help to improve a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine results pages, which in turn can drive more traffic, leads, and sales to the site.
SEO costs for a technical audit vary based on the size and complexity of your website. Franchises with a large number of local pages require a more intensive audit, which can increase the initial SEO cost.
Keyword Research & Strategy
Once we’ve completed the technical audit, we dive into keyword research. Effective keyword research is crucial for identifying content opportunities and driving organic traffic to your franchise website. We’ll look at your current keyword rankings, your competitors, and your industry to find untapped opportunities.
The cost of SEO services for keyword research can vary depending on the amount of data available and the complexity of your industry. If you already have a targeted keyword list, it can save time and reduce costs, but industries with a lot of competition may require more time for analysis and strategy development.
Content Audit and Plan
A content audit is a critical step in the SEO kickoff process for any franchise. At Trebletree, we believe that understanding the quality and effectiveness of your existing content is essential for building a winning SEO strategy. A content audit helps identify what content is performing well, where there are gaps, and what needs to be optimized to better align with search engine algorithms and user intent.
The cost of SEO services related to content audits can vary based on the size of your website and the amount of content you have. Larger franchise websites with many local pages and service offerings may require more time to audit and optimize, increasing the initial SEO investment. However, content audits are vital to ensuring your site’s long-term success in organic search results.
Franchise SEO Monthly Retainer
SEO is not a one-time task—it requires consistent work to maintain and improve your rankings. We offer ongoing SEO services through a monthly retainer to keep your franchise locations optimized. A retainer ensures that your site remains competitive, and we continually optimize it for new search engine updates and market changes.
SEO pricing for monthly retainers is typically based on the size of your franchise, the number of locations, and the level of competition in your industry. Our goal is to tailor an SEO package that fits your specific needs while delivering results.
SEO Pricing Models: Corporate vs. Franchisee Expenses
When it comes to paying for SEO services, franchise businesses often have different pricing structures. Some may choose to handle SEO as a corporate expense, while others allow individual franchisees to pay for their local SEO efforts. Here are common pricing models:
Corporate Pays for SEO
In this model, the franchisor pays for the SEO services at the national level, ensuring that all franchise locations benefit from a unified strategy. This can be advantageous for maintaining brand consistency across locations, and it allows the franchisor to have greater control over the SEO strategy.
Franchisees Pay for SEO
In some cases, individual franchisees cover their local SEO costs. While this may provide franchisees with some autonomy over their SEO, it’s essential to ensure that all locations are working with the same SEO agency to maintain consistency across the brand.
Shared Cost Model
Another option is to share the cost of SEO services between the franchisor and franchisees. This provides a balance between corporate oversight and local autonomy while distributing the financial burden.
At Trebletree, we offer flexible SEO pricing models to meet your franchise’s needs. Whether you prefer a corporate or shared expense model, we can tailor our services to fit your franchise structure.
Finding the Right SEO Investment for Your Franchise
There is no universal answer to the question, “How much does SEO cost for franchises?” The right SEO investment depends on your business’s unique needs, competition, and goals. At Trebletree, we offer customized SEO pricing packages that fit within your budget and help your franchise achieve its growth goals.
Whether you’re looking for national SEO strategy or local search optimization, we’re here to provide expert guidance and ensure your franchise’s success. Learn more about our Franchise SEO Services and reach out to discuss a custom solution to help your franchise optimize your marketing budget.
