Franchise and Location Research
Using local search results to evaluate candidate sites for new locations.
The problem
Site-selection decisions need local demand, competition density, and foot-traffic-adjacent signal for a specific address or neighborhood, and while demographic data is available from structured sources, the qualitative local-market picture — what's nearby, what's saturated, what's underserved — often comes together fastest through targeted local search.
How the workflow is built
Location-scoped queries assess competitor density (how many similar businesses already operate within a radius), nearby complementary businesses, and general neighborhood commercial activity for each candidate site, feeding into a broader site-selection model alongside demographic and traffic data from dedicated sources.
Example queries
[business category] near [candidate address]"[city] neighborhood]" new business openings 2026commercial vacancy OR "for lease" [candidate area]
Pitfalls to watch for
- Local-pack search results reflect current, not planned, business activity — a competitor that's already signed a lease but hasn't opened yet won't show up in search, which can meaningfully understate near-term competitive density for a fast-growing area.
- Search-based competitor counts don't capture business quality or actual market share, only presence, so a location with few competitors by count could still be a weak opportunity if those few are dominant incumbents.
- Commercial real estate listings (vacancies, lease terms) are less consistently indexed than most other business content, so this vertical often needs a dedicated commercial real estate source alongside general search rather than relying on search coverage alone.