Norfolk, VA – In another sign that the small-business economy wants to grow, online traffic to the largest franchise-investment websites surged 27.6% in July over the previous year, according to internal analytics data.
The rising tide of interest actually picked up its pace, which is unusual for summer months. Second-quarter visits were up 18% year-over-year to FranchiseGator.com, FranchiseSolutions.com, FranchiseOpportunities.com and Franchise.com. That’s a significant turnaround from first quarter, when visits were down 5% year over year.
The growth includes serious franchise prospects as well as early-stage researchers – the number of requests contacting franchise companies also increased in July. Franchise recruitment prospects connected with franchise development teams rose 20% in July over last year, following a 13% increase in Q2 and a 3% increase in Q1.
“This is very encouraging for the US economy, to see rising interest in starting a business,” said Michael Alston, president of Landmark Interactive.
“Recent headlines have sent mixed signals about the economy, lending environment and consumer confidence, which is not unusual when the economy is turning,” he said. “This is the highest growth we have seen in over five years, so we view this as a positive indicator for the US economy overall.”
(Disclosure: FranchiseNews.com is also owned by Landmark Interactive. Data for this article is drawn from third-party analytics software.)