Anyone opening a new franchise location wants customers through the door from day one. That is why our launch plan starts eight weeks before the opening and runs until eight weeks afterwards. In those sixteen weeks we set up the profiles, the location page, local social media and the first reviews, and we measure the effect in the dashboard per location.
Why should marketing for new franchise locations start well before opening day?
Online, a new location does not exist yet. No profile, no reviews, no page. Search engines and AI assistants need time to get to know a new address, and verifying profiles can take a while. If you only start in the opening week, the location stays invisible in the map for the first few weeks while the rent is already being paid.
With existing chains we see how often this keeps causing problems later on. In the Local SEO Benchmark Franchise Chains 2026, only 40% of the 500 profiles examined were complete. A new location is the moment to get it right straight away, following the standard of the franchise brand.
What does the launch plan for new franchise locations look like?
The plan has five milestones. Each milestone has a fixed owner and a measurable result, so head office knows what is ready for every opening.
| Moment | Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 8 before | Create Google, Apple and Bing profiles | Us, in the head office account | All three verified |
| Week 6 before | Location page with schema live | Us, with input from the franchisee | Page indexed |
| Week 4 before | Local social media and 'coming soon' | Us and the franchisee | Campaign running within a fixed radius |
| Opening week | Photos, opening post, first reviews | Franchisee asks, we respond | First reviews answered |
| Weeks 1 to 8 after | Posts, reviews, adjustments | Us | Updated weekly |
| Week 8 after | Evaluation and standard approach | Head office, franchisee, us | Agreements for month three |
Eight weeks before opening: create and verify the profiles
We create the Google Business Profile in head office's organisation account, using the fixed categories and naming conventions of the franchise brand. This is part of our management of every Google Business Profile. At the same time we add the location to Apple Business Connect for chains and register it through Bing Places for each branch. We verify all three, so the location genuinely exists on opening day.
Six weeks before opening: a location page with schema
The new location gets its own page on the franchise brand's website with the address, opening date, team, offering and a map. Structured data (schema) tells search engines and AI assistants exactly which business is at which address. This is how we build local landing pages for every location using a single template for the whole chain.
Four weeks before opening: local social media and 'coming soon'
Next, we announce the opening locally. Posts about the refurbishment and the new team, an opening offer and adverts within a fixed radius around the address with the message 'coming soon'. How to divide the roles between franchisor and franchisee is explained in social media for each franchise location.
Opening week: first reviews, photos and posts
In the opening week we add real photos of the location and the team to every profile and publish an opening post. The franchisee asks satisfied customers for a review. We respond to every review within 24 hours. We never buy reviews or have them written.
Eight weeks after opening: evaluation in the dashboard
After eight weeks we go through the figures with head office and the franchisee. What went well, where is the location lagging behind comparable locations, and what is the standard approach from month three onwards? Everything is in the dashboard, with clear results for each location.
Who does what in the online launch of new franchise locations?
An opening runs smoothly when it is agreed in advance who decides and who delivers. Head office safeguards the franchise brand, the franchisee knows the neighbourhood and we carry out the work across every channel. AI helps us with draft texts and with checking data, and a person approves everything.
| Element | Head office | Franchisee | Franchise Marketing Bureau |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name, category and house style | Decides | Follows | Applies it across all profiles |
| Opening date and opening hours | Approves | Supplies | Keeps them identical everywhere |
| Photos and team | Sets requirements | Supplies | Uploads and optimises |
| Opening offer | Framework and budget | Local details | Campaign and measurement |
| Reviews | House rules for responses | Asks customers for them | Responds within 24 hours |
Work together on measurable results, not on an annual contract. Start with the free visibility scan.
Which figures do you review eight weeks after a branch opens?
You do not compare a new location with one that has been running for ten years. We look at growth per week and at locations that opened around the same time. These measurement points are in the dashboard for every launch.
| Measurement point | Why | How we measure it |
|---|---|---|
| Profiles verified and complete | No verification means no visibility | Check on Google, Apple and Bing |
| Views in the map | Shows whether the new address is being picked up | Insights per profile per week |
| Direction requests and calls | A signal of real visitors | Actions from the profiles |
| Number of reviews and responses | Trust for new customers | Count plus time to reply |
| Visits to the location page | Does the page work as a landing page | Analytics with tracking code per channel |
| Mentioned by AI assistants | Does AI already know the new address | Fixed test questions for that town |
Which mistakes are common when opening new branches?
