What a Hair Salon Website Should Include: A Practical Guide

Why a site if you have Instagram?

Instagram is good for showing work, but someone looking for a salon usually types into Google: a neighbourhood and "hair salon", or a service like balayage. An Instagram account has limited presence in those searches. A website keeps your services, address and hours together in a form Google can read.

The site does not replace Instagram. Your best work stays on the site for good, and new posts keep flowing on Instagram.

The first screen: a real photo or video

Stock photos are easy to spot on a salon site and they lower trust. The first screen should show your own work: your best colour photo or a short video. The salon name, area and a booking button should appear on the same screen.

If you use video, it should start muted and not slow the phone down. A short, small clip beats a long video.

Before and after: the strongest section for a women's salon

With balayage, ombre, blonde and platinum, customers want to see the result. A before and after comparison says it at a glance. One you drag with a finger works well on a phone too and keeps visitors on the page.

Photos taken in the same light and from the same angle make the change more believable. Get permission before using a customer's photo on the site; shots without faces still show your work.

Services and prices

Split services into headings such as colour, cut, care and bridal, with a short description under each. Those headings are also what people search for on Google, so plain wording helps in search too.

Work that depends on the hair, such as colour, is hard to price up front. A "send a photo, get a price" button is an honest answer there. Publishing prices for fixed work such as cuts saves you repeated questions.

Booking: WhatsApp or an online system?

For a small salon a WhatsApp booking button is often enough: the customer writes with one tap and you reply as you always do.

As staff grows and times start to clash, an online booking system pays off: customers see free times and taken slots close. You can also start with WhatsApp and add the system later.

Address, hours and Google

Address, map, phone and opening hours should be easy to find from every page. They should match your Google Maps listing, and the website link on that listing should point to the site rather than Instagram.

A small line showing from the clock whether the salon is open right now makes life easier for someone about to call.

A site for your salon

If you want a site for your salon, our hair salon website page shows what is included. A presentation site starts at $200, and extras such as a booking system change the price.