Most new salon clients find you the same way. They've moved to the area, their usual stylist has left, or they fancy a change, so they pick up their phone and search for "hairdresser near me" or "nails" plus your town. In a few minutes they've looked at three or four salons and decided which one feels right. Your website is often where that decision gets made, usually late in the evening when your phone isn't being answered.

A good salon website doesn't need to be flashy. It needs to make someone feel confident about you, show them what they'll get and let them book there and then. Here's what I'd put on every salon site, whether you do hair, beauty, nails, lashes or barbering, and the mistakes I see most often.

A booking button that works at 10pm

The single most useful thing a salon website can do is take a booking while you're asleep. Put a clear "Book now" button at the top of every page, and make it go straight to your booking system, not to a contact form that someone has to reply to in the morning. Every extra step is a chance for them to get distracted and book somewhere else.

If you already use booking software, your website should link straight into it, ideally to the right service. If you'd rather people call, make your phone number a tap to call button and say when the line is staffed.

Google also lets you add booking to your Business Profile. Its help pages explain that you can connect a booking provider available in your country through Reserve with Google, or add your own booking link, and that providers show up on your profile within a week. Google also notes that your provider might charge you for bookings made through Google, so check that with them first.

A price list people can actually read

Clients want to know roughly what they'll pay before they book. A salon site with no prices makes people nervous, and nervous people don't book. Show your services in plain text, grouped the way clients think about them (cuts, colour, treatments, nails, brows), with a short line on what each includes and how long it takes.

If prices depend on hair length, the stylist or a consultation, say so plainly, for example "from" prices with a note explaining why. Keep the website and your booking system in step. Few things annoy a client more than seeing one price online and another at the desk.

Google lets businesses in some categories add services, with descriptions and prices, to their Business Profile, and says a service may be highlighted when someone searches for something you offer. Use the same service names on your website and your profile.

Photos of your own work

Your photos do more selling than anything you write. Show real work done in your salon: colours, cuts, nails, brows, with good natural light and a clean background. A phone camera is fine if the light is good. Ask clients before you post their photos, and keep a note that they said yes.

Avoid stock photos of models. People can tell, and it makes them trust everything else less. A few pictures of your actual space and team matter too. Walking into a new salon is a small act of trust, and seeing where they're going and who they'll meet makes it easier.

Keep the image files small enough to load quickly on mobile data. A gallery that takes ages to appear loses people before they've seen your best work.

Your team, with names and faces

People don't just choose a salon, they choose a person. A short team page with a photo, a name and a line about what each person loves doing ("colour specialist", "brilliant with curly hair", "short cuts and fades") helps clients pick the right person and book them by name. It also gives regulars a reason to recommend a specific stylist to friends.

Things clients want to know before they come

A short, friendly page or section answering the questions you get asked every week saves calls and helps people commit. For example:

  • Do I need a consultation or a skin test before colour, lashes or brows, and how far ahead?
  • What's your cancellation and late arrival policy?
  • Do you take deposits, and when?
  • Is there parking nearby, and is the salon step free?
  • Do you do children's cuts, bridal parties or home visits?

If you ask clients to have a skin test before certain treatments, say so on your booking page so nobody turns up expecting a same day appointment you can't do. Write your policies kindly. A clear, fair cancellation policy protects your diary without putting anyone off.

Reviews, front and centre

Reviews are often what tips someone from looking to booking. Show a few real ones on your home page, ideally ones that mention a specific service, and link to your Google profile so people can read the rest.

If you'd like more of them, the honest way is to ask every happy client, and I've written about how to get more Google reviews without feeling awkward. Reply to what people say too, because future clients read your replies. Here are examples you can copy for replying to reviews, including salon ones.

Built to be found in your town

A salon website should be set up so Google and things like ChatGPT can understand exactly what you do and where:

  • Page titles that say what you are and where, like "Hair salon and colour specialists in Exeter".
  • A page for each main service if you're known for it, such as balayage, curly hair, nails or men's cuts. People search for the service, not just "salon".
  • Your address, hours and phone number on every page, exactly matching your Google Business Profile.
  • Every important fact in plain text, not hidden inside images or a PDF price list.
  • Structured information (schema) in the code. Google's guidance on local business structured data says it lets you tell Google about things like your business hours, and recommends using the most specific type of business possible.

If you're not appearing on the map at all, start with why a business might not show on Google Maps. Keeping your Google profile active helps too, and I've written about what to post on your Google Business Profile and how often. More people now ask things like ChatGPT for a recommendation, so it's also worth reading how a local business gets recommended by ChatGPT.

Fast and easy on a phone

Most of what clients do on your site happens on a phone, often with one hand, often in a spare minute. Your site needs to load quickly, have buttons big enough to tap, and keep the booking button in easy reach. Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking, so a site that only looks good on a laptop is working against you in search as well as with clients.

The mistakes I see most often

  • Booking hidden away, or a contact form instead of real online booking.
  • No prices at all, or prices that don't match the booking system.
  • A PDF price list that's fiddly to open on a phone and hard for search engines to read.
  • Stock photos instead of your own work.
  • Instagram as the only website. It's brilliant for showing off your work, but it isn't where most new clients search, and you don't control it. More on that in do I need a website if I already have Instagram or Facebook.
  • Out of date details, like old opening hours or a stylist who left last year still on the team page.

What a salon website doesn't need

You don't need dozens of pages or clever animations. For most salons, a home page, a services and prices page, a gallery, a team page, a short page of policies and questions, and a contact page with a map is plenty. Add service pages for the things you most want to be known for. Simple, quick and accurate beats big and fancy every time.

If you're weighing up what a site like this might involve, I've written a guide to what drives the cost of a small business website and the questions to ask before you sign.

If you'd like a salon website that brings in more of the clients you love working with, I'd be glad to help. I only take on a few projects at a time, so you work with me directly. You can see what I help with, or book 15 minutes to talk it through:

Book a 15-minute call

Frequently asked questions

What should a salon website include?

A clear booking button on every page, your services and prices in plain text, photos of your own work, your team, your policies, a few real reviews and your address with a map. Above all, it should be quick and easy to use on a phone.

Should I put prices on my salon website?

In most cases, yes. Clients want a rough idea before they book. If prices vary by hair length or stylist, show "from" prices and explain why, and keep them matching your booking system.

Can clients book my salon through Google?

Often, yes. Google lets you connect a booking provider through Reserve with Google or add your own booking link to your Business Profile. Check with your provider whether they charge for bookings made through Google.

Is Instagram enough for a salon?

Instagram is great for showing your work, but most new clients search on Google first, and a website gives you a proper booking route, a price list and a page you control. Many salons do best with both.

How many pages does a salon website need?

Usually five or six: home, services and prices, gallery, team, policies and questions, and contact. Add pages for the services you most want to be found for.

Sources

Checked on 7 October 2026.