The 10 most essential elements for a great salon website.

Like everything else in digital marketing, websites continue to evolve and change. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the impact a great (or terrible) website can have on a business. For years, the beauty service and wellness industries have gotten away with lackluster websites filled with stock imagery and very little detail. However, today’s consumers expect more. Read about 10 website musts for beauty businesses to drive more traffic to your business.

The Cost Of Bad Websites

With the rise of video marketing, today’s consumers strongly prefer connection and quality marketing. That includes websites! 38% of consumers will stop interacting with a website with poor design (i.e., outdated or boring sites) – meaning you could be losing more than a third of your website visitors purely based on its design. Not only this, but a poorly designed site can turn nearly 50% of visitors straight to a competitor. Most DIY or “cheap” website alternatives lack strategy, search engine optimization (SEO), user experience, and memorability – all of which cost your business hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars each month.

Now that you know the cost of poorly designed websites, let’s talk about what you SHOULD have on your beauty business website to attract customers, convert those customers, and help your business’s bottom line grow.

1. Share compelling messages about your salon’s mission, values, and purpose.

You’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into growing your business and brand, so don’t be shy about communicating what you stand for and who you are. Consumers are no longer trading money “things” or “services” alone – they’re buying with connection and brand membership in mind. That means if they somehow read about what you stand for and agree with you or connect with your mission, you’ve just fast-tracked your way to building trust with them. This is the first step in creating RAVING fans for your business who tell everyone they know about you because they vibe with what you vibe with. You’ve built that familiarity, established common ground, or given your customers something to believe in and trust. And trust + connection = conversions + sales.

You don’t just “do hair” – you aren’t just a “balayage specialist” or “PMU artist.” You do SO much more than a service…and you’re motivated by more than the thing(s) you do daily. So be sure to communicate your brand’s mission, values, and purpose on your website (toward the top of the homepage) so people can opt in or out of who your brand is – not just what you do.

If you’re unsure what your brand’s mission, vision, values, or purpose are, consider booking one of our Brand Strategy Power Hours where we can dive into the heart of your brand in only 60 minutes together.

2. Provide details on the customer experience.

Just seeing before and afters is boring to consumers. Of course, there’s a place to show off your work (like your portfolio), but your website should communicate more about the customer experience.

What’s it like to walk into your salon? Do you have a consultation process? Do you offer beverages or snacks? What special touches do you add to every appointment? Maybe an extra-long massage or client welcome gift? How do you make people feel? What do you want your salon to be remembered by?

This is what consumers are looking for today and why video marketing has become so powerful. Because videos can quickly show the behind-the-scenes of a salon – the vibe, the energy, the extra special touches. Although you absolutely can and should incorporate video into your website (more on that later), you can start by detailing your customer experience in words.

A small section on the customer experience is excellent on the homepage; then, we recommend that you expand on this on the About page. Even though people want to read about you and your team, they still want to feel like the About page connects to them.

3. Use professional branding, photography, and videography.

If you want to create a memorable brand that people can’t wait to experience in person, don’t skip sharing visuals that match the excellence of your salon.

We’ll just tell it like it is – people know the difference between stock imagery and “the real thing.” So even though branding, photography, and videography are investments, it communicates to your customers that you take your brand seriously. And since visuals literally inspire action, your choice of branding/photography will either inspire consumers to book with you, or they’ll be saying, “No thanks!”

Here’s an example of a brand that showcases its personality perfectly with professional photography and videography on its website – Luster Hair Lounge in Austin, TX. (Note: We did the photos, videos, and website design and development for this brand, but we did not do the branding/colors).

4. Share social proof.

Reading about other people’s experiences is critical to the majority of buyers. In fact, 54% of buyers read reviews before purchasing or booking an appointment somewhere.

But we challenge you to take social proof to the next level. Don’t just include reviews – consider showcasing videos from clients talking about their experience in your salon after the service. It may feel intimidating to ask for something like this – but we promise – it’s totally doable!

Identify 3-4 long-time or repeat customers you trust, know and love your salon. Ask them if they’d be comfortable hopping on camera for 20-30 seconds to speak about their experience. Most people would be honored to be featured on a website. You can even offer a discount or an add-in service as a thank you to those customers.

5. Optimize your site for mobile.

OK – this one is just a non-negotiable. 4.32 billion online users prefer to use their smartphones to browse the internet – so ensuring your website looks just as impressive on someone’s phone as on a laptop or desktop is a must. Plus, Google’s ranking algorithm puts your website higher on its “food chain” if your website is optimized for mobile.

That means if you’re going the DIY route, you must ensure that you use a platform where mobile design is possible. If you’re working with a designer, inquire about mobile optimization.

