10 ways to improve your beauty salon website

If you’re looking for ways to ensure a constant stream of new clients, then investing a little bit of time working on your SEO (search engine optimisation) will reap the benefits . 

A sure-fire way to be “seen” online is to get your business featured as one of the three listings on Google Maps for salons or spas in your town. If someone tells you to do X, Y and Z to definitely get to the top of the rankings, then they are over promising. There is no exact science and it varies depending on the search term, the competition and the proximity to the search (i.e. the location).

But, there are some key strategies that high ranking sites have in common and if you want to get your salon or spa on to the digital map and have a constant stream of potential clients then I suggest you try these 10 techniques:

1. Claim your Google My Business listing

If you haven’t already done so, go to business.google.com to claim your business listing. If the Google My Business page already exists, but you don’t manage it, go into the listing and click on “Own this business? Claim it now”.

2. Complete your Google My Business page with detail 

You need to include as much information as possible. Write an introduction and include your opening hours. Also, make sure to mark all the categories that are relevant to you. 

3. Upload photos in all the available sections

This is important, and remember to use photo descriptions and include your town’s name in some of them. Watch my webinar with Professional Beauty on how to build a successful salon website. 

4. Get reviews

You’ll need plenty of reviews to gain traction and you’ll need to respond to them professionally too – even any negative ones.

5. Add posts to your page

You don’t have to do this every time you post to social media, but find a balance that works well for you – somewhere between weekly and monthly. Be sure to add customer photos at the same time. Watch my webinar with Professional Beauty on mastering social media advertising. 

6. Be consistent with your NAP

Make sure that you always write your businesses name, address and phone number (known as NAP) the same everywhere online. You’d be amazed how often salons and spas use different versions of their name in different places. Consistency is key. 

7. Claim your listings on other review sites

Start with Yell, Yelp, Freeindex and Yahoo Local, but have a look around to see what other listings sites matter in your area. 

8. Add bookings if they’re available to you

Google has some partners that enable you to have online booking directly from your local listing and these include Treatwell, Fresha and Shortcuts.

9. Build your local reputation

Generate local links across the web by teaming up with other businesses in the area, such as charities, schools and local media (e.g. newspapers and magazines). This could be a reasonably priced advertorial, guest blog, podcast, competition and/or sponsorship.

10. Take a look at your competitor’s listings

Is there anything underhand or untoward on their listings? If so, and only if so, you can report it to Google by suggesting an edit.  

Finally, be patient and keep an eye on the Google My Business Insights in the dashboard to monitor your progress. SEO improvements usually take up to 12 weeks to really take effect, so the sooner you get started the better. 

Kate Woods is owner of Salondipity, which provides online resources and training to businesses in the hair and beauty industries. Discover her 50 ways to create a kickass salon website.