Is Your Google Business Profile Costing You Clients Every Day?
I talked to a salon owner named Natalie last month. She owns a place in Missouri. Five chairs. Been open four years.
"I don't understand why I'm not getting new clients from Google," she told me. "I have a Google listing. But nobody books from it."
I looked at her Google Business Profile. It was a disaster.
Her business name was "Natalie's Hair Salon & Balayage Specialists Color Extensions." Hours were wrong. No photos from the last two years. Description was two sentences. Seven reviews total, three of them unanswered.
"When did you last update this?" I asked.
"I set it up when I opened," she said. "Four years ago. I thought that was it."
She was losing thousands of dollars monthly because potential clients couldn't find her or didn't trust what they saw.
Let me show you what's actually happening with salon Google profiles.
What Happens When You Set It and Forget It?
Natalie thought her Google listing was like a phone book ad. Put your info in once. Done.
"I had no idea I needed to update it," she said.
Her hours were wrong. Listed as closed on Saturdays. She was actually open Saturdays 9 AM to 5 PM.
"How many people saw that and went somewhere else?" she wondered.
I know another owner named Whitney in Oregon. She had a different problem.
"My listing disappeared," she told me. "One day it was there. Next day, gone."
She'd added keywords to her business name. "Whitney's Salon Portland Hair Color Balayage Extensions."
Google suspended her for violating naming policies.
"I didn't know that was against the rules," she said. "I was trying to show up in more searches."
Instead, she showed up in zero searches for three weeks while fighting to get reinstated.
A guy named Trevor in Arizona had the duplicate listing problem.
"I had three Google listings," he told me. "I didn't even know."
One from when he opened. One created automatically by Google. One from a previous marketing company.
"My reviews were split across three profiles," he said. "None of them looked legit."
Potential clients would see his salon with two reviews. Not trust it. Book somewhere else.
His competitors had 50+ reviews on a single profile.
How Bad Does a Incomplete Profile Actually Hurt You?
Natalie's profile had almost nothing filled out.
Business hours: listed (but wrong) Phone number: listed Address: listed Photos: six photos, all from four years ago Services: none listed Description: two sentences Posts: zero ever Reviews: seven total, three unanswered
"I thought just having a listing was enough," she said.
Meanwhile, her competitor down the street had:
- 80+ photos
- Full service menu with prices
- Detailed description
- Weekly posts
- 124 reviews, all answered
- Hours updated perfectly
"Who would you book?" I asked Natalie.
She got it immediately. "Not me," she said.
Whitney's incomplete profile was different. She had decent photos and reviews. But her services list was empty.
"People searching for 'balayage near me' weren't finding me," she said. "Because Google didn't know I did balayage."
She added her full service menu. Started showing up in way more searches.
Trevor's three duplicate profiles meant his 47 reviews were split: 21 on one, 18 on another, 8 on a third.
"I looked like three different mediocre salons instead of one great salon," he said.
What Actually Matters in Your Listing?
Natalie started fixing her profile. First thing: correct her business name.
Changed from "Natalie's Hair Salon & Balayage Specialists Color Extensions" to just "Natalie's Hair Salon."
"That hurt to delete all those keywords," she said. "But I didn't want to get suspended."
Next: fixed her hours. Added her actual schedule. Added special hours for holidays.
Then: uploaded 40 new photos. Her work. Her salon. Her team. Real photos, not stock images.
"This took me two hours," she said. "But now my profile actually represents my salon."
She added her full service menu. Every service. Price ranges. Descriptions.
"People searching for specific services started finding me," she said.
Whitney focused on categories after getting reinstated.
Primary category: Hair Salon Secondary categories: Hair Stylist, Waxing Service, Makeup Artist, Nail Salon
"I added every service I do," she said. "Started showing up in more searches."
She also added attributes. Women-owned. LGBTQ+ friendly. Wheelchair accessible entrance.
"Clients who care about those things can find me now," she said.
Trevor consolidated his three profiles into one. Google helped him merge the reviews.
"Suddenly I had one profile with 47 reviews," he said. "Looked way more legitimate."
He also wrote an actual business description. Not just "We do hair."
"I talked about the experience," he said. "Who we are. What makes us different. The problems we solve."
New clients mentioned reading his description. "They felt like they knew us before walking in," he said.
How Much Do Photos Actually Matter?
Natalie's six photos from four years ago were killing her.
Outdated hair styles. Old furniture. Her salon looked nothing like the photos anymore.
"Clients would walk in and be confused," she said. "Because it didn't match what they saw online."
She started uploading new photos weekly. Her best work. Before and afters. The salon. Her team.
After three months, she had 60+ current photos.
"My profile looked alive," she said. "Not abandoned."
Whitney had decent photos but they were all professional staged shots.
"They looked fake," she realized.
She started posting real photos. Actual clients (with permission). Actual workdays. The vibe of her salon.
"The authenticity helped," she said. "People could see what it's really like here."
Trevor's three duplicate profiles each had different photos. Confused everyone.
After consolidating, he organized his photos. Exterior shots. Interior. Team. Before and afters by service type.
"Now when someone looks at my photos, they get a clear picture," he said.
Should You Actually Be Posting on Google?
Natalie had never posted on Google. Didn't even know you could.
"I thought it was just a listing," she said. "Not a social media platform."
