Online marketing in the services sector comes down to three things: being visible in the area where your location operates, responding quickly and making it easy to request a quote or book an appointment. In 2025 the NFV counted 9,721 service franchise locations, the largest sector in the Netherlands. Per location, we set up the service area, reviews and conversion, and measure what it delivers.
Why do service franchises need their own marketing approach?
The NFV count for 2025 shows this picture for the services sector: 9,721 locations across 375 franchise brands, together accounting for €4.7 billion in turnover and jobs for 37,400 people. On average that is 26 locations per franchise brand, €0.48 million turnover per location and 3.8 people working per location.
That last figure is the crux. A location with a handful of people is out working at customers' premises during the day. Nobody has time to upload photos, answer questions in the profile or respond to a review within a day. That work has to happen centrally and largely automated, with a person checking it. You can see how this differs from other sectors in our approach per sector.
| Characteristic | Services | All sectors | What it means online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise brands | 375 | 936 | Many brands, so plenty of competition per search term |
| Locations | 9,721 | 34,937 | Largest group of profiles to manage |
| Turnover per location | €0.48m | €1.45m | Every quote counts; measuring per enquiry is essential |
| People working per location | 3.8 | 12.6 | Few hands for online tasks at the location |
How do you set up service areas for service locations?
A cleaning company, installer or home care provider usually does not receive customers at an address. In the Google Business Profile you then choose a service area: you hide the address and specify in which towns or regions the location operates. The location then appears on the map for people in that area, while nobody turns up at a closed building.
This is where things often go wrong in a chain. Areas of neighbouring locations overlap, a franchisee adds towns themselves or the address is visible after all. Per location, we record which area belongs to the franchise contract and monitor it in all profiles. To see how we organise profile management further, read about Google Maps management for chains.
Service area and location page belong together
The profile links to a page on your own site. For service providers, that page names the towns in the service area, the location's services and how to get in touch. This helps Google and AI assistants link the location to a region. Customers searching on their phone land in the right place straight away; read more under mobile findability.
Which conversions count in service franchise marketing?
In the services sector, nobody buys directly online. The customer calls, sends a WhatsApp message, fills in a quote form or books an appointment. Those are your conversions, and we measure them per location. A site visit without an enquiry is interesting, but not a result.
In the benchmark, 7% of profiles used the WhatsApp integration. For service providers that leaves opportunities untapped, because customers like to send a photo of the problem. We set up every location with the shortest route to contact and compare the figures side by side in KPIs for online marketing per location.
| Conversion | Where it happens | How we measure it |
|---|---|---|
| Phone call | Google Business Profile, location page | Call clicks per profile and per page |
| WhatsApp message | Profile and site | Clicks on the chat button per location |
| Quote request | Form on the location page | Submitted forms with a location label |
| Booked appointment | Booking link in profile or site | Appointments per location per month |
| Route or visit | Only for locations with a front desk | Route requests in the profile |
Work together on measurable results, not on an annual contract. Start with the free visibility scan.
Why is review response speed so important for service providers?
A service provider comes into your home or business. A customer wants to be sure about that in advance. Reviews are the first proof, and the way the location responds counts just as much. A fast, personal reply shows that someone is available.
Our 2026 benchmark showed that only six out of a hundred chains answered a review within 24 hours. Those that did respond took 6.8 days on average. Not a single chain studied responded both quickly and substantively. In the Growth package we respond within 24 hours: AI drafts a reply based on the review, a person adjusts and approves it. Read more about the method under reputation management per location.
| Action | Why | How we measure it |
|---|---|---|
| Ask for a review after completing every job | A fixed step produces a steady flow | New reviews per location per month |
| Respond within 24 hours | The customer sees an accessible location | Average response time in the dashboard |
| Substantive reply that mentions the service | Shows what the location really does | Monthly quality sample |
| Answer questions in the profile | In the benchmark, no chain answered all questions | Open questions per location |
How do service franchise brands get found in AI assistants?
More and more people ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity for a reliable service provider in their region. Such an assistant only names businesses whose details it can verify. That means: consistent business details in Google, Apple Business Connect and Bing Places, a clear location page with schema, and reviews that describe the service.
We monitor this with fixed test questions per service and region, and build up the franchise brand's entity with schema and sameAs references. A person sets the strategy and checks the outcomes. The full approach is described under GEO for franchise brands.
How do you recruit franchisees for a service franchise brand?
Many service franchise brands require a smaller investment than a shop or restaurant. That attracts plenty of interest, but not every interested party suits the trade or has sufficient own capital. We recruit on your own site, with pages per region and a short qualification in advance on own capital, financeability, region and motivation.
You pay nothing up front and no advertising package, but instead pay per verified introduction plus a success fee on signing, with the amounts agreed in writing in advance. Under the Dutch Franchise Act, you as franchisor provide the mandatory information in advance, after which a four-week standstill period applies before signing. Have your contract reviewed by a franchise lawyer; this is not legal advice but a practical explanation.
Working with your current marketing team or agency
If you already have an agency for brand and campaigns, we take over the local layer: profiles, reviews, service areas and GEO. You can read how we divide the tasks under working with your existing agency. An overview of all channels is available under all online services for franchise brands.
What does marketing cost for service franchise locations?
A fictitious worked example for a service franchise brand with 26 locations, the NFV average in this sector. Ten locations in busy regions get Growth, the other sixteen Basic. Media budget for ads goes directly to the advertising platform and comes on top of this.
Other sectors follow a different search path. So also compare the approach for food and hospitality, the approach for non-food retail and the approach for healthcare, sport and wellness.
| Component | Calculation | Per month, excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Basic for 16 locations | 16 x €199 | €3,184 |
| Growth for 10 locations | 10 x €400 | €4,000 |
| Total | €7,184 | |
| Average per location | €7,184 / 26 | approximately €276 |
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 online marketing for service franchise brands
What is a service area in the Google Business Profile?
Should a service location show its address in Google Maps?
How do you prevent service areas of locations from overlapping?
Which conversions do you measure for a service franchise location?
How quickly do you respond to reviews of our service locations?
Why do so few service providers use the WhatsApp integration?
Are service franchise brands also recommended by ChatGPT or Gemini?
Is Apple Business Connect useful for a service provider without a shop?
How do you qualify prospective franchisees for a service franchise brand?
Which package suits a small service location?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
Request the free visibility scan and see, per service location, how the service area, reviews and enquiries are performing.