Website Critique: FranchiseASAP
By Anna Johnson on August 1st, 2008Today I review another of the websites submitted by our Kikabink News’ subscribers: FranchiseASAP.com.
As mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ll use the “7W Formula” as the basis for the review, addressing each of the 7 Ws of “Who”, “What”, “Why”, “How”, “Where”, “When” and “HoW”. For an explanation of the 7W Formula, click here.
Time (and length) constraints mean this is just my initial impression of the home page of the site, rather than a detailed, comprehensive analysis of the website, level of search engine optimization, or underlying business.
So let’s get started!
1. Who
The target market appears to include (1) people planning to franchise their business, who are looking for help to do so, as well as (2) those thinking about franchising their business.
2. What
The page clearly gives me several, logical options for taking action. I can request the free report or click on one of the links in the left-hand side navigation bar.
If the page was a landing page for a pay-per-click advertising campaign I would suggest one call-to-action link, but since this is a home page accessible by people from either target market, having several options is a good idea.
All but one of the links in the nav are what I would call intuitive links for this kind of site. The “Grow Your Business” link doesn’t really convey what it’s about. The page it goes to lists some benefits of franchising so… why not rename the link to “Why Franchise Your Business?” or “Benefits of Franchising” etc. An “About Us” link (which is critical for any company these days, especially one providing professional services) is also noticeably absent.
3. Why
The “why” is also readily apparent. For people thinking about franchising there are four benefits of franchising clearly displayed, as well as a link to a free report. And there are also four benefits listed for those considering hiring FranchiseASAP.
However, the “why” could be MUCH stronger and more compelling (see the “Wow” discussion below). Also, given the two distinct target markets, the page could more obviously distinguish between the two, and speak to members of each group more directly. For example, there could be two headlines along the lines of:
“Want To Know If Franchising Is Right For You?”
“Want To Know How We Can Help You With Our Low-Cost, Turn-Key, Franchising System?”
4. How
The “how” is fairly obvious – click on the free report link or the links in the nav to obtain the desired information about the company and what it offers. Unfortunately, the “how” on the internal pages is not so obvious, and there’s a strong argument for at least testing a more direct call to action on the home page. (See the “When” discussion below)
5. Where
The “where” is apparent in terms of the nav bar, but the link to the free report in the middle of the page could be much more obvious.
6. When
The “when” is now. This page is really about giving visitors choices about what to do next, rather than directly selling them on the company’s services. That’s not necessarily a bad thing… but it’s definitely something to test.
Should you have a bit more of a sales pitch on the home page… or direct people to internal pages? In general, the fewer the hoops (clicks) someone has to go through before finding the information they want, the more they will stay on the site and perform the desired action. However, FranchiseASAP is a fairly “flat” site in that it only takes one click to get to the “action” pages.
One thing though… while this critique focuses on the home page, I see that there are no STRONG calls to action on the internal pages. I strongly suggest having an inquiry form at the bottom of each page that allows someone to submit request to be contacted or sent further information. I would also replace the existing phone number listing with a stronger call to action. For example:
“Call 000 000 000 Now For a Free, No Obligation Consultation”
7. Wow
I love the name. I love the logo. The layout is nice. But the site lacks “wow”. I would love to see a much more powerful, enticing message on the home page rather than “Welcome To FranchiseASAP”. It doesn’t have to be long (something to be tested anyway) but a bold headline and some riveting copy could make this webpage – and the site as a whole – work much, much harder for the business. I also think the offer of the free report could be presented in a MUCH MORE exciting and appealing way.
Overall, this is the kind of website – and business – we love working with. I suspect that conversions (both inquiries and free report requests) could be radically improved with (1) better copy, (2) tweaking a few elements (e.g. adding an “About Us” page, relabeling some other links and pages, making the free report offer more prominent, etc and (3) continuing to test, track and innovate in order to improve conversions. This site has a great future.
Source: FranchiseASAP