Google Posts show up directly on your profile. Like mini-announcements.
She started posting every week. Last-minute openings. New services. Seasonal promotions.
"I filled three empty chairs in one week from a Google Post about a last-minute availability," she said.
Whitney was posting but inconsistently. Once every few months when she remembered.
"Google Posts expire after seven days," I told her. "If you're not posting weekly, your profile looks inactive."
She started posting every 7 to 10 days. New styles. Promotions. Team spotlights.
"My profile looked current," she said. "Like we're actually active and engaged."
Trevor wasn't posting at all. His profile looked dead compared to competitors posting weekly.
He started posting about specials. "20% off conditioning treatments this week."
"Two new clients booked from that post," he said. "Paid for itself immediately."
What's the Deal With Getting Reviews?
Natalie had seven reviews total. Three she'd never responded to.
"I didn't think about reviews," she said. "Just hoped people would leave them."
They didn't. Because she wasn't asking.
She started asking every satisfied client. "If you're happy with your hair, would you mind leaving us a review?"
Simple ask. Right after service. When they're happiest.
She got 15 reviews in the first month. 38 more over the next three months.
"My profile went from seven reviews to 60 reviews," she said. "Completely changed how we looked."
Whitney had decent reviews but wasn't responding to them.
"I didn't know I was supposed to," she said.
She started responding to every review. Thanking people by name for positive ones. Addressing negative ones professionally.
"It showed I cared," she said. "Even people reading my responses were impressed."
Trevor had 47 reviews total but they looked old. Nothing recent.
"I wasn't asking consistently," he said.
He put a QR code at the front desk linking directly to his review page. Made it easy.
Reviews started coming in weekly. "My profile looked current and active," he said.
One negative review came in. A client complained about wait time. Trevor responded within hours.
"Apologized. Explained what happened. Invited her back. Took the conversation offline."
She came back. Changed her review to five stars. "Because I actually cared and fixed the problem," Trevor said.
What Happens When Google Suspends Your Profile?
Whitney's suspension was terrifying. One day her profile was live. Next day, suspended.
"I panicked," she said. "All my Google traffic disappeared instantly."
The suspension email said she violated naming policies. Her business name had keywords in it.
"I thought I was being smart," she said. "I was just breaking the rules."
She fixed her business name immediately. Then had to wait.
"Google doesn't respond fast," she said. "I was down for three weeks."
She submitted the reinstatement form. Provided her business license. Utility bill. Photos of her permanent signage.
"I had to prove I was a real business at that address," she said.
Three weeks later, reinstated. "Those three weeks cost me thousands in lost bookings," she said.
Natalie never got suspended but lived in fear after hearing Whitney's story.
"I made sure everything was correct," she said. "I wasn't risking it."
Trevor's duplicate profiles weren't a suspension but they might as well have been.
"I was invisible because my presence was split," he said. "Fixing it was like getting reinstated."
Can You Actually Do This Yourself or Do You Need Help?
Natalie managed her profile herself after I showed her what to do.
"It takes me about two hours a week," she said. "Uploading photos. Creating posts. Responding to reviews."
Two hours weekly felt manageable. But she admitted it was tedious.
"I don't love doing it," she said. "But I can't afford to pay someone right now."
Six months in, she's getting five to eight new clients monthly from Google. "That's $2,500 to $4,000 monthly," she said.
Worth the two hours weekly.
Whitney tried managing it herself. Lasted three months.
"I kept forgetting to post," she said. "I'd go two weeks without updating anything."
She hired someone to manage it. $400 monthly.
"Best money I spend," she said. "My profile is always updated. I never think about it. New clients keep coming."
She's getting 10 to 15 new clients monthly from Google now. "That's $5,000 to $7,500 monthly," she said.
$400 spend. $5,000+ return. Easy math.
Trevor tried to do it himself but his profile kept having issues.
"I'd fix one thing and break another," he said. "It was frustrating."
He also hired help. Someone who knows Google's rules inside and out.
"Haven't had a single problem since," he said. "And my profile is optimized way better than I could do myself."
He's getting 12 to 20 new clients monthly from Google. "That's $6,000 to $10,000 monthly," he said.
What's the Biggest Mistake You Can Make?
Natalie's biggest mistake was thinking setup was enough.
"I set it and forgot it for four years," she said. "That was so stupid."
Cost her probably $100,000 over four years in lost clients.
Whitney's biggest mistake was adding keywords to her business name.
"Three weeks suspended," she said. "Lost thousands. All because I tried to game the system."
Trevor's biggest mistake was not knowing he had duplicate profiles.
"Three years with split reviews," he said. "Looking mediocre when I should have looked great."
All three of them are in completely different places now.
Natalie: seven reviews → 60+ reviews, updated profile, five to eight new clients monthly from Google.
Whitney: suspended → reinstated → professionally managed, 10 to 15 new clients monthly, profile always current.
Trevor: three duplicate profiles → one consolidated profile with 47 reviews → 90+ reviews now, 12 to 20 new clients monthly.
All because they stopped treating Google Business Profile like a phone book listing and started treating it like a living, breathing marketing tool.
If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, outdated, or getting zero results, you're leaving thousands of dollars on the table every month. New clients are searching for salons right now. If they can't find you or don't trust what they see, they're booking your competitors.