The most common mistake is the franchisee creating a profile on a personal account. Later, head office wants to manage that profile and the hunt for login details begins. A second mistake is a duplicate profile, for example when a previous business was based at the same address. A third mistake is an opening date on the website that differs from the one in the map.
If a franchisee takes over an existing location, you should not create a new profile at all. In that case it is about transferring profiles during a takeover, so the reviews are kept.
How do franchisors find a franchisee for a new location?
Often the site is already in view, but the entrepreneur is not. We also help you with recruiting franchisees through online channels for a specific town or region. Your own website gets a recruitment page for that region, which can be found in Google and AI assistants. That way candidates come to you and the data stays yours.
We recruit on results. You pay nothing up front. After that you pay per verified introduction: a candidate we have screened in advance on own capital, financeability, region and motivation. A success fee follows on signing. We agree the amounts together in writing before we start. Prospective franchisees can also explore their options via franchise-starten.nl.
What remains your responsibility as the franchisor
The Dutch Franchise Act has applied since 1 January 2021. You give the candidate the mandatory information in advance, including on fees and investments, after which a four-week standstill period applies before anything may be signed. Have your contract reviewed by a franchise lawyer; this is not legal advice.
What does the online launch of new franchise locations cost?
A new location falls under the same package as the other locations: Basic €199, Growth €400 or Full service €600 per month, excl. VAT. For a launch we recommend Full service, because it includes the local landing page and GEO. We manage local adverts and social media for a fixed monthly fee on the basis of a quote. The advertising budget goes directly to Google, Microsoft or Meta. All the details are on transparent pricing per location.
| Element | Per location | Three locations |
|---|---|---|
| Full service package per month | €600 | €1,800 per month |
| Moving to Growth after the launch | €400 | €1,200 per month |
| Advertising and social media management | On quotation | On quotation |
| Media budget | Paid directly to the platform | Paid directly to the platform |
| Franchisee recruitment | On results | On results |
What does a location outside the Google Maps top 3 cost you?
This calculation uses Dutch figures instead of American click-through rates. The average revenue per franchise location comes from the Dutch Franchise Association (NFV) statistics, reference year 2025. Nobody can say in advance exactly how much revenue a location loses without a top position in Google Maps, with a Google Business Profile that is not in order, or without proper review management. So you calculate a scenario per cause: a few percent of revenue going to a more visible competitor. Add them up and you see the combined cost.
| Sector | Revenue per location per year | 1% revenue missed | 3% revenue missed | Growth package (€4,800 a year) as share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors (average) | €1,445,000 | €14,450 | €43,350 | 0.33% |
| Services | €480,000 | €4,800 | €14,400 | 1% |
| Hospitality | €1,230,000 | €12,300 | €36,900 | 0.39% |
| Health care | €1,270,000 | €12,700 | €38,100 | 0.38% |
| Non-food retail | €1,750,000 | €17,500 | €52,500 | 0.27% |
| Food retail | €2,910,000 | €29,100 | €87,300 | 0.16% |
| Other brands | €680,000 | €6,800 | €20,400 | 0.71% |
- 6 of the 100 largest Dutch franchise chains reply to a Google review within 24 hours; the average response time is 6.8 days and 90% has no demonstrable review management process.
- Only 40% of the 500 Google Business Profiles examined is fully completed.
- In the measurement one review was viewed around 15,000 times on average: an unanswered complaint stays visible to thousands of people.
- 42% of consumers would rather not do business with a company that never replies to reviews (BrightLocal 2026).
Sources: NFV Franchise Statistics, reference year 2025 (34,937 locations, €50.5 billion revenue); Local SEO Franchise Benchmark 2026 (100 largest chains, 500 profiles); sector model on franchiseseo.nl (in Dutch). The percentages are scenarios you choose, not a measurement or a promise. We do not promise rankings or revenue.
Questions about marketing for a new location
How long before opening should marketing for a new location start?
Who becomes the owner of a new location's profile?
Why does a new location need its own page before it opens?
What do you do on social media in the weeks before the opening?
How does a location that has just opened get its first reviews?
What do we discuss at the evaluation eight weeks after opening?
Can you also find the franchisee for a new site?
Which legal steps are involved in recruiting for a new location?
What if there is already an old business profile at the new address?
Is the launch plan also suitable for several openings at once?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
Book an introductory call and work with us to set the launch plan for your next location.