Challenge:

Our client, an owner of an automotive body shop franchise, faced a two-pronged issue: a marked decline in both online traffic to their website and physical visitations to their shop. This dip in engagement was affecting their overall business health and sales figures.

Objective:

To pinpoint the cause behind the decrease in online and offline traffic and devise a strategy to boost local organic search rankings, resulting in increased website visits and in-store foot traffic.

Process:

We initiated a detailed analysis of the online traffic patterns, studying website analytics, and SEO rankings, and examining changes implemented recently. This assessment included comparing data from before and after the decline and contrasting it with other franchises and local competitors.

Findings:

Upon analysis, we discovered a significant change made by the “Corporate” brand on the franchise’s website, which seemed to coincide with the drop in online traffic. Moreover, the central “Corporate” branding had overlooked the importance of local content, leading to diminished organic search visibility for our client’s specific franchise location.

Solution:

To remedy the situation, we began by identifying high-opportunity locations within the franchise’s commerce zone to target. We developed and deployed hyper-local content, tailored and optimized for these specific areas. This content catered directly to the local audience, focusing on their needs and interests, and was simultaneously optimized for search engine visibility.

With the infusion of this localized strategy, the franchise’s search engine rankings began to climb, regaining its previous standing and then some, moving up by over 901 positions within their commerce zone.

Results:

1. A remarkable recovery and enhancement in the franchise’s local search engine ranking, ascending by more than 901 positions in their commerce zone.
2. An associated resurgence in website traffic, bringing it back to its former levels.
3. A substantial boost of 45.4% in retail sales within just under 90 days post the implementation of the hyper-local content strategy.

Conclusion:

Changes made by parent corporate entities can inadvertently affect the online performance of individual franchises, emphasizing the need for franchise owners to have localized digital strategies in place. This case underscores the importance of tailoring content to specific local audiences and optimizing for local search. Addressing challenges with a nuanced, location-specific approach can lead to a swift turnaround in both online visibility and retail sales.