If you want your salon to be busy with lots of new clients, your number one priority is to ensure you have a search engine optimised salon website that is at the top of Google searches.

Search engine optimization or SEO for salons improves the visibility of your website when people search on Google for key salon phrases in your area.  When your salon website appears at the top of Google searches, you will get more visitors.  And when they land on your fabulous, fast-loading, interactive salon website, that person is just a click away from booking an appointment at YOUR salon or clinic!

There is a lot of information on this page, so use the buttons below to jump to the relevant section....

If you are keen to start improving your website and get more clients, request a free and detailed rank report for your salon by clicking on the button below.  We will send you your rank for about 100 local phrases relevant to your salon.

Search Engine Optimisation FAQs for salons

What Is Search Engine Optimization?

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Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the process of getting your website as high as possible on search engines such as Google and Bing. The higher your salon website is listed, the more people are going to see and potentially visit that website.

Why Is SEO Important For Hair Salons?

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A fully search engine optimized website will start moving to the top of 'Google searches' which means your website will be seen by more people looking for your services.  Salon Guru optimises hair, beauty and aesthetics salon websites for multiple keywords and phrases to cover as many potential search phrases as possible in your location.

How Do I Know If My Salon Website Is Search Engine Optimized?

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Try some searches on Google in your town, city or region to see where your salon ranks. Use phrases like "hair salon in...." "massage in..." or "balayage in...." with your location.  If you are not ranking highly on these searches, you should consider investing in search engine optimisation for your salon website.  You can ask for a free rank report for your salon here.

How Can I Get My Salon Website Higher On Internet Searches?

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Google and other search engines decide where your website will rank by looking at a variety of factors such as whether:

  • your home page contains information on key services
  • your website has informative pages 
  • your salon website words, images and headlines have the 'right' number of keywords people are searching for 
  • other websites link to your website
  • your salon website loads quickly, is mobile-friendly and secure. 

What Are Key Words?

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Keywords and key phrases are the words and phrases that are most commonly searched for.  Keywords for hair salons include:

  • Hairdressers
  • Hair Salon
  • Hair Stylist
  • Hair Styling
  • Hair Cut
  • Hair Colour
  • Highlights
  • Hair Extensions
  • Barber

Include your location and other phrases that are widely searched such as 'best', 'good', 'top', 'vegan, 'sustainable' etc.

Over time the keywords and phrases should develop to include all your services and products with every variation possible.

Different pages should be created on your website for each of these salon keywords and phrases.  Each page needs the 'right' percentage of keywords with matching headings, images and inbound links form other trusted websites.

How Does Google Work Out Which Website Is Search Engine Optimized?

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Google and other internet search engines use an algorithm to work out which websites can be 'trusted'.  Put simply, Google is looking for hair salon websites that are informative and knowledgeable about all things to do with hairdressing!  Similarly, beauty salon websites need to contain lots of useful information about beauty services.

What Are The Top 4 Ways To Get To The Top Of Google Searches?

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Salon Guru recommends these top 4 tips to help your hair salon or beauty salon website get to the top of Google searches:

  • Write about your key services and include your location on your website home page
  • Create lots of web pages containing information about your key services
  • Remember to include your location and ensure your website loads quickly and is optimised for mobiles.
  • Include links from respected websites to your website. Make sure the details those websites hold about your business are correct.

If you are looking for an immediate solution to improve your salon's SEO ranking, contact info@salonguru.net for help.

How Quickly Can My Website Get To The Top Of Internet Searches?

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Once your website has been fully search engine optimized, you will start seeing improvements in your 'Google ranking' within a couple of weeks.  We usually tell our salon clients to wait 4-6 weeks before they can expect to see their website on the first page of Google for lots of key phrases in their location.

Do I Need A Google Business Profile To Improve My Google Ranking?

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Yes!  Google recognises and trusts websites that have an accurate and detailed Google Business Profile.  Google Business Profile listings are completely free to set up.

Google also puts the best websites in their Google Map Pack.  The Google Map usually displays the top 3 websites above the traditional organic search results.  If your salon website has great search engine optimisation, your salon should appear in the Google Map Pack and towards the top of the organic internet search listings.

 

How Do I Monitor How Well My Salon Website Is Performing?

