With online marketing for a healthcare franchise, gym chain or wellness brand, people only choose once they trust the location. According to the NFV, healthcare had 2,201 franchise locations in 2025, spread across 38 franchise brands. We make sure every location shows who works there, what it specialises in and how to book online straight away, without medical promises.
How big is healthcare franchising and what does that require online?
Healthcare is a small sector in number of franchise brands, but with many locations per brand. Based on the NFV franchise statistics, that works out at an average of 58 locations per healthcare brand. That is more than in hospitality or services. Every extra location is one more profile on Google, Apple Maps and Bing Places that is either correct or incorrect.
The NFV lists healthcare as a separate sector. We give no separate figure for fitness and wellness, because the statistics do not report them separately. Online demand is similar, though: people search nearby, read other people's experiences and want to book a first appointment or class without a phone call. An overview of all sectors is available in our approach by franchise sector.
| Healthcare metric | Value | What this requires online |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise brands | 38 | A recognisable brand as an entity in search engines and AI |
| Locations | 2,201 | As many profiles on three map platforms |
| Avg. locations per brand | 58 | Central monitoring of data is needed |
| People employed | 25,700 | Teams to make visible per location |
| People per location | 11.7 | Enough faces for a team page |
| Turnover per location | €1.27m | So a missed appointment matters |
How do clients and gym members choose a location online?
The search path has four steps. First there is a complaint, a goal or a wish: back pain, losing weight, getting stronger, relaxing. Next, someone compares two or three locations on reviews, specialisms and prices. Then trust decides: who are the practitioners or trainers, which quality marks does the location hold, how does a first class feel. The last step is the appointment or trial class, increasingly online.
A location can drop out at any step. A profile without team photos or with a broken booking link loses out to an independent practice that has this in order. We measure per step where people leak away and fix it per location.
How do you build trust for healthcare and fitness locations?
You build trust with verifiable facts, not big words. In a chain, every location has to show those facts itself, because the team and specialisms differ per address.
| Topic | Do | Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Result | Describe what a programme involves | Promise recovery or weight loss |
| Team | Mention training and genuine registrations | Use titles someone does not hold |
| Reviews | Thank people and invite them to get in touch | Confirm that someone is a client |
| Prices | Rate and what it includes | Bait prices without conditions |
| Specialisms | Only what that location offers | A chain-wide list on every page |
Team and specialisms per location
Every location page lists the practitioners or trainers with name, photo, training and the registrations they actually hold. We only mention specialisms such as sports injuries, children or older adults if that location offers them. We build a strong page for every location with that data in schema, so search engines and visibility in AI assistants tell the same story.
Careful with claims
In health, fitness and wellness we promise no cure, no kilos lost and no guaranteed result. Texts drafted by AI are always checked for claims by a person. If we have doubts about wording, the franchise brand submits it to its own clinical lead or lawyer.
Work together on measurable results, not on an annual contract. Start with the free visibility scan.
How do you make online bookings and trial classes measurable per location?
The appointment or trial class is the conversion that counts. We make sure the booking link in every profile lands at the right location, never on a chain-wide homepage. In Apple Business Connect we add an action button for an appointment or reservation, through Apple Business Connect for chains. Every click gets its own tracking code, so you see per location where bookings come from.
| Measurement point | Why | How we measure it |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks on booking link | Shows whether the profile convinces | Tracking code per profile and per platform |
| Trial classes requested | Direct conversion for fitness and wellness | Goals in analytics per location page |
| Appointments by phone | Many clients still call | Call clicks from profile and page |
| Route requests | Sign of an upcoming visit | Insights from the map platforms |
| Review response time | Signal of care and attention | Time between review and reply |
What should health, fitness and wellness locations do with reviews?
Reviews carry extra weight in this sector, because it is about your body or your health. Yet in our study of 100 large chains, only six chains replied within a day. Those that do reply wait 6.8 days on average. At 90% of chains we found no demonstrable process for reviews.
We answer reviews within 24 hours, personally and without confirming anything about a treatment. With a complaint, we ask the writer to call or email the location directly. That keeps the client's privacy protected. This is part of managing reviews for every location in the Growth package.
