In the highly competitive world of franchising, getting visibility in the right markets is key — and that’s where PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising becomes a powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal.
Whether you’re a national franchise brand or a local franchisee, PPC helps you generate high-intent leads, drive foot traffic, and grow brand presence — but only when it’s well executed.
This guide will walk you through how to make PPC work for your franchise business — from a strategic campaign structure to local targeting and conversion-driving tactics.
What is PPC for Franchises and Why is it Important?
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) places your brand in front of the right potential customers at exactly the right moment – if you do it correctly.
Whether they’re searching for a service on Google or scrolling through social media, paid advertising offers flexible bid strategies.
Depending on your settings, you might pay only when someone clicks your ad, but you might pay based on impressions — making it a highly measurable and cost-efficient way to drive growth.
For franchise businesses though, PPC is uniquely valuable. With multiple locations, regional competition, and the need to maintain consistent branding, franchises require a more tailored approach than traditional businesses.
Done right, PPC is one of the fastest and most predictable ways to generate revenue for your franchise — both locally and nationally.
How Does PPC for Franchises Work?
Unlike single-location brands — where all ads point to the same place — franchise PPC must balance national consistency with local execution.
That means your campaigns often run on multiple levels:
- National campaigns to build brand awareness or promote seasonal offers
- Local campaigns targeting users around specific franchise locations
- Co-op campaigns where ad budgets and responsibilities are split between the franchisor and franchisees
The goal is to stay on-brand while still reaching audiences with messaging that’s locally relevant — and to drive real, measurable results at the location level.
Success depends on a few key factors:
- Geo-targeting – Making sure ads only show in relevant areas around each franchise
- Localised ad copy – Including city names, services, or offers while keeping the brand tone consistent
- Landing pages – Custom pages built for each location or promotion convert far better than a generic homepage
- Ad extensions – Features like call buttons, sitelinks, and location pins help boost local conversions. They can also help improve click-through rates by giving people more reason to act
In the end, franchise PPC isn’t just about visibility — it’s about reaching the right people in the right place, and making it easy for them to take action.
To get some insight into how we’ve helped businesses with their franchise PPC – why not check out our Shuttercraft case study?
Aligning Franchise PPC with the Customer Journey
No two customers are alike. And in franchise marketing, that’s especially true — your audience might include people who’ve never heard of your brand, as well as those who are ready to convert.
That’s why mapping your PPC campaigns to each stage of the customer journey is so important, especially for franchises.
Here’s how you can align your ads and campaign pages at each stage of the funnel:
Awareness Stage – Top of Funnel
The aim of top-of-funnel PPC campaigns is to capture attention and build brand awareness among users who are just beginning their search.
At this stage, potential customers may not know exactly what they’re looking for. They’re just researching, exploring options, and identifying a problem — in some cases, they might not even know they have a problem, they’re just curious.
Here, you want to focus more on offering helpful, educational content, rather than hitting them with the hard sell. Your pages should use site links to drive users to blog posts, FAQs, or webinars that build trust and demonstrate value — as opposed to just pushing products.
To complement this, your keyword strategy should lean towards broader, problem-aware search terms like:
- “best [X] near me”
- “how to choose a [X] provider”
- “tips for finding a reliable [X]”
- “ways to improve [personal need or business function]”
Paid social ads on Meta, YouTube, etc. can also perform well at this stage — especially if they feature useful tips, brand storytelling, or light demos. They also help capture the interest of a user who isn’t searching for your services but realises they might need them.
Because top-of-funnel PPC is all about awareness and trust, you’re planting a seed — not asking for a sale.
Consideration Stage – Middle of Funnel
Your landing pages for middle-of-funnel customers should aim to provide value upfront — think downloadable guides, fitness tips, or family resources — and encourage soft conversions like newsletter sign-ups or content downloads.
Here, users are actively evaluating their options. They’ve identified their problem — and they’re researching the best solution in their area. Your goal here is to position your franchise(s) as the clear, credible and obvious choice for them.
Keyword targeting becomes more specific and solution-driven here. You might bid on more action-driven phrases like:
- “affordable [X] in [location]”
- “top-rated [X] near me”
- “compare [X] services”
- “best value [X] franchise in [city]”
Landing pages should highlight your unique selling points — things like 24/7 access, highly-trained staff, no sign-up fees, or special offers.
This is also the right time to lean on trust signals. Customer testimonials, reviews, local awards, and success stories can all help to reinforce that value to the customer.
You can also direct traffic to detailed comparison pages, local franchise pages, or service-specific landing pages — anything you think that helps users make an informed decision.
At the consideration stage, users are comparing. Successful middle-of-funnel campaigns make it easy for them to see why you stand out.
Decision Stage – Bottom of Funnel
This is where franchise PPC drives real conversions.
Potential customers at this stage are ready to act — they often just need that final push.
At this point, your keywords should focus on high-intent, location-specific terms like:
- “book [X] appointment in [city]”
- “schedule [X] service today”
- “join [X] franchise near me”
- “contact [X] location now”
Your ad copy should create urgency. Using offers like “limited spots available,” “first session free,” or “sign up by X day for a bonus class” helps drive desired actions.
Landing pages should be clear, focused, and conversion-optimised — with strong CTAs like “join now,” “book a consultation,” or “call today”.
Make sure to include trust signals like customer ratings, reviews, security badges, certifications, or media mentions to reduce hesitation.
At the decision stage, every click counts — so remove friction, reinforce value, and make it as easy as possible for users to take action.
Franchise PPC Tips and Best Practices
To make sure your franchise PPCcampaigns drive real business results and conversions — not just passive traffic — keep these tried-and-tested strategies in mind:
1. Segment campaigns by location and funnel stage
Avoid bundling your awareness and decision-stage campaigns into one. They need different budgets, keywords, messaging, and landing pages.
2. Don’t send traffic to your homepage
Generic pages rarely convert. Build specific landing pages based on user intent and what your ad promises.
3. Use local ad extensions
These are especially important for franchises with physical locations. Make it easy for users to call, get directions, or find key details like your opening hours.
4. Remarket to non-converters
Most people won’t convert on their first visit. Use remarketing campaigns to bring them back with stronger CTAs or new offers.
5. Track what matters — beyond just clicks
Measure real actions like calls, appointment bookings, direction requests, or purchases. This is how you improve ROI at the local level.
6. Test your CTAs
“Book a Free Trial” might outperform “Contact Us Today.” Try different CTA styles based on user intent and funnel stage.
7. Exclude irrelevant traffic
Use negative keywords to filter out searches like “franchise jobs” or “how to start a franchise” that could drain your budget.
8. Use competitor targeting strategically
Targeting searches for competing brands can be an effective way to capture high-intent users — just make sure your ad messaging clearly explains why you’re different or better.
Launch Smarter Franchise PPC Campaigns with MRS Digital
With over 25 years of digital marketing experience, MRS Digital has helped franchise networks across diverse industries build award-winning PPC strategies — from fitness and retail to food, hospitality, and B2B services.
Whether you need support scaling a multi-location campaign or improving conversion rates at the local level, our award-winning PPC team is here to help.
Learn more about our PPC services or get in touch today — one of our franchise PPC specialists will respond within the hour.
