How to get more salon clients (and keep them coming back)

Let people book in two taps

Clients can book from your Google Business Profile through a booking provider that works with Google; Reserve with Google lists the providers in your country. In your profile, open Bookings, select Get started and choose your provider. Google says providers show up on your profile within a week, and your provider may charge for bookings made through Google. You can also add your own booking link.

Put the same booking button on every page of your website and in your Instagram profile. Our guide to salon websites covers what else the site needs.

Look good on Google and Maps

A Business Profile is free. Fill in your hours, your services (with descriptions, and prices if you want to show them) and photos of your space, your team and your work. Keep the hours right on holidays: a client who finds a locked door may not try again.

Name your services the way clients search for them, such as “balayage”, “gel manicure” or “men’s cut”, and answer the questions people ask before booking: parking, price ranges and whether you take walk-ins.

Show real work, with permission

Clients choose a stylist by looking at work like theirs. Post before-and-after photos of real clients who said yes, in good light, and say what was done (“balayage, two sessions”). Google asks for photos that are in focus and well lit, without heavy filters, and clients trust that too.

Treat Instagram or TikTok as your portfolio: post finished work often, tag the stylist who did it and keep your booking link at the top of your profile. A short video of a transformation shows your skill better than a list of services.

Rebook before they leave

The easiest appointment to fill is the next one for someone already in your chair. Offer the next date at checkout, while they are happy with the result. For clients who agree to texts, send a reminder a week before they are usually due, with two times to choose from.

• Ask at checkout: “Shall I save the same time in six weeks?”
• Note what you did and what comes next, so any stylist can pick up
• Send reminders only to clients who asked for them, with an easy way to stop

Ask for reviews the right way

Keep a QR code to your Google review page at the front desk, and send the link after each visit. Ask every client, not only the happiest: Google’s policy doesn’t allow selectively asking for positive reviews, or offering discounts or free services for reviews. The FTC’s 2024 rule also bans fake reviews and paying for reviews that say something positive.

Make referrals easy

A happy client is your best ad. Give them something easy to share, such as a card or a text with your booking link, and a small thank-you when a friend books, like credit toward their next visit. Keep referral rewards separate from reviews. Ask new clients how they heard about you when they book, so you know whom to thank and which channels bring people in.

Fill the slow hours on purpose

If weekday mornings are quiet, use them on purpose instead of discounting your busiest hours:

• Post open slots on your Google profile and social media the day before
• Offer a shorter service that fits a lunch break
• Keep a short waitlist of clients who can come at short notice
• Sell gift cards before the holidays

A rebooking text you can adapt

For a hypothetical salon, sent only to clients who agreed to receive texts.