Which channels work for gym and wellness franchises?
A gym draws most members from its immediate surroundings. Wellness and healthcare are local too. That is why we start with the map platforms and the location page, and only then move to social and ads. For a gym franchise, Instagram per location works well for atmosphere and class timetables. A trial class campaign is supported with online advertising for chains, with a fixed radius per location.
| Channel | What we do | What you measure |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Categories, team, booking link, posts | Views, clicks, calls |
| Apple Maps and Bing Places | Same details, action button for appointments | Clicks on place card and listing |
| Location page | Team, specialisms, schema, booking | Appointments and trial classes |
| AI assistants | Fixed test questions per region | Whether the location is mentioned |
| Instagram and Facebook | Local content and class timetable | Reach and requests per location |
| Meta Ads and Google Ads | Trial class or intake within a fixed radius | Cost per request |
What does online marketing cost for a healthcare or fitness chain?
Per location per month we charge, excl. VAT: Basic €199, Growth €400 and Full service €600. The media budget goes directly from you to Google or Meta. The worked example below is fictional. See also pricing for online marketing per location and the complete overview of services.
Other sectors follow a different search path. So also compare the approach for service franchises, the approach for food and hospitality and the approach for non-food retail.
| Choice | Per location per month | 20 locations per month |
|---|---|---|
| All locations Basic | €199 | €3,980 |
| All locations Growth | €400 | €8,000 |
| All locations Full service | €600 | €12,000 |
| Mix: 10 Growth and 10 Full service | €400 or €600 | €10,000 |
What does a location outside the Google Maps top 3 cost you?
This calculation uses Dutch figures instead of American click-through rates. The average revenue per franchise location comes from the Dutch Franchise Association (NFV) statistics, reference year 2025. Nobody can say in advance exactly how much revenue a location loses without a top position in Google Maps, with a Google Business Profile that is not in order, or without proper review management. So you calculate a scenario per cause: a few percent of revenue going to a more visible competitor. Add them up and you see the combined cost.
| Sector | Revenue per location per year | 1% revenue missed | 3% revenue missed | Growth package (€4,800 a year) as share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors (average) | €1,445,000 | €14,450 | €43,350 | 0.33% |
| Services | €480,000 | €4,800 | €14,400 | 1% |
| Hospitality | €1,230,000 | €12,300 | €36,900 | 0.39% |
| Health care | €1,270,000 | €12,700 | €38,100 | 0.38% |
| Non-food retail | €1,750,000 | €17,500 | €52,500 | 0.27% |
| Food retail | €2,910,000 | €29,100 | €87,300 | 0.16% |
| Other brands | €680,000 | €6,800 | €20,400 | 0.71% |
- 6 of the 100 largest Dutch franchise chains reply to a Google review within 24 hours; the average response time is 6.8 days and 90% has no demonstrable review management process.
- Only 40% of the 500 Google Business Profiles examined is fully completed.
- In the measurement one review was viewed around 15,000 times on average: an unanswered complaint stays visible to thousands of people.
- 42% of consumers would rather not do business with a company that never replies to reviews (BrightLocal 2026).
Sources: NFV Franchise Statistics, reference year 2025 (34,937 locations, €50.5 billion revenue); Local SEO Franchise Benchmark 2026 (100 largest chains, 500 profiles); sector model on franchiseseo.nl (in Dutch). The percentages are scenarios you choose, not a measurement or a promise. We do not promise rankings or revenue.
Questions about online marketing in health, fitness and wellness
Why is trust so important for a healthcare or fitness location?
Can you put medical or result claims in our copy?
How do you reply to a review about a treatment?
How do you measure trial classes per gym location?
Does every wellness location need its own page with team and specialisms?
How many healthcare franchise brands and locations are there in the Netherlands?
Do healthcare and fitness locations also appear in AI assistants such as ChatGPT?
Is advertising trial classes worthwhile for a wellness chain?
What does online marketing cost per healthcare or fitness location?
Can you also recruit franchisees for a healthcare or fitness brand?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
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