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Salon Guru provides all our clients with a Google Rank Report every 3 months to help us identify which phrases could "do better".  Make sure you have Google Analytics and Google Webmaster which will help you - or us - to understand your salon's web traffic.

Find out more about the importance of Google Analytics here.

Do I Need To Pay For Google Adwords To Get To Top Of Internet Searches?

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If you have a website that is fully search engine optimized, then you will appear at the top of Google searches for multiple key salon phrases.  This will happen organically without the need to pay for an advert. Many web users are skeptical of the ads and will often gloss over them to find the businesses sitting just beneath them... which is where your salon website should be!

What Are Meta Tags?

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Meta tags are "invisible" tags that provide information about each web page to search engines and website visitors.  They are vital for SEO because they make it easier for search engines like Google to work out what your content is above.  The most important meta tags include:

Title:  This is a short snippet - usually about 55-60 characters long - that explains what your page is about. Include your location.

Meta Description: This is usually 155-160 characters long and contains a more detailed explanation of what your page is about.

Alt Text:  This is a short snippet that is added to every image on your website.  It should include a brief description of what your page is about, including location.

Header Tags:  These are called H1s, H2s and H3s.  These headings appear in on each page and contain useful information about your service, including some references to your location too.

hair and beauty salons google rank SEO

While there are other internet search engines like Bing, Google is by far the most widely used, which is why we focus on how to get your salon to the top of Google searches.

Bear in mind that SEO for salons and other businesses is constantly changing in line with the phrases that people are searching for.  Salon Search Engine Optimisation phrases can change from location to location and be affected by trends.  A few years ago, very few people were searching for 'curly hair salon'. Today this is one of the top searched-for salon phrases!

Check your salon search engine rank on Google

Try some searches on Google in your town, city or region to see where your salon ranks. Use phrases like "hair salon in...." "massage in..." or "balayage in...." with your location or "...near me" using your mobile phone.  

Most people will not read beyond the top 5 entries in the search results, so if your hair or beauty salon is listed lower your website visits and potential new clients will be low, particularly if all your competitors are listed in the top 5. 

You can request a free and detailed rank report for your salon by clicking on the button below.  We will give you suggestions on how to improve your ranking and provide comparisons to other salons.

How to optimize for search engines

So now we recognise the importance of search engines, how do you get your salon website a higher rank with SEO for Hair Salons or SEO for hairdressers?

Search engines give their results in order of "relevance" or "importance". They are trying to give you the best possible answer to the question you asked. So if you type in "hair salons in Chelsea" you will get a long list of suitable websites. In fact a list of 350,000 possible "answers"!

Google and other search engines decide where your website will rank by looking at a variety of factors such as:

  • does your home page contain information on key services?
  • does your website have informative pages focusing on all of your salon services?
  • is the content on your salon website relevant? Google and Bing check ALL the words, images and headlines on every page to see if they have the "right" number of salon keywords that people are searching for. 
  • is your salon website busy and up-to-date? A website with high traffic for the phrase you used is likely to be relevant. A page highlighting your service, for example, will be given added importance if it is regularly updated.
  • do other websites link to your website? Search engines will give higher priority to a site that has lots of good "external links". i.e. other websites that point to your website.  
  • is your salon website fast-loading, mobile-friendly and secure? 

So to get a great ranking, your website needs to be secure, fast, and mobile-friendly.  It needs just the right amount of content, salon keywords, lots of people coming to your site for the new content, and some good-quality websites linking to you.

At Salon Guru, we continually research and update the list of key phrases to ensure the best Google SEO results for hair salons, beauty salons, aesthetics salons, spas, and skin clinics. By doing this, our 220+ salon clients can continue to climb higher up the Google rankings and attract more people through their salon and clinic doors.

Salon search Keywords

Search keywords and phrases
for Hair & Beauty Salons and Aesthetic Clinics

As you can imagine, the list of top searched phrases for salons and clinics is huge and ever-changing.  To give you an idea, here are some of the most searched Google phrases for hair & beauty salons and aesthetic clinics:

Hair salon keywords

  • Hairdresser
  • Hair salon
  • Hair stylist
  • Hair styling
  • Hair cut
  • Hair colour
  • Highlights
  • Hair extensions
  • Barber
  • Barbershop

Beauty salon keywords

  • Beauty salon
  • Beautician
  • Beauty therapist
  • Skin clinic
  • Spa 
  • Skin treatments
  • Waxing salon
  • Hair removal salon
  • Massage salon
  • Massage treatment.

