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What are the costs of a new salon website?

Young blonde woman smiling and looking at her reflection in a mirror while sitting in a salon chair discussing the costs of a new salon website

Whether you’re venturing into the hair and beauty industry for the first time, or want to build a new and improved website for your current salon, it’s important that you get each feature of your website right. Considering salons are so popular – hair and beauty businesses have a much higher survival rate after five years compared to other businesses – you’ll want to build a website which stands out. 

Whilst it might be a popular field to work in, the competition is fierce: in the UK, 12 new salons open each week. Nevertheless, this isn’t to say that the market is completely saturated; there are endless ways to draw in new clients. 

To capture their interest, however, you need to build a website which has a fantastic web design and is easy to use, as word of mouth isn’t solely enough to drive in customers. Whilst some use a website builder – such as Go Sitebuilder – for their salon website, you may want to build a site from scratch. We’ve broken down the costs of a new salon website to give you some idea as to where to begin. 

1. Web host

When building a site, you’ll need a web host for your website. Web hosts are essentially companies that rent out their services to host websites on the internet – a bit like renting out a chair in a hair salon for a freelance hairdresser to use. 

There are different types of web hosting options available, depending on the amount of control you want over your site. Shared hosting is great if you’re just starting up a salon business: it’s the most affordable option (costing around £5 a month) as your server space is shared with other sites, and it is relatively simple. However, due to the shared space with other websites on the same server, your site could become slow, and you also have little control over the server itself. 

Dedicated hosting gives you complete control over the administrative server and you don’t have to share your server space. However, this is a much more expensive option, costing anything from £40 to £100 a month, which is why it might only work for you if you already have a thriving salon business with spare cash to put into building a website. 

VPS hosting is a more advanced version of shared hosting, but cheaper than dedicated hosting, as whilst you still share servers, you are given your own resources which aren’t shared with other sites. 

2. Domain name

Your domain name is the name of your website: it’s the address people use to search for you on the internet. It must be distinctive to you, as not only does this characterise your salon brand, but it also prevents confusion, as customers could click on to the wrong site if you had a very similar domain name to another salon. A domain name normally costs between £8 to £10 a year.

3. Web design 

This is where it gets a little more complicated. Part of the attraction surrounding salons is the appeal of the aesthetic. You’ll want to reflect this in your website: a low-quality web design can give the impression that your salon is tacky and has poor standards. You’ll want to have a stunning web design so that you stand out; a professional and sophisticated website can elevate the image of your salon business even higher in the minds of potential clients. 

Unless you have extensive coding knowledge, you’ll need to get into contact with a graphic designer to take charge of the web design element. This can seriously eat into your budget: the price of a free-lance web designer can range from £15 an hour, to over £100 an hour, depending on their level of expertise.

4. Ecommerce platform 

One of the ways you can make your salon stand out online in a competitive market is by selling your own products. If you have any beauty or skincare products which you sell in your salon, why not sell your products online? With an ecommerce website, you can reach out to more people, and your products can act as an advertisement of the high-level services that you provide. 

Unfortunately, the cost of an ecommerce website can be incredibly expensive: ecommerce platforms don’t come cheap, and even website builders charge you quite a bit extra if you want to sell products online. 

If you don’t want to go through all these steps just to get a website up and running, Go Sitebuilder offers all of these – a web host, domain name, ready-to-go web designs for salons, an integrated ecommerce platform – and more!

If you don’t have endless amounts of time spare to build a website from scratch, and are worried that the prices could quickly and uncontrollably mount up, we suggest you try Go Sitebuilder: our free 14-day trial means you can experience all we have to offer, without having to spend a penny!

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8 best beauty salon websites for design inspiration 2020

Woman choosing hair color in dye catalog in one of the best beauty salon websites for design inspiration in 2020

The most successful beauty salons have stunning websites that entice more customers to come through their doors. Given that it takes most website visitors only half a second to make a judgement on your website, making a good first impression is incredibly important. From portraying your beauty services to consolidating a brand image, a well designed website can significantly help your beauty business. 

We’ve picked out some of the best beauty salon websites for web design inspiration so you can design the best website for your salon.

Find your Brand and Stick to it

website with woman and hairdryer
Source: drybar

This homepage for drybar clearly tells the visitor what services the beauticians at this beauty salon offer. There is a simple design, incorporating only three colours: grey, yellow and white, which creates a cohesive website design and makes the site – and brand – more memorable. There is a clear call to action on the homepage, which is easily achievable with a website builder, so the visitor knows what services are offered within moments of clicking on the page.

Keep it Simple

website with woman cleaning face
Source: HEYDAY 

The website for skincare fanatics, Heyday keeps a minimalist web design, something easily achieved through a website builder. A high quality image with a plain background gives the site a professional look, and the call to action is prominent on the page without being brash. This web design shows how a simple idea executed well gives your website a sleek, stylish feel. We wrote a blog on how images enhance your website to help you make your images work for you.

