Google Business Profile for salons: set it up properly

When someone types "salon near me" or "hair spa near me", Google shows a map and a few salons below it. People pick from those few, often without scrolling. If your profile is half filled, with old photos, wrong hours and no way to book, they move on to the salon next door.

Setting it up properly takes an afternoon. Keeping it fresh takes ten minutes a week. Here is how, based on Google's own help pages.

Step 1: Claim and verify your profile

Start by searching for your salon on Google Maps. If it already appears, choose "Claim this business". If not, add it at business.google.com/add. Google's guide to adding or claiming a profile has the steps, and it costs nothing.

Google then asks you to verify the business by phone, text, email, video call or a postcard. Google picks the method, not you. If it asks for a video, show your signboard, the salon from the street, the inside, and something only the owner can open, such as the cash counter or a store room.

Use an email address the salon will always own, not a stylist's or a nephew's. Add a second manager so you never get locked out.

Step 2: Use your real salon name

Your profile name must match the name on your signboard. Google's guidelines do not allow extra words such as taglines, services or locations. If your board says your salon name, use exactly that. Adding "best unisex salon" or "bridal makeup" after it breaks the rules and can get your profile suspended.

Step 3: Pick the most specific category

Choose one primary category that describes what your salon is, as specifically as possible. Google's category help page says to choose the most specific category that fits. Its guidelines say to pick categories that finish the sentence "This business is a", not "This business has a".

You cannot create your own category, so search Google's list for the closest match. Do not add a category for every service you offer; services have their own section.

Step 4: Add hours, phone and address correctly

• Address: the exact location, with a pin on the right building. A client who cannot find your entrance may give up and go elsewhere.
• Phone: a number someone answers during opening hours. If calls go unanswered, clients go elsewhere.
• Hours: your regular hours, plus special hours for festivals and holidays. Clients get angry when Google says open and the shutter is down.
• Website: your own website or booking page, not a page that redirects somewhere else.

Step 5: List your services

Add every main service so your profile matches what people search for, such as haircut, hair colour, keratin, facial, waxing, manicure and bridal makeup. Google's services help page lets you pick from suggestions or add your own, grouped into sections like Hair, Skin and Nails. Write a one-line description for each. Keep phone numbers and prices out of custom service names, or Google may reject them.

Step 6: Add real photos

Photos show clients what to expect before they walk in. Upload a logo and a cover photo, then real photos of your salon and your work. Google's photo guidelines ask for JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, ideally 720 pixels wide and tall, in focus, well lit and without heavy filters.

Add a few new photos every month. A profile with fresh photos looks like a salon that is open and busy.

Step 7: Add a booking link

A booking link lets people book from your profile at night, when nobody can answer the phone. Google's help page on local business links shows how to add booking links and choose a preferred one. Use a link that shows real open slots, not just a WhatsApp chat that someone will answer tomorrow.

Step 8: Post updates and offers

Profile posts show your latest news right on your listing. Google offers three types: updates, offers and events. Post a new look, a quiet-hour offer, a bridal package or festival timings. Google may archive older posts, so post at least once or twice a month.

Step 9: Ask for reviews and reply to all of them

Reviews are what convince a stranger to book. Google lets you create a review link or QR code to share with clients. Keep the QR code at the front desk and send the link in your thank-you message.

Ask every client, not only the happy ones, and never offer a discount or a free service in return. Google's content policy does not allow incentives or asking only happy clients. Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and within a day or two. For wording, see how to get more Google reviews for your salon.

For a bad review, reply calmly, say sorry for the experience, and invite the client to call or message you directly. Other readers judge you by the reply more than by the complaint.

Common mistakes to avoid

A ten-minute weekly routine

1. Reply to new reviews.
2. Add two or three new photos.
3. Check hours for any festival or holiday coming up.
4. Post an update or offer if you have not posted in two weeks.
5. Open your booking link and check it still works.

Your profile brings people to you. Clients who find you there are new, so make the first visit count; what to track in a salon CRM will help you bring them back. For more ways to reach new clients, see salon marketing ideas.

Making the booking link work for you

Zespa gives your salon its own booking link to add to Google and Instagram. Bookings made through it land in the same calendar your team uses for calls and walk-ins. It is part of how Zespa helps salons reach new customers.