Cousins Subs

For the latest iteration of its Franchise Development Website Awards, 1851 Franchise did a deep dive into more than 175 websites to determine the brands that stood out from the crowd.

1851’s panel of judges evaluated each franchise development site according to three criteria: quality of site, quality of content and quality of form. Sites were scored on a five-point scale in accordance with these three criteria for a maximum score of 15 total points; the overall website rankings are based on a composite average of these scores.

Over the course of the month of May, each of the top 20 franchise development sites as determined by the judges will be broken down, one by one, to highlight their strengths and what stood out to the judges.

The runner-up in this year’s Franchise Development Website Awards is none other than Cousins Subs, which pulled in a composite score of 12.4 out of 15. The Wisconsin-based sub franchise’s score broke down into a 4.3 in quality of site; a 4.0 in quality of content; and a 4.1 in quality of form.

For FranConnect president Keith Gerson, the Cousins Subs site stood out due to its “stunning user interface.” He also commended the inclusion of a virtual tour, noting, “It suggests a company is capable of leading its franchisees into the future. The culture pages work with a guy like me,” Gerson continued, “I’m more inclined to want to do business or join an organization that shares my values.”

“Who doesn’t love top 10 lists?” judging panel member and Franchise Business Review president and COO Michelle Rowan asked. Noting that the site is captivating to a savvy, modern entrepreneur, she commended Cousins’ prominent placement of its most relevant information. “Addressing ‘How much does it cost?’ and ‘How much can I make?’ front-and-center on the site is what all candidates are looking for.”