Use Marketing Tools

Empty information form for toni&guy
Source: TONI&GUY

The hair and beauty salon TONI&GUY have created an incredibly effective website for many aspects of web design. One of the useful aspects of many website builders is the ability to create a pop up which can portray a message to visitors as soon as they enter the website. This is what the web designers at TONI&GUY have used, giving an opportunity for visitors to subscribe to their emails as soon as they enter the website. This means that even if your visitors don’t buy anything, you can follow up with an email to showcase your services.

Key Messages 

website homepage dark background white text
Source: NineZeroOneSalon

The beauty salon Nine Zero One has created a web design which incorporates stunning images and quotes trying to encapsulate the ethos of the salon. This quote on their homepage is large and creates high impact, it also is effective in separating this salon from others in the business.

Bright Colours

green background website screenshot
Source: BLEACH

Bleach London have come up with a unique website to draw visitors in. The use of bright colours and bold graphics represents their beauticians mission to create new and interesting hairstyles in their beauty salon. Use this as a starting point for web design inspiration, and think about what colours best represent your beauty salon. 

Create an Aesthetic

website screenshot of Naf salon
Source: NAF!Salon

Featured in Vogue’s best beauty salons in the UK, NAF! Salon’s website is a visual masterpiece. A clear aesthetic of pastel colours and bold writing, easily achievable through a website builder, matches cohesively with the photographs of the salon. There is a bold mission statement above the name which is reflected throughout the web design and website, in gorgeous nail art photographs and high quality videos. 

Link your Instagram

hands with nail art
Source: Pastille

One way to showcase your beauty services is to link your instagram to your website. This allows you to share images easily across both platforms simultaneously. The talented nail beauticians at Pastille have done exactly that by showing their best designs on their website. Obviously this means your instagram should be regularly updated so that your website stays up to date with the latest beauty trends. 

Effective Organisation

dropdown menu for Treatwell website
Source: Treatwell

Treatwell is a service which connects beauty salons with clients. There are thousands of salons and services provided at Treatwell, which means their website must be intuitive and easy to navigate. Their clear web design and use of menus and blogs makes this possible; although there is a large variety their navigation doesn’t look overcrowded as each one opens a drop down menu with more information. This allows visitors to connect with beauticians and beauty salons in their local area without getting overwhelmed with information.

So if you’re ready to start designing your beauty salon website, take a look at Go Sitebuilder’s ready to go templates. Creating a captivating website design couldn’t be more simple. Try Go Sitebuilder today; our free 14-day trial gives you the ultimate freedom to design the perfect website for your beauty salon! 

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How do you get more customers into your beauty salon

brand new interior of european beauty salon to get more customers using Go Sitebuilder

Attracting more customers to your beauty salon is vital to grow your business. New visitors can become loyal returning customers, and with the right marketing strategies, they can share their experiences of your business with friends and family. The nature of beauty salons is that word of mouth is one of the most important ways to spread the word surrounding your business. However, in order to do this you need to start by attracting more new customers. 

There are many ways you can attract new customers to your beauty salon. This article shows a few marketing strategies you could use to attract new clients and grow your customer base.

Effective Website Design 

A well designed website can significantly increase the number of customers that visit your salon. Visitors to your website will form a judgement on your website as soon as they see the first page, and according to Stanford Web Credibility research, 75% of people judge a business’s credibility by the design of its website. This means that when using a website builder, you need to make sure that your website looks professional and communicates your beauty salon’s atmosphere and ethos. 

In order to create an effective website there are a number of aspects you should consider. Often businesses such as beauty salons will consider matching certain aspects of their website to their beauty salon. For example they may have the same colour scheme on the walls of their salon as they have on their website. 

Key points to consider are:

  • Colour scheme 
  • Font 
  • Layout 
  • Logo
  • Photographs of your work 

Contact Options

The most savvy salons will have various contact options on their website to make booking a service as hassle free as possible. In order for potential customers to gain an insight into your business, you should consider showing your range of services. Also consider showing staff members’ specialities and the price of each service.

A great tool for your website is a contact form which can take personal details such as an email and full name. Having this information also allows you to contact the client after they visit your salon with offers or to remind them of the appointment. 

Your website should also provide details of how to contact your salon if the booking system does not work, or if there are more questions that the visitor has. You should include:

  • Phone number 
  • Email
  • Address

These should be displayed clearly at the bottom of your webpage. 

Clear Information

Another important facet of any website is providing important information to visitors that is easily accessible and simple to understand. This can be provided through sections on your website. Headings such as the titles listed below can be a good place to start to ensure you include all important information:

  • About Us 
  • Meet The Team
  • Price List 
  • Our Services
  • Find Us 
  • Contact Us
  • Frequently Asked Questions  

Having all relevant information on your website allows visitors to get a clear idea of your business.

