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You might think that a website for your salon is overkill; that you only offer in-person services, that you don’t sell many (if any) products and that between social media and your Google Business Profile you have a decent enough online presence.
But the truth is that every modern business, including your salon, needs a website. In this article we’ll discuss the whys, whats and hows of a salon website, giving you all the knowledge you need to create an effective digital storefront of your own.
3 benefits of a salon website
First things first: why do you need a salon website in the first place? There are a wealth of reasons, but here are three of the most compelling.
It makes you Google’able: Let’s say you’ve moved to a new area and are in the market for a new hairdresser or beautician. How do you find one? If you’re like the majority of Australians, you’ll go to Google and type in “salon [location]” or something similar. If your salon doesn’t have a website, your business isn’t likely to feature on the search engine results page. Build a search engine optimised (SEO) website, however, and you’ll not only come up, but you’ll place yourself above your competition.
It shows you’re established: A well designed and constructed website makes your business more trustworthy in the eyes of a customer. It shows that you’re a serious business that invests in itself.
It’s a 24-hour salesperson: Unlike your salon, which might be open 40 hours a week, your digital storefront is open 24/7365. It’s like having a salesperson always on call, ready to offer up enticing offers or show off your good work whenever a new customer comes knocking.
5 features that a salon website should have
While you might be convinced of your need for a salon or hairdresser website, you might be confused as to the exact functionality it should offer. As we said at the top, salons provide an in-person service, so what exactly should the website be capable of?
Here are a few of the boxes you should look to tick:
Mobile optimisation: Well over half of all internet traffic is mobile. It goes without saying that your website should work as well on a phone as it does on a desktop.
Online bookings: By adding a tool like Square Appointments to your website, you give customers a more convenient way to find and book a time that suits, and you avoid double-booking yourself!
Ecommerce store: If your salon sells hair and beauty products, you can increase sales by also offering these products online!
Reviews: Social proof is incredibly powerful for salons, as a potential customer will often choose a new hairdresser based on their reviews alone. Put your best reviews up in lights by adding them to your website.
Data collection capability: Your website should play a key role in your marketing strategy. You should use it to collect customer information, like names and emails, which you can use to send special offers and other marketing materials to. Loyalty programs, downloadable content and online booking functionality are a few examples of such data collection.
Website creation tips in Australia
Depending on the features you’re looking to add and how much control you want over the look and performance of your hairdresser website, construction can be as quick and easy or as time-consuming and complex as you want it to be. Some basic website creation tips include:
- Choose the right provider: You no longer need much technical ability at all to create your own website. By choosing the right provider – one with a good reputation that allows you to build a website easily and affordably – you’ll be able to do it all yourself!
- Choose a domain: Make your URL as short and snappy as possible. If your business name is already taken, consider adding a word like ‘hair’, ‘nails’ or ‘salon’, as this can help with SEO.
- Pick a design: When shopping templates, don’t just focus on the most beautiful – check how easy each design is to use and navigate too.
- Test thoroughly: Before going live with your website, give your friends and family a preview. Get them to test it out to see if they can find any bugs or issues.
How to create a website using Square Online
Square Online is one website builder that ticks all of the boxes above. While using Square Online to build a beautiful and effective salon website is really a subject that deserves its own guide – which you can find here – the basic steps are as follows:
Choose your page type: Choose the basic (and ultra-flexible) template that will form the foundation of your website.
Choose features: Add features like Appointments, email collection, a live Instagram feed and more.
Add your logo and style: Add your logo and choose your font, colours and more.
Edit your header and main banner: Choose the information that you want to put up in lights.
Add pages and navigation: Begin to build out your website, adding and sorting all your web pages.
Build your item library: Add all your products and services, ready for customers to book or purchase.
Set up checkout: With Square Online you’re able to accept all manner of payments. Choose the ones you want to offer, then add the necessary shipping, location and tax information.
Set up your domain: Once your website is designed, you’ll need to secure and connect a domain.
Preview and publish: Give your website a test drive. If it works as you want it to, you’re ready to go live!
A salon website is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have. In terms of attracting business, your digital storefront is already as important as your physical storefront, and this trend is only likely to accelerate. The best time to build a hairdresser website was yesterday. The second-best time is today.
Good news: at Square we offer a complete suite of tools for businesses in the beauty industry, including Square Online, our simple yet ultra-powerful website builder.
If your salon is ready to make the most of the internet, we’re ready to help.
