Boulevard Blog

Salon • Best Practice

What Should Your Hair Salon Website Design Include?

A hairstylist smiles while washing a client's hair at a salon sink, with shampoo and conditioner bottles lined up nearby.

Your hair salon’s website only supports the business if visitors can find services and book appointments without friction. Effective hair salon website design gives prospective clients enough information to decide whether your business is right for them, then makes the next step easy. And it demonstrates your salon’s personality through photography and branding.

This guide covers the features that turn website visitors into booked clients, and the design choices that make a salon site easier to use. We’ll also explain how online booking software like Boulevard can connect your website to your salon calendar.

How Does a Hair Salon Website Convert Clients?

A hair salon website can convert visitors into clients by making the path to booking feel simple and obvious. Potential clients should be able to tell quickly whether your salon offers what they need and if they’ll feel comfortable there.

Visitors also need practical information upfront, including details on services, pricing, location, and availability. The faster people can answer those questions by exploring your website, the easier it is for them to move from browsing to booking. The key features that make this happen are self-booking tools, clear service information, galleries or portfolios, stylist bios, and contact and location details.

5 Pages and Features Every Hair Salon Website Needs

Focus on these five essentials to answer the questions clients have before they book and remove friction from the process.

1. Online Booking

Make it easy for clients to schedule while they’re already on your site. A clear, easy-to-use self-booking tool shows clients what times are available and lets them reserve a slot immediately, without having to call in or send a message.

2. Services and Pricing

Clients shouldn’t have to guess what a service includes or how much it will cost. Share your salon’s service menu on your website, and offer some details about how each option works and why it benefits clients. Clear pricing information is also essential, although for variable pricing, you can use “starting at” costs or explain when and why a consultation is needed.

3. Portfolios and Galleries

Salon services are very visual, so showing your hairstylists’ work on your website can do a lot of the selling for you. Creating organized, stylish portfolios and galleries offers proof of results and helps potential clients feel more confident about booking. Use recent photos that reflect the services your salon is best at and the clients you want to attract.

4. Stylist Bios

Choosing a stylist can be intimidating, especially for a first-time client who’s not familiar with your team yet. You can make this part of the experience easier by providing short bios that highlight your providers' experience and specialties. It’s also a good idea to add photos and examples of their work, and link each profile to that stylist’s availability or calendar.

5. Contact and Location Details

Don't bury essential information; make your salon’s address, hours, and phone numbers easy to find on desktop and mobile. Include a map if possible, along with notes about parking or accessibility for first-time visitors.

Web Design Principles That Keep Visitors on the Page

Once you've covered the basics, the next step is making your salon’s website easy to use. Let’s look at some key design principles you can use to keep people on the site and convince them to convert.

Use a Mobile-First Layout

The best salon websites are designed with mobile users in mind, since many clients will find your business and book services on their phones. Make sure:

  • All buttons are easy to tap on small screens.

  • Text is readable without zooming.

  • Navigation lets visitors move from the homepage to the booking screen easily.

  • Large images are compressed so they don’t slow down page speeds.

To gauge the mobile experience, test the site using the same steps a client would. Start on the homepage, and see how quickly you can get from browsing to an actual booking. If possible, have friends or colleagues who are less familiar with your business try too, as this often reveals unexpected points of friction.

Match the Website to Your Brand

Your website should give potential clients a feel for your salon before they ever walk through the door. Start with a homepage that quickly shows visitors what kind of experience the salon offers and how they can book. Keep the hero section (the top area that’s visible before people scroll down) simple, giving just enough information to orient potential clients without overwhelming them.

From there, let the visuals reflect your salon’s focus and values. If you own a minimalist salon, lean on clean fonts and white space. For a fashion-forward space, you might go bolder with both color and photography.

Whatever your style might be, carry the same look and feel across service pages, stylist profiles, contact forms, and the booking experience. This makes your salon memorable and helps your website feel like one brand from start to finish.

Offer Plenty of Social Proof

Positive reviews are great ways to build reputation and convince potential clients to give your salon a try. It’s easier for them to trust the words of real, satisfied clients than marketing copy. The strongest reviews are specific: the client had a great consultation, their provider really understood curly hair, or their color came out exactly right.

Recent client photos can back up what those reviews say. Then place the testimonials where people are already deciding whether to book, like on your website’s homepage or service page.

Where to Find Inspiration for Your Salon Website

If you don’t know where to start when building your site, you can look to web design resources for visual inspiration. You can also browse other hair salon website examples to get ideas and see how they handle navigation, service menus, portfolios, and booking buttons.

Save the ideas that fit your salon, and combine them into something unique rather than copying one design. You might borrow a stylist profile layout from one salon website example and a navigation setup from another, then adapt both elements to fit your brand and clientele.

How Boulevard Powers the Booking Experience Behind Your Website

Your website and salon software each play a key role in the client journey. The site lets you show off your brand, services, team, and results. When your hair salon website is designed well, it attracts potential clients and convinces them to convert.

Once someone clicks on your “book now” button, a salon management platform like Boulevard can take care of scheduling. Boulevard’s online booking overlay works with your existing salon website, so clients can see available times and schedule appointments without leaving the page.

Learn more about how Boulevard’s Salon Software makes it easy for website visitors to become booked clients.

FAQ

How Much Does a Hair Salon Website Cost?

Platform and customization choices affect how much it costs to build a salon website. It also matters whether you create the site yourself or contract out to professionals. DIY website builders can cost anywhere from $0 to $45 per month, depending on the features you want and the size of your team. Freelancers often charge between $500 to $2,500, and agencies can cost $5,000 or more.

Should a Salon Build Its Own Website or Use a Booking Page?

To attract and convert potential clients, you’ll want a dedicated salon website rather than just a booking page. Your site helps bring people in through SEO and introduce them to your brand, while connected self-booking tools take care of scheduling.

How Often Should a Salon Update Its Website Photos?

Old portfolio photos can make an otherwise polished salon site feel dated. Review your online gallery every few months, and remove anything that no longer reflects your brand, team, services, or current work. And add fresh images throughout the year, especially when you want to highlight a service or style you’d like to book more often.

Does a Hair Salon Website Need a Blog?

A blog isn’t essential for converting visitors if your salon site already has clear service pages, stylist bios, location information, and online booking tools. But a quality blog can give your salon a boost in search results, especially when people are looking for local services or answers to specific hair questions.

Does Boulevard Build Hair Salon Websites?

No, Boulevard doesn’t build hair salon websites. Instead, this salon management platform offers an online booking overlay that integrates with your existing site, so clients can schedule appointments easily without leaving the page.

Shanalie Wijesinghe

Shanalie Wijesinghe

Content Strategy Director

Shanalie Wijesinghe is the Content Strategy Director at Boulevard. She lends her industry and platform expertise to both in-house staff and partner salons and spas. A salon industry veteran with more than 15 years of experience working for high-end luxury salons such as Sally Hershberger and BENJAMIN, Shanalie was previously Director of Education for Boulevard and blends her knowledge of the beauty and technology industries to help put the company’s partners and employees on the path to success. A Bay Area native and first-generation immigrant, Shanalie is a graduate of the Paul Mitchell School specializing in cosmetology, styling, and nail instruction.

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