Relevant Social Media 

Another important feature for any beauty salon is to have a presence on a range of social media platforms. Social media can increase the exposure of your beauty salon to new customers. Social media can also be a great way to showcase your work in a more informal manner. Instagram is one of the most-used forms of social media for beauty services, so photographs on this platform will help people discover your services and entice people to visit your salon. 

The most important aspect to remember when creating a social media presence is to post regularly and ensure your photographs are high quality and well lit. If you are not sure what kind of images would work well on social media then search for different beauty salons or beauty brands and you will get a feel for what makes a successful platform. 

Social media can also be a good way to communicate offers your salon may have. For example, you may offer a 10% student discount and through the use of social media you can advertise that to a wide range of people. 

This can be especially effective for short term offers, for example on Mother’s Day you may offer 20% off for mothers and daughters if they come in together. This discount can be sold through social media and requires a set of steps such as signing up to a mailing list or following your Instagram account. By setting out your offers in this way, you gain a new way to communicate in the long term with potential clients.

Brand Design 

In a market such as beauty the appearance of your business is extremely important in garnering new customers. Having a strong logo and design of your salon is vital in gaining new customers and getting them to come back again. Don’t feel you have time? There are loads of great free online tools to help you design a colour palette, like Colormind, or to design a quick and easy logo, like Looka.

If your salon has not had a redesign recently and you are seeing declining interest it may be time to revamp your brand. This can be as simple as redesigning your website to make it more user friendly or changing the colours you use in your salon. A professional website and design gives customers a sense of the professionalism of your business and allows them to connect to your services easier. Publicising your new look on your website and social media is another way to heighten interest in your salon.

If you don’t have a website yet, or you are looking to rebrand but can’t quite find the time, then Go Sitebuilder is a great option. Designed for simplicity and speed helps you get back to what you’re good at, our website builder means you can have a beautiful and professional-looking website up in minutes! There are even ready-made templates perfect for a beauty salon to save you time and hassle. Try our 14-day free trial today. 

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Why is it Important For a Beautician to Have a Website in the UK?

Woman using mobile phone in beauty salon receiving a manicure by a beautician.

As a beautician, your client list is potentially endless. The analytics firm GlobalData has revealed that the health and beauty sector will be worth £26.7bn by 2022, and it is predicted to be the fastest-growing sector in the upcoming years. That means more clients, but also more competition on the market.

Whilst hairdressing and beauty salons could once rely on word of mouth to grow their customer base, the internet has now become a tool to draw in new clients. It is therefore important that you brush up on your tech skills so that your business can excel, both online and in person.

Have a well-designed website

A well-designed, easily navigable website is of paramount importance if you want to grow your beauty business. Having an appealing, aesthetic web design gives off the impression to users that your business is professional and of high quality – somewhere where they would want to go for their treatment.

Uploading high-quality photos of your work onto your website is also key: by showcasing what skills you have to offer, a client is much more likely to trust you to take care of their beauty qualms. You can even put these images into a gallery, enabling the site user to browse a selection of the different looks that you can create. 

As mentioned previously, word of mouth is no longer a reliable option if you want to expand your client list. In the digital world, reviews left by customers can be the deciding factor for those considering your services. By publishing the best reviews on your website, you can show visitors to your site that you have a great customer track record.

Write blogs 

This seems slightly odd – after all, you’re a beautician, not a writer. However, many famous beauticians grew their beauty empire from the once humble blog: influencers such as PixiWoo and Fleur de Force started up posting online content offering advice on different beauty products, and then were gradually able to expand and grow their business to an international scale. 

Of course, you may not get to be a worldwide brand by posting a few blog posts once a week, but it is a good way to attract new customers onto your site, thus increasing awareness around your business. For example, if a person googles a certain beauty query, and your blog offers the answer, then you give off the impression that you are knowledgeable in the field, and thus can be trusted.

Blogs are also an important tool to up your SEO – search engine optimisation. By using keywords that rank highly in Google search engines when writing your blog, you are more likely to rank higher on the search engine, and thus become more visible to those who are seeking out a beautician.

Social media 

Social media is a more personal way to market your business. By linking your social media to your website, you are creating a direct link between your different online profiles. Perhaps you choose to create a Pinterest account, uploading photos of high-quality content to showcase what you have to offer.

Another fantastic way to upload images is Instagram: it is incredibly popular, reaching 1 billion monthly users in 2018. Not only does this allow you to display your expertise in the beauty industry, but it also allows you to market any deals or discounts that you may want to offer. Everyone loves a bargain, so this is a fantastic way to reel in new clients, as if they like your treatment then they are likely to come back. 