At Daring Creative, we design websites on Showit, an incredible platform that allows you to quickly drag and drop elements wherever you want them. And, you can create mobile and desktop separately – ensuring that the mobile client experience is top-notch. Another benefit of Showit? Our clients don’t need to know any code to make website updates themselves. So, no more waiting weeks and weeks for a simple change – we equip our clients with post-launch guides on how to make website edits themselves. And we provide an additional post-launch call for personalized 1-on-1 training on the platform for our more tech-savvy clients.

6. Collect emails and build an email list!

Email marketing is one of the most under-utilized marketing strategies in the beauty industry, especially in salons. And honestly, that’s just leaving so much money on the table.

Suppose you want to cultivate strong relationships with your customers. In that case, keep them up to date with promos and happenings in your salon, and have incredible client retention rates – then having a popup or email marketing integration on your website is a MUST.

The key to doing this well and getting emails from customers or potential customers is offering something of value. Perhaps you can create a guide (“How to do a salon-worthy blowout at home in under 15 mins”) or offer a discount (” Get $20 off your first appointment” or “Get a free blowout”) in exchange for someone’s email.

What we DON’T want you to do is have something like this, “Sign up to join our email list!” BORING. It won’t work because what people want is value – not spam.

7. Make it super, duper easy to contact you.

This one feels like it should be a no-brainer, but we see it go wrong all too often: You go to a salon’s website, get super excited to book, but you have a few questions, or you want to get in touch, and you literally can’t find ANY information on their website.

Some people may head to Google to find if you have your number or email listed there – but most people will click out of your site and head to a competitor’s instead. So here’s a checklist of what you can do now to make it super easy to contact you:

• Link your phone number, so all people have to do is tap/click it to call you.
• Include your email and/or a contact form so people can access your salon directly
• Include your hours of operation, so people don’t have to guess when you’re open
• Include links to the social media platforms where you’re most active (don’t include links to random personal Pinterest pages from 2018)
• Consider adding a number for texting – we recommend a Google number, not a personal one.

8. Sell the benefits of your services – not just what you do.

This one is just GOLD. Instead of listing out what you do (color, cuts, extensions, etc.), share the benefits of those services. Many people don’t know the difference between a full head of highlights and a partial, or what a balayage is versus teaseylights. Help them understand these services by focusing on the benefits in your website copy. To do this, you have to understand what their problem might be and what solution they’re looking for.

Ex. Balayage – A low-maintenance look for the babe who wants bright ends and a sunkissed, warm look in her hair without having to visit the salon every couple of months. Perfect for the busy mama or on-the-go professional who wants dimension without hassle.

Ex. Extensions – Giving you the volume and length you don’t have the time to wait around for. Our extensions are incredibly natural looking and seamless, so no one will know you’re wearing them – but everyone will be obsessed with how confidently you enter a room.

9. Optimize your site for Search Engines.

There’s so much that goes into Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – but let’s keep it simple.

First, you need to ensure Google knows your salon website exists. So be sure to set up a Google My Business with your salon info and connect your website to Google Search Console.

Next, you want to add a site page title, page descriptions, meta descriptions for imagery and videos, and name all your assets with rich keywords and keyword phrases.

Finally, you want to keep your website fresh. Too often, we see salons launch a website and then not touch it for 6 months, a year, or multiple years. Google and other search engines need to know that your business is still kicking to recommend it – so consider adding a monthly blog, changing out portfolio pictures often, or making quarterly updates to your site. This continued activity will signal to Google that this site has gotten attention, which helps it rank.

10. Easy online booking.

If you want website visitors to convert into real-paying customers in your salon chairs, you have to make booking as easy as possible. “DM to book” or “text to book” is complicated and cumbersome. People want convenience, speed, and ease of access – so invest in a high-quality online booking system that you can integrate directly into your site.

Some of our clients ask to direct website users to a booking site instead of integrating their booking widget on their website. In some cases – with programs like Phorest – this is easiest.

However, if possible, we always prefer to keep your website visitors on your website because, over time, it helps the performance of your website. For example, if someone comes to your site and quickly clicks a “Book Now” page that takes them to a different site, your website analytics will show that people “bounce” very quickly. Instead, keeping them on your site keeps your performance at peak levels. In addition, it allows you to engage them in other ways after booking the appointment – like signing up for an email list, buying products or merch, or simply learning more about yourself and your salon staff.

10 Website Must-Haves for Successful Salons

A lot goes into building a successful salon website, but we hope these 10 pointers will help you create a website that brings more customers to your business. From ensuring your brand shines to keeping your customer top of mind, these ten website tips for salons will help you build a modern, effective, and conversion-driving site for your beauty business.

Contact us for a complimentary discovery call if you’re wondering how your salon website stacks up. We’d happily look at your site and offer feedback and suggestions on what we think can help you take your salon or beauty business to the next level. If you’re too busy to mess around with DIYing your own site and are ready to invest in an evergreen sales machine that works for you while you sleep, apply to work with us today.