The question every brand asks first
When franchise development leaders hear about category domains, the first question is almost always the same: does this replace our website?
It does not. The hub-and-spoke model is designed to add reach without disrupting what already works.
The hub: your development site
Your franchise development site is where serious buyers go deep. It holds your investment details, your story, your support model, and your application or contact process. It is built around your brand name, which makes it ideal for buyers who already know who you are.
The limitation is reach. A site built around a brand name is found mainly by people who already know the name. Research from Franchise Insights found that most franchise inquirers barely know the brands they contact: 72.3% inquired about brands they were not familiar with (Franchise Insights, 2026 (opens in a new tab)). Those buyers are searching by category, not by name.
The spokes: category properties
A category property is built on a domain that names the concept, such as PetGroomingFranchise.com. It reaches the buyer who is exploring pet grooming before they have a brand in mind, and it does three things:
- Educates. It explains the category: how the business works, who it suits, and what ownership looks like.
- Introduces. It presents your brand as the concept leading that category.
- Connects. It qualifies interest and sends the candidate to your development team, with their details in your CRM.
A brand can have more than one spoke. A pet care concept might reach buyers through pet grooming, dog washing, and pet boarding searches, each a different starting point with the same brand and the same recruitment system behind it. In practice, a few closely related spokes are the realistic range for one brand.
How candidates move between them
The flow is simple:
- A buyer searches a category and lands on the category property.
- They learn about the category and your concept.
- They answer a few qualifying questions and share their contact details.
- Your team receives the candidate, already qualified, and the conversation begins.
Some buyers will also visit your development site to learn more, which is exactly what you want. The spoke widens the funnel; the hub deepens it.
Why not just improve the hub?
Improving your development site is always worthwhile, but it cannot change the name on the door. A site called YourBrand.com will always be strongest for people searching YourBrand. A category property matches the search people make before your name means anything to them, and because each category domain is licensed to one brand at a time, that path leads only to you.
What stays the same
- Your development site, your brand standards, and your sales process
- Your team’s ownership of the conversation once a candidate arrives
- Your CRM, connected directly, so candidates appear where your team already works
Choosing your spokes
The best spokes start with the buyer’s language, not the brand’s. Ask how someone would describe your opportunity before they knew your name:
- What category would they search? A buyer interested in a pet care business might start with pet grooming, dog washing, or pet boarding, depending on what drew them in.
- Which categories genuinely fit your concept? Every spoke should lead to an opportunity that matches what the buyer was looking for. A loose fit creates inquiries that don’t convert.
- How many paths make sense? One strong spoke is a solid start. A few closely related spokes can reach different entry points for the same concept; beyond that, the categories usually stop describing your brand accurately.
Keeping the brand consistent
Spokes live on their own domains, but they should never feel disconnected from the brand. A well-built spoke:
- Uses your brand’s name, logo, and visual identity where the brand is introduced
- Describes the opportunity in a way that agrees with your development site and disclosure materials
- Hands candidates to the same team, process, and CRM as every other source
Buyers who move from a spoke to your hub should feel they are continuing the same conversation, not starting a new one.
Measuring what each spoke contributes
Because each spoke is its own destination, its contribution is easy to see. Useful measures include:
- Discovery: how many buyers reach the spoke, and through which channels
- Candidate quality: how many inquiries qualify, and how many book a meeting
- Development outcomes: appointments held and applications started
- Cross-visits: how many spoke visitors go on to explore your hub
These numbers show whether a category is earning its place and where to focus next.
Common questions
Will a spoke confuse buyers who already know our brand? Buyers who know your brand will usually search for you by name and land on your hub. Spokes are designed for the larger group who are exploring a category and have not met your brand yet.
Do spoke inquiries go anywhere other than our team? On a category property licensed to your brand, inquiries go to your development team, through a direct connection to your CRM.
Does our team need to manage the spokes? No. In the Webperties model, Webperties builds and operates each spoke. Your team receives qualified candidates and keeps ownership of the conversation from there.
The bottom line
The hub-and-spoke model gives a franchise brand category positioning without asking it to rebuild anything. The hub remains the destination; the spokes bring in buyers who would not have found it on their own.
See the full journey from search to conversation on How It Works.
Al Gonzalez leads Webperties, a digital company that builds, owns, and operates digital assets and partners with brands to lead their categories. Webperties has been building online businesses since 1999.