What a hair salon website actually needs
Many hair salons have a site that was set up with a template builder at some point. It is there, it works more or less, but new clients do not find you through it. Online bookings still come in via WhatsApp or phone. And the photos of your salon are three years old.
A good hair salon website has a few concrete elements that make all the difference:
- ▸Online booking that works on mobile: most visitors come from a phone. If a booking takes more than three taps, people drop off.
- ▸Photos of your salon and your team: no stock photos of happy people with generic hair. Visitors want to see what your salon looks like.
- ▸Opening hours and contact details immediately visible: people want to see this right away, not search for it.
- ▸Price list or service overview: even if prices are 'on request', an indication or a service list reduces phone calls.
- ▸Google visibility for your city: local SEO so you appear when someone searches for 'hair salon Enschede' or 'hairdresser Hengelo'.
Booking module: how it works in practice
There are several ways to integrate online appointments. What I use depends on your situation: are you already working with a system like Treatwell or Salonized, or do you want something simpler?
The options I build into salon sites:
- ▸Treatwell or Salonized integration: if you already use one of these, I embed the booking widget directly in the site. Visitors book without leaving the page.
- ▸Calendly or similar: for salons that do not want an extra subscription. Simple, free up to a certain volume, and clients can pick a time slot directly.
- ▸Contact form with time preference: less automated, but low-barrier if you prefer to confirm by phone.
- ▸Stripe or Mollie payment link: for salons that want a deposit on reservation to reduce no-shows.
I configure the booking so that opening hours and availability are automatically correct. You do not need to manually track when the calendar is full.
Visual design: your salon, not a template
Generic hair salon websites all look the same. Black and white colour scheme, stock photo of scissors, the same Helvetica as a thousand other salon templates. That does not work when you want to stand out in your neighbourhood or city.
I build your site based on your brand: your colours, your font, your photos. If you do not have professional photos yet, I give you concrete tips for what you can already make with a phone. The layout is built mobile-first, so your site looks good on the screen most clients use to view it.
Local SEO: being found as 'hair salon your city'
The vast majority of searches for hair salons are local. People do not search for 'best hair salon Netherlands', they search for 'hairdresser Almelo' or 'hair salon Borne centre'. If you are not there, potential client contact passes you by.
What I do to make you locally visible:
- ▸Page title and meta description with your city and specialisation: this is what Google shows in the search results.
- ▸JSON-LD schema for local businesses: structured data that tells Google your address, opening hours and phone number.
- ▸Google Business Profile integration: I help you complete your profile so you are visible in Google Maps.
- ▸Correct heading structure (H1, H2, H3): Google reads this structure to understand what your page is about.
- ▸Load time under 2 seconds on mobile: Google uses speed as a ranking signal. A slow site means a lower position.
-- Example case
From Wix template to 30% more online bookings
A hairdresser in Twente with a small independent salon wanted to move away from her Wix site. She received almost no online bookings: clients preferred calling over booking via the site because the booking form worked poorly on mobile. After switching to a custom template site with a mobile-friendly Calendly integration, this changed quickly. The Lighthouse score went from 52 to 96. Online bookings increased by thirty per cent. She now manages the price list and opening hours herself via a simple CMS without needing help.
This is not a guarantee: results depend on your market, your location and how actively you maintain your Google Business Profile. But it shows what is possible when the technical foundation is solid.
What I typically add to a salon site
Beyond the core elements, there are a few things I always include in hair salon sites:
- ▸Price list via a simple CMS: you update prices yourself, without having to contact me.
- ▸Opening hours in JSON-LD: Google shows your opening hours directly in search results.
- ▸Instagram feed integration: if you are active on Instagram, I display your recent posts automatically on the site. That keeps the site visually fresh without extra work.
- ▸Contact form with spam filter: a simple form that works, without your inbox filling up with spam.
- ▸Cookie consent and GDPR compliance: required in the Netherlands. I handle this so you do not have to worry about it.
Do you also want a chatbot that answers frequently asked questions about appointments? That is possible via an AI workflow integration. Not mandatory, but it reduces phone calls on busy days.
What I do not do
To be transparent about what to expect:
- ▸No custom booking system built from scratch: existing tools like Treatwell, Salonized or Calendly are good enough. Building a new system costs more and delivers less.
- ▸No AI hair colour prediction or other gimmicks: some agencies offer these features. They look impressive in a demo, but clients almost never use them.
- ▸No social media management: I build the integration, but maintaining your Instagram account is up to you.
- ▸No guarantees on search positions: I do the technical and content SEO foundation properly, but Google decides in the end. Anyone who guarantees a #1 position is not being straight with you.