Be the best!

  • Best salon
  • Good salon
  • Top salon
  • Award-winning
  • Local salon
  • Vegan salon
  • Sustainable salon
  • Best salon reviews
  • Number 1 salon
  • Leading salon

Local SEO and keywords for your salon

The locations described on your website are also crucial. If you are in a city mention local areas, if you are in a town, refer to the wider area, county, state or region.

Don't forget to start with a free rank report for your salon. Click the button below and compare your salon against all the local competition,

How to get excellent SEO results on your salon website 

So a big part of getting a higher search engine rank with SEO for Salons is all about constantly tweaking each of your pages to make each one more relevant and contains the right set of salon keywords and phrases.

For each of these salon keywords and phrases, different pages within your website should be "optimised" with the right percentage of keywords, matching headings and images, and inbound links from other sites.

Over time the keywords and phrases should develop to include all your services and products with every variation possible. And unfortunately, it never ends, as search engines regularly change their methods, new products and services need promotion and, most importantly, you strive for ever-better rankings

When used to maximum effect, the results and traffic to your website are exceptional.  This is a complex process and may be something you want to leave to the salon SEO experts at Salon Guru so you can focus on running your business! We can focus on SEO for hair salons, SEO for beauty salons and SEO for aesthetics clinics.

GATSBY RANK 1 SALON SEO EXPERTS

gatsby rank 3 salon seo experts

Gatsby rank 3 salon seo experts

gatsby rank 4 salon seo experts

The above image shows 99 phrases at number 1 on Google search. Total domination of Google is typical for our salon website clients worldwide!

Improve local salon SEO: Set up a free Google Business Profile

Your salon SEO can also be improved if you set up a free Google Business Profile (formerly Google Business Listing). Make sure your GBP includes accurate information such as your salon name, address, phone number, email, online booking link, list of services, about us write-up, salon photos and videos, and opening hours.  Make sure you claim and verify your business listing. 

Encourage your clients to leave reviews on your GBL because positive reviews make a client more likely to use your salon... and also show Google that you are a business that can be trusted.    

GOOGLE BUSINESS LISTING SALON SEO EXPERTS

Salon local SEO Tip: Get your salon on the Google map pack

The Google Map Pack appears at the very top of Google searches when people are searching for a local business. It displays just three local businesses that Google deems to be most relevant to the search being carried out.  These businesses are listed with their contact information, website link, prices, opening hours, location, customer reviews etc.

If you want to get onto the Google Map Pack, you will need an accurate and well-populated Google Business Listing and the very best search engine optimised salon website.  

​The Google Maps results usually display above the traditional organic search results.  If your salon website has great search engine optimisation, your salon should appear in both the Google Map Pack and towards the top of the organic internet search listings. 

MAP PACK SALON SEO EXPERTS AT SALON GURU

Google Adwords versus website search engine optimization

Do you need to pay extra to run some Google adverts?  The answer from the salon SEO experts at Salon Guru is 'no'.  If you have a website that is fully search engine optimized, then you will appear at the top of Google searches for multiple key salon phrases.  This will happen organically without the need to pay for an advert. Many web users are sceptical of the ads and will often gloss over them to find the businesses sitting just beneath them... which is where your salon website should be! 

Janet Lee, owner of Ruby Mane Hair Boutique in Farnham, Surrey, sums it up:

"Before engaging with Salon Guru, I used to spend hundreds of pounds on Google Adwords. That is now a thing of the past thanks to their SEO expertise! Salon Guru has been with us all the way, guiding us through the best ways to grow and develop the business."

Google Adwords versus website search engine optimization

Do you need to pay extra to run some Google adverts?  The answer from the salon SEO experts at Salon Guru is 'no'.  If you have a website that is fully search engine optimized, then you will appear at the top of Google searches for multiple key salon phrases.  This will happen organically without the need to pay for an advert. Many web users are sceptical of the ads and will often gloss over them to find the businesses sitting just beneath them... which is where your salon website should be! 

