A website is a critical tool for businesses to build their brand, connect with customers and strengthen credibility within your industry. While many business owners understand how important a website is, few understand how to use them to their fullest potential. If you feel as though your current website isn’t doing the most for your brand or you are looking to showcase businesses with multiple locations, it is always best to consult an expert in the field. Quake Media specializes in maximizing exposure on search engines, improving customer experience and functionality with multi-location website design.
What Are Multi-Location Websites?
At their core, multi-location websites are very straight forward: they are websites designed to showcase multiple business locations. This can be anything from a local retailer with two storefronts in the same town, or a franchised company with offices across the country, continent, or the globe! For a well-known brand, performing a Google search should direct users to the most relevant listing with the goal of booking an appointment or making a purchase.
Many users would prefer to use local services, so showcasing nearby storefronts or service options is key to turning online traffic into returning customers. Incorporating multiple business locations into a website is not as simple as putting a list of regions and offices onto your existing home page. In order to maximize efforts, traffic and user experience, it is important to modify site structures to account for multiple service locations and the original content that local search results are looking for.
The Key to Creating Successful Multi-Location Business Sites
Any web designer can create an attractive landing page but catering to more complex needs requires a specialty approach. The key to a successful website is strategy and that is true for tackling multiple locations, as well. Quake Media has compiled a list of best practices for creating sophisticated sites designed to feature corporate content and access, as well as catered content for local listings and interactions.
Utilizing One Domain: As a business, it is incredibly important to capitalize on local search traffic. With this in mind, it is tempting to create separate websites, catering to each location serviced but this is a mistake. Whenever multiple sites are involved branding becomes non-uniform, messages are mixed and one site can steal traffic from another, also known as cannibalizing traffic. This is where strategy becomes key to promoting multiple locations at once without damaging others. By using a single business domain with unique URLs, localized content and a separate page for each location, it is possible to drive traffic to preferred locations without any hassle.
Use Specialized Store Locators: In addition to unique URLs, store locators can help customers choose their preferred location as well as the services offered there. Easy to navigate maps or directory lists take the guesswork out of multiple searches while making booking and inquiries simples for audiences.
User Experienced (UX): User experience is no longer about visuals — at least not completely! Having a clean, organized and visually appealing website is great but these elements should never overtake functionality. In the even that your website has longer than usual load times, audiences may just exit and choose the next competitor listing. Quake is committed to improving user experience wherever possible and never letting site additions ruin UX.
The most common criteria for UX includes:
- Fast Load Times
- Accessible Calls to Actions
- Easy to Navigate Product or Service Lists
Local SEO Campaigns: By launching local SEO campaigns along with corporate ones, it is possible to grow brands as a whole, as well as individual locations. The purpose of a local campaign is to connect with local customers who are more likely to enlist services or buy products. This includes creating locally focused PPC campaigns, unique content, relevant images, and accessible contact points like local phone numbers, business listings with local addresses and local reviews.
Establish Brand and Location Credibility: How many times have you visited two franchise locations and had wildly different experiences? Practices are meant to be the same from coast to coast but staffing, services and customer service may vary from one location to another. By creating local social media pages, as well as Google business profiles and review platforms, customers are able to get a sense of exactly who they are dealing with from coast to coast no matter which city they are in. Incorporating links or calls to action for these supplemental features, strengthens online presence.
Quake Media: Leaders in Multi-Location Website Development
As specialists in both website design, search engine optimization and digital marketing, Quake has spent years supporting both local and international businesses. With clients spanning across Canada, the United States and beyond, no one understands the importance of a strong local presence, as well as global reach, like we do. By creating customized development strategies built to fit your goals as a business partner or owner, highly trained developers and specialists are able to increase brand awareness, maximize marketing budgets and attract local customers.
No matter your industry, all businesses can benefit from a thoughtfully constructed website that features brand identity and core values, as well as the family of store locations that contribute to the greater whole. With years of experience in franchise web development, as well as locally owned and operated brick-and-mortar businesses, site plans can be built to account for 2 separate locations, all the way to 2,000 locations. There is no limit to how you can expand your site and grow your brand identity.
