We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; in the world we live in today it is no longer an option to not have a website or have a subpar set up. Consumers are receiving excellent online service from big and small companies alike and it’s come to be an expectation. This doesn’t mean your website needs to be super high tech and complicated, it just means that you need to provide the basics in a more elevated way. In order to keep up and continue growing your business, a top tier website is necessary and in this blog post, we’re going to give you all of the basics you need to include to create an amazing website browsing experience.
5 Elements Your Salon Website Needs to Have
1. The Basics
Your salon website likely already includes many of these things, but it is important that you are regularly updated them to keep all information current. Some of these basics include:
Contact information (phone number, email, social media handles, online booking information)
Salon hours of operation
Although this seems like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised how many businesses don’t have clear cut basic information. This info can all be stored on one page, whether it be the main home page or about page, but it needs to be super simple to find so you don’t lose a prospective client in the mix. If consumers have a difficult time navigating a website, it can be the difference between acquiring that customer, or losing them altogether. So it’s an absolute must to have current, up to date basics!
2. Quality Images & Copy
When adding new photos to your salon’s website, it is super important that you are using quality images, whether they are stock or personal photos. A blurry or pixelated photo on a website is the equivalent to finding a hair in your take out food; the rest of it may be fine but that one aspect leaves a bad taste in your mouth and may prevent you from diving into the rest of it! For the best photo quality on your website, try uploading image in PNG. format to retain more detail and allow for a crystal clear image.
As much as quality images are important, the same is true for written text. Your web content (also referred to as web copy or body copy) should be clear and concise, including necessary information and clear CTA’s. This also means you need to be mindful of the text size and color, grammar and spelling to ensure a pleasant and easy reading experience for your website visitors. This also brings us to our next important element that must be included in your salon’s site; SEO.
3. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO can be complicated, but we did a deep dive into it in our blog SEO? WTF? SOS! (Click here to read!)
Make sure to give that blog a quick read for a more in depth explanation but to simplify it, SEO is including keywords and phrases in your website content so your website comes up as a resource when people search for specific things. This means that you want to mindful of including these keywords as often as possible to increase the likelihood of potential guests finding your salon page above other websites. We recommend creating a list of these keywords and phrases to refer to whenever writing website copy or social media captions.
Blogs are an absolutely incredible way to incorporate SEO keywords and boost your rankings on search engines, so if your salon doesn’t currently have a blog, this could be a great opportunity to start one! We break down the basics of blog writing in this blog, you can find it by clicking here.
We take the guesswork out of SEO with our own S.O.S platform, click here to learn more about it!
4. Meet the Team
Because so many consumers use the internet in one way or another to decide which businesses to visit, we believe it is so important to include photos and descriptions of your salon team members to create a great first impression. This doesn’t mean slapping on a headshot photo and their name and going on your merry way, you want this to be an opportunity for your audience to get to know your staff better so they’re comfortable and confident moving forward with booking. A great team member feature should include:
Recent headshot photo (this doesn’t need to be professionally done, just a great quality photo of your team members smiling face!)
Training and qualifications (awards and achievements if applicable)
Services they specialize in
Social media handles
Make sure your copy includes tons of personality and insight into each stylist. The more a potential client knows about one of your team members, the more comfortable they become and the more likely they are to pull the trigger and actually book an appointment!
5. What Your Salon Offers
When we say this, we do not only mean what services and retail your salon offers, but also the overall experience your salon offers. This may be a high end, luxurious experience, or perhaps a more zen, laid back experience. You want to paint the picture of what each guest can expect from their visit from start to finish.
It is also great to include salon offerings like current promotions, add on services, and other things like consultations, beverage menus (if your salon serves), upcoming events and anything else that they can expect to have offered or informed of at their salon visit!
Conclusion
You do not need to invest astronomical amounts of time and money into a successful salon website, you just need to make sure you’re executing the basics in an effective way. We hope you were able to take away some insight from this blog to update and refresh your salon website!
For even more digital marketing goodness, check out our YouTube Marketing Academy as well as all the resources and support we have for you here on our website
‘Til Next Time,
Your Team at Salon S.O.S