Janet Lee, owner of Ruby Mane Hair Boutique in Farnham, Surrey, sums it up:

"Before engaging with Salon Guru, I used to spend hundreds of pounds on Google Adwords. That is now a thing of the past thanks to their SEO expertise! Salon Guru has been with us all the way, guiding us through the best ways to grow and develop the business."

Monitoring Web Traffic & Google Ranking

Understanding the importance of SEO for your salon is the first step if you want to rank high on Google for hair, beauty or aesthetics salon searches. Step 2 is to do the hard work to improve your rank results using the best SEO methods and tools.  Once you have created a salon website with excellent SEO, you should start seeing improvements in your Google ranking within a few weeks.  Step 3 is to monitor your SEO results.

Salon Guru provides all our clients with a Google Rank Report every 3 months to help us identify which phrases could "do better".  Make sure you have Google Analytics and Google Webmaster which will help you - or us - to understand your salon's web traffic. Use the button at the bottom to find out more. Some of the information you should gather about your website includes:

  • How many visitors does my salon website have daily, weekly and monthly?
  • How are these people finding my website?  Searches, social media, email links?
  • Which pages do they visit?
  • How long do they stay?
  • Which links do they click?
  • Where are they from geographically?

In the chart below, Google Analytics shows us that this salon had over 10,000 visitors a month over a 3 month period and that 77.3% were new to the website, which shows the power of SEO for salons!

SEO SALON EXPERTS SALON GURU

SEO For Salons - The Technical Part

Although the amount and quality of your content (pages) is vital for great salon website SEO, there are some technical settings and requirements to ensure that Google will rank your salon website at the top of search for all salon keywords.  As an example, let's look at how we could improve hair salon SEO for a Chelsea, London hairdresser.

Your Salon Website Page Headings

  • The Heading tag tells Google what the page is about. So on the Home page, the main (H1) tag could be "Hair & Beauty Salon, Chelsea, London". It should be short and only contain the most important keywords for the Home Page. You must only ever have one H1 tag on each salon webpage and never leave it blank.
  • The Sub-Headings (H2) can then be more descriptive and include nearby locations e.g. "Hair Colour, Hair Cuts, Waxing, Earls Court, Mayfair". Again, no superfluous words and only generic descriptions of your main services. You can and should have multiple H2s on each page
  • On Internal Pages (colour page, cutting page etc.) the H1 could be "Hair Colour Salon, Chelsea" - more specific to the page but always repeating the most important keywords.
  • The H2 (and H3 and H4 if you need them) are more detailed descriptions of sub-services e.g. "highlights, lowlights, colour correction"

Meta Tags/Descriptions On Your Webpages

Although this description is not as important as it used to be for your position in the search results, it should be enticing as this is what web visitors read once they have carried out their internet searches. 

Here is an example of an excellent SEO hair salon description promoting hair colour. Note the use of 'Good Hair Dressing Salons' - we know people search hairdressing, hair dressing, hairdressers, hair salons, so provide a variety of options teamed with 'good', 'excellent', 'best' and top'.

EXCELLENT SALON SEO FROM SALON GURU EXPERTS

Here is a poor example of hair salon SEO to promote hair colour:

SALON SEO EXPERTS AT SALON GURU

Make your description short (less than 70 words - 350 characters) and describe the specific services you provide. Include your location and, ideally, your salon name. 

Each Page should have a variation of the Meta Description that "sells" the services of that page - e.g. Beauty, Barbering, Hair Extensions.  A well-written and optimised page on Hair Colour will be the "landing page" i.e. where a client arrives 1st when they search for Hair Colour or Highlights etc.

Pages and Menus on your salon website are important for SEO

If you do not have separate pages for all your key services e.g. Hair Colour, Hair Extensions, Aesthetics Services, Beauty Treatments, and Nails - then you cannot have well-designed and optimised pages that are targeted at search phrases.

So create these main pages and have a menu link to each one.

salon websites & marketing featureAlthough it is good to be informed, it is even better to get an expert to fix these issues for you!
Email info@salonguru.net for an immediate solution for your Salon's SEO.  Salon Guru is the world's best at creating beautiful, Search Engine Optimised websites for hair salons, beauty salonsaesthetics salons