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If your franchise website were a house, its structure would be the foundation.
And you know what happens when you ignore the foundation? You get cracks, sagging walls, and the occasional “Why is the floor sloping toward the bathroom?” moment.
In the digital world, those cracks show up as:
- Poor SEO rankings
- Confusing navigation for users
- Inconsistent branding across locations
- Franchisees asking why their site isn’t showing up in Google’s local results
The worst part? These problems start on day one if the wrong structure is chosen — and fixing it later is like moving a building after you’ve already decorated the inside. Technically possible… but expensive and painful.
Why Franchise Website Structure Is Different
Franchise websites aren’t like your average small business site. You’re not just publishing a few pages about one location — you’re building a scalable website architecture for dozens (or hundreds) of locations, each needing visibility in their local market while staying consistent with the national brand.
Here’s what your structure needs to achieve from day one:
- Brand consistency — Logos, colors, messaging, legal disclaimers, and offers must be uniform.
- Local customization — Each location should showcase unique elements like staff bios, local photos, events, and reviews.
- Centralized control — Updates, SEO optimizations, and new features should roll out across the network without manually editing every page.
Search engines don’t see “franchise” — they see a collection of pages. Your structure tells them how those pages are related.
The Three Main Approaches: Subfolder vs Subdomain vs Separate Domains
1. Separate Domains
Definition: Each location gets its own standalone domain — e.g., joesplumbingchicago.com, joesplumbingdenver.com.
Pros:
- Maximum autonomy for each location
- Fully customized local branding and content
Cons:
- SEO authority is split across dozens of domains
- Duplicate content risk is high if base text and images are reused
- Corporate teams face a management nightmare — one change may mean updating 50+ sites individually
- Tracking performance across the network is complex and inconsistent
Why it’s a problem for franchise SEO: Google treats each domain as its own entity. A great backlink for Chicago does nothing for Denver. Instead of one strong brand presence, you’re diluting your authority across multiple websites.
2. Subdomains (city.brand.com)
Definition: Each location has its own subdomain off the main brand domain.
Pros:
- More centralized than separate domains
- Branding is more consistent
- Slightly easier to manage than separate websites
Cons:
- Google still treats subdomains as separate sites for most ranking purposes
- SEO benefits are still split up
- More technical setup needed to connect analytics and content systems
Why it’s a problem for SEO: While better than separate domains, subdomains still create silos. Each subdomain has to “earn” its own rankings instead of pooling authority.
3. Subfolders (brand.com/city)
Definition: All location pages live within the main site under unique URLs.
Pros:
- All SEO authority stays under one domain
- Backlinks benefit the entire brand network
- Updates, promotions, and features can be rolled out globally
- Unified analytics for easier tracking and reporting
Cons:
- Requires a robust CMS setup from the start
- Some franchisees perceive it as “less local” without a unique URL (more perception than reality)
Why it’s best for SEO and scalable website architecture: Search engines see a clear hierarchy between the brand and each location. Every location’s SEO efforts feed into the same authority pool, making it easier to rank locally and nationally.
How Structure Impacts SEO From Day One
Choosing the wrong structure early can lock your brand into a permanent uphill battle:
- Link Equity: In subfolders, one great backlink to Dallas boosts the entire brand. In separate domains or subdomains, it’s stuck on an island.
- Crawl Efficiency: Search engines discover and index subfolder content faster because it’s all under one domain.
- Duplicate Content: Similar copy across locations is less risky in a subfolder structure, where Google recognizes the shared authority.
- Local SEO: The right structure supports fully optimized location pages linked to Google Business Profiles, boosting map pack rankings.
Beyond SEO: Brand & Operational Advantages
The right structure doesn’t just improve rankings — it improves operational sanity:
- Brand Control: Roll out seasonal campaigns, new offers, or compliance updates instantly.
- Speed to Market: Launch new location pages in minutes, not weeks.
- Unified Analytics: Track performance across the network without juggling multiple logins.
- Lower Maintenance Costs: One hosting setup, one security plan, one maintenance process.
Real-World Example – The 100+ Location Boost
We recently worked with a franchise brand with more than 100 locations nationwide. Their site ran on a subdomain structure (city.brand.com).
The problem? Each location was an SEO island. Backlinks, keyword rankings, and visibility were siloed.
We migrated them to a subfolder structure (brand.com/city). The migration was complex, but the payoff was immediate:
- Locations that barely ranked for brand searches in their own cities suddenly appeared in the top results.
- Organic clicks spiked across the board.
For the full story and lessons learned, see the City Wide Case Study.
Best Practices for a Scalable Franchise Website
- Pick the right CMS — Must support subfolder architecture for unlimited locations without custom development.
- Template smartly — Balance brand consistency with local customization opportunities.
- Set governance rules — Define what corporate controls vs. franchisee-controlled content.
- Optimize from the start — Mobile-first, fast-loading, Core Web Vitals-friendly.
CMS Recommendation – Why WordPress Multisite Wins for Franchises
If you’re building or rebuilding a franchise site, your CMS will make scaling effortless — or make you want to throw your laptop into the ocean.
Our go-to: WordPress Multisite.
Why?
- Built for scale — Add location pages in minutes.
- Centralized control — One dashboard for brand-wide updates.
- SEO-friendly architecture — Supports subfolder setups perfectly.
- Customizable templates — Brand consistency with local personality.
- Cost efficiency — One hosting plan, one set of plugins, one security schedule.
Other CMS options often force compromises — like locking you into subdomains or proprietary code that’s expensive to maintain. WordPress Multisite gives you flexibility, scalability, and a proven SEO foundation.
FAQ: Franchise Website Structure & Migration
Q1: What if we have established local domains already?
We can migrate them to subfolders while preserving as much SEO equity as possible with 301 redirects, updated sitemaps, and content consolidation. Over time, the combined authority almost always outweighs any temporary dip.
Q2: How long does a migration take?
For 50–100+ locations, expect 4–6 months depending on complexity, customization, and whether a redesign happens simultaneously.
Q3: Can you help with our franchise website migration?
Absolutely. We’ve moved brands from separate domains and subdomains to subfolders — sometimes hundreds of locations — with a proven process that protects rankings and eliminates downtime.
Q4: Will our rankings drop during migration?
If it’s done wrong, yes. If it’s done right, rankings improve within weeks.
Q5: Is there ever a reason not to use a subfolder structure?
For franchises? No. “Required” subdomains are usually a technical limitation — solved by WordPress Multisite. The only things that belong on subdomains are your franchise sales site or tools like your academy, portal, or network-wide shop.
Final Word: Audit Your Structure
If you can’t confidently answer “yes” to:
- Are our local pages ranking well in map packs?
- Are our SEO efforts benefiting all locations?
…then your structure may be holding you back.
Get a free franchise website structure audit — no strings, no jargon, just clear advice.