Two Things a Salon Owner Needs to Do for More Clients

Two things bring more clients to a salon: a fully built Google Business Profile, and Google Local Services Ads set up on top of it. Do them in that order. The profile comes first because the ads send people to whatever your profile says you do.

What are the two things a salon owner needs to do to get more clients?

The two things are a complete Google Business Profile with more than 50 reviews at a rating above 4.5 stars, and Google Local Services Ads. The profile is how a local client decides to trust you. The ads are Google's own tool for putting your phone number in front of people who are searching right now.

Neither one is complicated. Both are boring. That is why most salons skip them and then spend money on an Instagram campaign instead.

Here is the order I walk owners through:

1. Fill out every section of your Google Business Profile, starting with services and descriptions.
2. Get your review count above 50 and your rating above 4.5.
3. Set up Local Services Ads once the profile is accurate.

How do I build out my Google Business Profile so the right clients call?

Fill in every field, and spend the most time on services, because the services you list decide which calls you get. A half-finished profile does not just get fewer calls. It gets calls for the wrong things.

Say you do color and cuts, but your profile lists only a generic hair salon category and no services. Someone searching for a service you do not offer well, or do not offer at all, can still land on you. Your front desk spends the day answering the wrong questions.

Here is what I fill in, in the order I do it:

• Category. Hair Salon, unless another category fits what you do better.
• Services. List all of them: haircuts, balayage, highlights, gloss, blowouts, extensions, keratin and smoothing treatments, whatever you actually do. Add custom services too. If you do razor cutting for curly hair, add that by name. Someone who searches that exact phrase should find you.
• Descriptions. Each service gets a short description. Owners skip this constantly.
• Business description. You get up to 750 characters. Say who you are, what you are known for, and where you are, using real local landmarks the way a neighbor would.
• Hours. Real days, real times.
• Photos. Rename every file before you upload it. "IMG_4821.jpg" tells Google nothing. "blonde-balayage-before-after.jpg" does. Then add a few new photos each week.

One more thing that costs owners rankings without them noticing: your name, address, and phone number have to match everywhere. Your website, Yelp, Apple Maps, your Instagram bio. "Suite 200" in one place and "Ste 200" in another is enough to create doubt. Google is trying to decide whether to trust you. Make it easy.

I have a longer walk-through of this in Is Your Google Business Profile Costing You Clients Every Day? if you want to check your own profile against it.

How many reviews does a salon need on Google?

My target is more than 50 reviews at a rating above 4.5 stars. That is the bar I tell owners to clear before they spend anything on ads, because a new client comparing two salons will pick the one that looks proven.

Do the math on where you are. Say you have 12 reviews today. You need 38 more. If you ask four happy clients a week and half of them follow through, that is two new reviews a week, so about 19 weeks. If you ask eight a week, it is closer to 10. The number moves with how often you ask, and asking is the only part you control.

The moment to ask is at checkout, when the client is looking in the mirror and happy. Do not say "please review us sometime." Text them the direct link right there, while they are standing at the desk. Most people say yes in the moment and forget by the time they are in the car. Make it take ten seconds.

Reply to every review, good and bad. A calm reply to a rough review shows the next reader how you handle a problem. And never buy reviews or offer a discount for one. Google catches it, and a penalized profile is worse than a small one.

If your profile is built out but the phone still is not ringing, this post on zero calls at a number three ranking covers what else to check.

What are Google Local Services Ads, and why set them up second?

Local Services Ads are Google's tool for local businesses to appear at the top of search results when someone is looking for a service nearby. They are basic to set up, and when they are running, your phone starts ringing. I set them up second on purpose.

The reason is simple. The ads pull from your business information. If your profile has the wrong services, wrong descriptions, or three reviews, you are paying to send people to a page that does not convince them. If the profile is right, the ads put your best version in front of the people who are ready to book.

I will not quote you a cost per lead here, because it depends on your city and the services you pick. Set the budget to something you can hold for a few months, and check which calls come in against which services you listed. That tells you quickly whether your profile is doing its job.

What do salon owners get wrong when they want more clients?

The most common mistake is jumping to the new tactic before the basics are done. Owners ask me about a giveaway, a reel strategy, a new ad platform, while their Google profile still has no services listed and 14 reviews.

I know that pull. I run a salon, and the shiny thing is always more fun than fixing a profile. But local search is where someone who has never heard of you goes when they need a stylist this week. That person is closer to booking than anyone scrolling past a post. Local SEO and e-commerce are what took my salons past a million dollars a year, not a viral video.

Three specific errors I see:

• Listing services you do not want. If the profile attracts calls you cannot take, the profile is wrong, not the callers.
• Setting it up once and leaving it. Google favors profiles that stay active. New photos, new reviews, updates.
• Running ads before the review count is there. You pay for the click, then lose it to a salon with 200 reviews.

If you want the full picture of how this connects to being found by clients who ask AI tools for recommendations, Is Your Google Business Profile Actually Bringing You Clients or Just Sitting There? goes further. And if you want to see how I got here, that page covers it.

What should I do this week?

Open your Google Business Profile and count three things: services listed, reviews, and star rating. If services are missing, add them today. If you are under 50 reviews, start texting the link at checkout tomorrow. Once both look right, set up Local Services Ads.

If you would rather have someone look at your numbers with you, apply for a free salon assessment and I will look at where your clients are really coming from and what is leaking.

FAQ

What are 10 common products used in a salon?

Shampoo, conditioner, permanent hair color, developer, lightener, toner, gloss, styling products, heat protectant, and treatment masks. Those are the backbar and retail staples. They matter to your profit, but they will not bring new clients through the door.

What is the failure rate of hair salons?

I do not have a number I can source, so I will not quote one. What I have seen in my own salons and with owners I have worked with is that the ones that struggle usually share two problems: no steady flow of new clients, and no clear view of what they keep as profit.

Should my stylists have their own Google Business Profile?

It is optional, and it works best for a strong stylist who is staying. A stylist with their own listing is treated like their own business, so you can fill more of the map results with the salon plus your stylists. They also hold their own reviews, which they keep if they leave, so decide that with eyes open. Do the salon's main profile first.

Can I skip the profile and just run the ads?

You can, but I would not. The ads rely on your business information, so a thin profile means paying for clicks that do not convert and calls for services you do not want.