Ten questions to ask your marketing agency as a franchisor

Why franchisors need to be able to judge this themselves

You are ultimately responsible for the marketing budget and for the agreements with franchisees about the marketing contribution. If the agency fails to deliver, franchisees are the first to notice it in their turnover, and they will come to you. With these questions you can show what happens to the money in the marketing fund, and you can adjust course before it turns into a conflict.

How to use the questions

Ask the questions during a regular progress meeting, without sending them in advance. The point is not to catch your agency out, but to see whether the answers are readily available. An agency that manages performance per location has this information to hand. For each question, note whether the answer is good, doubtful or worrying, and then use the scorecard at the bottom.

The questions are intended for franchisors with ten or more locations. For a single shop they are too heavy; for a chain they are the foundation.

The ten questions with good and worrying answers

Each question shows what a good answer looks like, what a worrying answer looks like and why the question matters.

1. When did you last show us a geo-grid for each location?

Good answer: A map with measuring points across the catchment area, per location.
Worrying answer: Never, or asking what a geo-grid is.

Local rankings differ from street to street. One average position tells you nothing about the location itself.

2. What local SEO training or certification does the person managing our Business Profiles have?

Good answer: Specific training in local search.
Worrying answer: Only general SEO courses.

Profile management is a different discipline from building websites or writing content.

3. Which feature did Google add or remove in the past quarter, and what did you do about it?

Good answer: Concrete changes with actions for your franchise brand.
Worrying answer: A vague answer with no action.

Google changes the Business Profile constantly. Anyone who does not keep up falls behind.

4. When did you last alert us to a change at Google without being asked?

Good answer: Several examples of their own alerts.
Worrying answer: You always have to ask yourself.

Proactive alerts show that real monitoring is taking place.

5. How many reviews were left unanswered last month and what was the average response time?

Good answer: Figures in hours, per location.
Worrying answer: A feeling instead of a number.

Responding to reviews is a core task. What is not measured does not get done.

6. Which page does each location's Business Profile link to?

Good answer: To a dedicated location page.
Worrying answer: To the homepage.

A dedicated page per location gives Google and AI context and prevents locations from competing with each other.

7. Do we have duplicate profiles, and how many?

Good answer: An exact number and what has been done about them.
Worrying answer: No idea.

Growing chains almost always have duplicate or orphaned profiles. Tracking them down takes specialist knowledge.

8. Who formally owns our Business Profiles?

Good answer: Head office, with clear roles for the agency and each location.
Worrying answer: Unclear, or different per location.

Ownership determines whether you stay in control when a franchisee or agency leaves.

9. What have you published yourselves on local visibility in the past year?

Good answer: Research, articles or case studies with a named author.
Worrying answer: Nothing, or only advertising.

Agencies that publish their own work show that their knowledge is up to date.

10. When did we receive a report with results per location?

Good answer: Every month, with outcomes per location.
Worrying answer: Only reports covering the whole domain.

The location is the unit customers choose between, not the domain.

Why these ten questions work

The questions have three things in common. They are about facts an agency can show straight away, not opinions. They are about the location, not the brand. And they reveal whether there is a process, or whether the work depends on one person. Together they give you an honest picture in a short time.

An agency that scores well does not find these questions difficult. It already has the geo-grid, the response times and the per-location report ready, and is pleased you asked. An agency that has to search, delays or changes the subject is telling you something too.

Probing further when the answer is vague

If you get a general answer, follow up with one of these questions. They make the difference between a promise and proof.

• Can you show me that for the location in a city I name right now?
• Who exactly does that on your side, and how often?
• Where is that in last month's report?
• What happens if that person is on holiday or leaves?
• What has that delivered for the location, in direction requests or phone calls?

The aim is not to back your agency into a corner. The aim is to establish together what happens at each location, so you know what you are paying for.

What franchisors can check themselves in advance

You can verify some of the answers yourself beforehand. Search on your phone for your product together with the name of a city where you have a location, and see whether it appears on the map. Open the profile and check the opening hours, photos and the link to the website. Look at the last ten reviews and count how many have been answered. Finally, ask an AI assistant the same question and see whether your location is mentioned. With that information you go into the meeting better prepared.

When to ask these questions

The best moment is before you renew a contract or choose a new agency. But they are useful in between as well, for example when franchisees complain that they cannot be found, when new locations are added or when turnover in a region lags behind for no clear reason. An annual review using these questions and the scorecard keeps the partnership sharp. Include the outcome in the agreements for the following year, with concrete targets per location. That makes the conversation with your agency less noncommittal, and next year you can see whether anything has genuinely improved.

All questions at a glance

Print this overview or take it with you to your next meeting with your agency.

Scorecard: how is your agency doing?

For each question, award 2 points for a good answer, 1 point for a doubtful one and 0 points for a worrying answer. Add up the points.

Bonus check: look up your contact person on LinkedIn

See which qualifications your contact person lists and whether they publish specialist content themselves. That is essentially what Google does when assessing expertise: who is the author, what have they done and where can that be verified? An agency that has not sorted this out for itself will also struggle to do it for your locations.

What to do if the answers disappoint

Switching agency is not always necessary. It often works better to assign the visibility of each location separately, alongside the agency for your website and campaigns. Start with a free baseline measurement, so you have an independent benchmark. If you want your own team to learn to answer these questions themselves, choose training in Google Maps and AI visibility. Also calculate what it costs if things stay as they are: the visibility cost calculator and the cost of unanswered reviews. Read more about the approach under managing all Business Profiles and review management for chains.