You could decide to upload makeup tutorials or beauty tips onto Youtube, linking your Youtube account to your website. Whilst you shouldn’t rely on Youtube alone to market your skills, it’s still a great way to advertise yourself, completely free of charge and can be a great way to direct your fans back to your website.

Freedom

If you don’t want to be tied down to a salon, and want the freedom to control your own business, then working for yourself as a freelancer is a perfect solution, as you have complete flexibility over the clients you want to take.

Being your own boss is also great if you are new to the industry – you can carry on your day job, and work out of hours to test the waters, easing you into the beauty sector instead of plunging you in headfirst.

However, the issue with working for yourself is that you start from scratch. Unless you have already grown a reputation amongst the community via working at a beauty salon, it could be tricky getting in clients who have no idea what you can offer. This is why building a website is paramount – by improving your online presence, you are sure to bring in more customers. 

How do I build a website?

Nowadays, you don’t need to be a coding genius to build a great website. Go Sitebuilder is one of the best website builders in the UK: we have extensive knowledge in the area, ensuring that you can build your website stress-free. We offer all of the aforementioned and more – why not see for yourself, with our 14-day free trial.

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3 must-haves for your beauty salon website

Beauty Salon Website must-haves

When you operate a beauty salon website, you need to have certain elements, content or sections on your website that helps new customers to find you and convince them to make an appointment. Here are three key elements that you must-have for your beauty salon website:

1. Testimonials

Including testimonials from customers on your website will help you to build trust with your key clientele quickly. Be sure that the length of the testimonials offers value to the reader. The best testimonials to include on your site should include what treatment was offered and how it made the customer feel. The longer the testimonial the better, as it will improve your ranking on social media and help build trust with audiences.

2. Contact forms

You also need to make sure that customers can contact you when they have a specific requirement. Customers like to see that there is a telephone number or a contact form on a website. It helps to build trust. Another option is to have live chat on your website. Live chat can help potential clients to resolve problems quickly and you can sell to customers extra treatments. As much as Live Chat has been known to build trust with customers, you need to ensure you’ve got the resource to manage it effectively.

3. A home-page that performs

The final element, and arguably the most important, is that you have a home-page that performs. It needs to do two things:
1. Help you rank on Google and other search engines.
2. Convert visitors into paying customers.

Therefore, your homepage needs to have a lot of quality copy on the page with the right keywords (including the location of your salon) to rank. Your customers want to feel wonderful, beautiful and youthful again. So language along these lines should be dotted around your home-page. Call to action buttons (or CTAs) also need to be dominant to help drive customers to your contact forms. Take a look at our easy to follow guide on building landing pages that convert if you want to find out more.

If you’re looking to create a website for your beauty room or hair salon check out Go Sitebuilder for free and see how easy it is to get your business online.


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Three must-have features for any beauty salon website

Three must-have features for any beauty salon website

Beauty is big business, but in this competitive field, standing out from your rivals is vital if you want your beauty salon to succeed. Having an eye-catching website that is informative, useful and easy to navigate are essential starting points for any beauty business owner. But, as a beauty salon business, you should also include these three must-have features if you want your site to enjoy a high search engine ranking.

1. Quality images

Beauty is inherently visual, so if you want to attract clients to your site, you need to include images of your products or the services that you provide. Never include stock photos on your site, but instead take real shots of work you’ve undertaken on clients’ nails, hair, make-up, eyebrows, or whatever is relevant to your line of work.

Pictures certainly say more than words in the beauty industry, so make sure the images you include are of high quality and aren’t grainy or fuzzy. If you specialise in nails, take close up shots and think about including images from different angles. Update your images regularly to keep your content fresh and to stay on top of the latest beauty trends. Search engines also favour those websites that keep their site current.

2. Testimonials

Add reviews from satisfied clients to your website to give your brand a credibility boost. This is also a positive way to encourage people to try your services if they may have been reluctant before or don’t know what to expect. If you offer a range of services at your salon, include reviews covering this variety of offerings, from a wide sector of customers. Again, it’s worth keeping this section current, so update your reviews frequently so that your site doesn’t become stale.

3. Online booking

Unless you can afford to hire a dedicated receptionist to take bookings, many beauty salon staff find they need to juggle working on clients and answering the phone at the same time. Alternatively, if therapists are busy, they might leave the answering machine to catch any incoming calls. This isn’t ideal, and many beauty salons might end up losing business if clients can’t book an appointment there and then.

This is where your website can come in handy. If you include an online appointment booking section on your site, this will make life so much easier for you and your clients. It means appointments can be made even when the salon is closed or you’re busy with another client.

Apps can be easily embedded into your site to include a calendar and booking system, and while clients are visiting your site, you can use this opportunity to promote other services or offers you might have at the time.

If you’re looking to create a website for your beauty room or hair salon check out Go Sitebuilder for free and see just how easy it is to get your business online.