Google My Business Profiles for Salons
Your salon's Google Business Profile is one of the most important ways to attract new clients. But, most salons do not know what it is or how to use it.
If you are serious about the extra clients and income you can get from a better Google Profile but don't have the time to update it, read about our Profile Management using the button below...
Your Google Business Profile was previously called your Google Listing and before that, the Google Local Map Pack. This page explains in detail how to take ownership of your salon's Profile and optimise it to get the most traffic and clicks.
What is salon's Google Business Profile?
When you search on Google you will see a map and at least 3 company listings above the organic search results.
The image to the right is an example for the search "best salon glasgow" that shows the Google Business Profiles (also called the Map Pack or Google Business Listings) - more info here. As this map and the companies listed appear above the search results it is a vital way to bring new clients, but your position in the listings and map is NOT affected by anything on your website.
This page explains how to manage and optimize your Salon's Google Business Profile to improve its position. This is an ongoing plan that requires action every month and will include adding new images, and content, managing reviews and updates to your listing.
If you want to see your position on the map try some searches for salon or service phrases like salon xx, hair salon xx, best salon xx, hairdresser xxx, hair colour xx, hair extensions xx. Replace xx with your town/location.
How can you CLAIM your Google Profile?
A Google Business profile is normally created automatically by Google as it searches the internet constantly for information, and then organises what it finds and stores it to be presented at a later date in search results. The more info it finds via various sources Yelp, Facebook etc, the more likely it is to have built a business profile of your salon.
Almost certainly there will already be a page/listing set up, however, you may not be utilising the page and maximising the benefits. And, you’ll need to claim ownership of the listing so you can optimise it and aim to be top on the map results.
Not sure if your salon already has a Google business profile/listing set up? Read more on this link or ask for our help.
How To Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Google My Business or Google Business Profile is a free and easy-to-use tool that allows salons to manage their online presence across Google allowing them to show up on both searches and maps.
If you verify and edit your business information on Google, it will massively help customers to find your salon in searches. The benefits of ensuring the listing/page are set up with the correct information and updated regularly are huge.
You can start by adding the basics such as your salon name & location and correct opening hours and then go on to add images, blog posts, FAQs etc. Before you can set up your GMB profile, you’ll need to create a business account or log into your existing Google account (more info on this below).
Our client 'Heaven Therapy' is a great example of a Google business listing that has lots of content. See their Google listing here.
Measuring Performance for your salon's Google profile
Google will email the salon a simple, analytical breakdown of how the Google profile is performing every quarter. It will show 3 months of data covering things such as top search queries, customer actions, how many people requested directions to the salon, and how many times your photos or videos were viewed to name a few. This is a great help in targeting your SEO and marketing accordingly.
First Steps – Adding Basic Salon Information
Now you’ve been added to the page you can start with the basics. You will see a menu bar on the left-hand side which is pretty self-explanatory. Basically, work your way down the list and click the pencil next to the section you wish to update/add.
Information
What is says on the tin! Name of business, address, telephone number etc. Google will tie the Google business page & website together, the more information that matches the more it can easily find and match our clients’ websites.
It’s important to note that to enable this to happen ALL INFORMATION MUST BE IDENTICAL ON THE GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE & YOUR SALON WEBSITE.
Build Your Page
Insights
Shows how customers search for the salon. You can see if the user has come directly using the salons name or if they have found the site by searching a specific category, product, or service.
Reviews
The more google reviews a salon has the higher their SEO rankings. As we all know reviews are a great tool especially when they are good! You can respond to people who have left reviews but it’s important to remember that everyone will see any replies and you can not remove negative/poor reviews!
Messages
You can send and receive text messages, photos, voice messages and video using Messages.
Photos
Make the profile visually appealing by adding imagery including logo & cover photo in the salons colours & high-quality images to showcase their work and salon interior. Add/edit photos here.
Bookings
Google My Business allows you to place a booking button on the listing for scheduling appointments. You can direct the link to your website’s contact page if they don’t have online booking.
Products
Help show potential clients what the salon has to offer by adding products & packages.
Services
Add in the salon's services so people can easily see what they offer. If you scroll right to the bottom of the page you will see a button to add a category. Click this to create categories for different services i.e. Hair, beauty, nails or aesthetics.
Website
Don’t worry too much about this.
Users
This shows who has access to the account. You can also add/remove users here.
Create An Ad
Again you probably won’t use this much. It allows you to create and run google adverts.
Add a New Location
This is where you would go if you have salons with multiple locations.
If these are already added then check the details are correct and match EXACTLY what is on the website.
Once the basics are done you can then build the Google business page by adding images, posts, categories & offers.
Adding Categories
You can add categories to describe what services the salon offers; this breaks them into sections so visitors can easily see what’s on offer.
For example, if your primary category is “Hair Colour Salon”, Google may show the salon in local search results to people who search for “Salons”, “Hairdressing Salons”, or “Hairdressers” in their area.
Add Photos or Videos To Business Listings
Adding a logo & cover photo will help people to recognise the salon more easily. It’s a great idea to add images you feel may help to show any unique/strong points of the salon which will reflect them in a good light.
Businesses that have great visuals can attract 35% higher click rate than those that don’t. Make sure any videos are less than 30 seconds long, high-resolution, and under 100 MB.
Find more about adding images here.
Adding Offers & Posts On Google
Maintain a strong online presence by adding blogs & any seasonal deals the salon offers. Adding a welcome or new client offer is a great draw for clients. Make sure to add/update/remove offers regularly.
You can publish the salon’s offers, products, and services directly to Google Search and Maps through posts on Google My Business.
Make sure your posts contain relevant & engaging content. Avoid spelling mistakes, gimmicks and be respectful in what you post. If adding links to other websites make sure they are ones you trust. It’s important when uploading any media images to your posts that they meet the size requirements and that you have permission to use the imagery.
Find out more here.
Adding Products
Showcase any products the salon sells by adding them to their google business page- a nifty way for clients to learn more about the products& brands the salon stocks.
FAQs
- Manage how your local business appears on Google Search and Maps
- Edit your business information (e.g. address, phone number and hours)
- Respond to reviews, questions and messages from customers
- Share new photos and post updates on special offers and events
- See how customers find and interact with your business on Google