GMB For Hair Salons — Optimising Your Google My Business Profile

Posted by Showpony Hair Extensions on

If you own or manage a hair salon, you already know the importance of getting new clients through the door — it keeps your business thriving, helps you outperform your competitors, and boosts your sales year on year.

While in-salon and traditional marketing efforts will expand your opportunities, in today’s digital age, the most effective way to attract new clients is through your Google My Business (GMB) profile — now known as your Google Business Profile. GMB is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to manage how your business appears in Google search results and on Google Maps. This blog will cover some tips and strategies for optimising your GMB hair salon profile, so you can increase your marketing efforts. 

How to successfully optimise your hair salon’s GMB profile 

  • Claim and verify your hair salon’s GMB listing 

The first step in optimising your GMB profile is to claim and verify your listing. This straightforward process involves confirming your business address, phone number and website with Google. Once you’ve created your listing, verify your business to gain access to all the features of GMB and start optimising your profile to improve your online visibility. 

  • Choose the right categories

When setting up your hair salon’s GMB profile, you'll be asked to select one or more categories that describe your business. For a hair salon, you might choose categories like "hair salon", "beauty salon" or "hairdresser". Choosing the right categories will help Google understand what your business offers and which search queries it should rank for. 

  • Write a compelling business description

Your business description is a chance to showcase your salon's unique features and services. Use this small space to describe what sets your salon apart from others in the area and what special services you offer (including hair extensions!). Make sure to use relevant keywords in your description to help Google understand what your business does, so when people search for your salon online, it appears in top searches.

  • Use high-quality photos 

Pleasing on the eye, visuals are a beautiful and effective way to help attract new clients. We suggest adding photos of your salon’s interior and exterior and even a group shot of your team. To guarantee your images have a lasting impression, use high-resolution photos that showcase your salon's best aspects — and ensure they accurately represent your brand identity and overarching business values.

  • Monitor and respond to reviews within 24 hours 

Encourage your clients to leave reviews on your hair salon’s GMB profile and respond to them promptly — whether it’s a glowing review recommending your services or an upset client who was not completely satisfied with their experience. 

By quickly responding and thanking them for their review or answering any queries they’ve left, you’re actively showing future clients that your salon cares about their customers and your staff is willing to address any issues or problems that have arisen. Always be polite and professional and thank them for taking the time to share their thoughts and feedback online. 

  • Use keywords that are relevant and rank well

Optimising your website for local search means adding relevant keywords and content that will help Google understand what your business does and where you sit within the industry. Utilising local SEO strategies will also help your salon appear higher in the local search results, attracting future customers. Some other effective strategies include building local citations, getting backlinks from other local businesses and credible organisations and creating relevant and useful content for your local audience.

  • Use Google Q&A and Google Posts

Google’s innovative Insights feature lets you track your hair salon’s GMB performance, including how many views, clicks and actions your profile receives. You can then use this data to optimise your profile, improve areas of weakness and make informed decisions about your overarching marketing strategies.

Google Posts is another feature that allows you to create short messages to communicate with previous and potential clients. You can use Google Posts to promote transformative before and after photos or to highlight what new and best-selling products you’re using — whether it’s a vegan-friendly shampoo, a new hot tool or Showpony’s incredible range of wholesale hair extensions. You can also share special offers or events and include relevant keywords to improve their visibility in the search results. 

What happens when you list your hair salon on GMB? 

Listing and optimising your GMB profile offers a host of benefits that will propel your salon towards greater success, including: 

  • Increased online visibility — Listing your hair salon on GMB can improve your online presence and visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find your business when they search for hair salons in their or your area.
  • Better search engine rankings — Google usually displays GMB hair salon listings at the top of search results, so it’s more likely that your business will appear in all relevant and related search queries. 
  • Access to customer reviews — GMB enables your salon’s customers to leave reviews about their experience, which can help you to build a positive reputation online. You can then reply to their comments, building trust and a digital community to attract new customers. 
  • Detailed business information at the click of a button — GMB allows you to provide relevant information about your salon, including where you’re located, what services you offer, your opening and closing times, availabilities and phone number. Adding these details makes it easier for potential customers to learn about your services and business before they book online or visit you in person. 

Boost your online visibility by optimising your hair salon’s GMB profile today 

If you follow the above guide carefully and implement the steps we’ve provided to improve your hair salon’s GMB page, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your visibility online. Need some advice from the experts? The team at Showpony would be happy to assist. Contact us today at marketing@showponyaus.com.au and we’ll get back to you with some advise on how to boost your hair salon’s GMB profile.