Your salon's website, when done right, can be an incredible place to introduce yourself, bring in bookings, and promote your business all over the place. But many websites are just kinda sitting there, never get updated, and are missing some CRUCIAL things that can give you a huge leg up!

In this video and blog post, I’m sharing 5 things that your beauty business website absolutely must have if you want to convert more people into paying clients when they visit your website. This works for any kind of beauty business, whether you’re a hairdresser, esthetician, makeup artist, lash or brow artist, nail tech, or spray tanner.

Your website is really the core of your online presence… it’s how you get found, it tells your story, and it’s where people will go to research you. It gives you a professional edge. Of course, social media is important, but it’s not enough. So here’s how to make a website that wows and converts.

Secret #1: Have an “About me” page

So many beauty businesses are completely hiding from their websites. And I get it! Showing your face, and sharing your story is scary! It makes us feel vulnerable. But it’s so important to show the real you - that’s why clients choose you.

The number one reason why your ideal and loyal clients keep coming back and stick with you through thick and thin is your personality. So be sure to make that shine through on your website! Not only through sharing photos of yourself and injecting your personality into your website, but by having a single page just devoted to you, and sharing your story.

On this “About me” page, share a few photos of yourself, and maybe some photos of your salon and your favourite client work you’ve done. Also include a quick bio of yourself, because yes, clients do want to know the story of you as a business owner! You can talk about your education and expertise, but don’t forget to put in a few fun details about your life, too!

Your “About me” page will be one of the most-visited pages you have, and your website visitors will instantly feel the trust, understanding, and connection with you that will make them want to become your client.

Secret #2: Include reviews

Social proof is the most powerful form of marketing you can get, because you’re not doing the heavy lifting of selling yourself; you’re letting your clients people vouch for you publicly. Part of social proof is showing photos of your work on clients But it’s not just showing, it’s also hearing what clients thought of the full experience. That’s why reviews are so powerful!

In fact, most people will want to read several reviews of a business before deciding to visit them. So don’t make potential clients go searching on Google, Yelp, and Facebook to find reviews. Put them front and center on your website so they’re easy to find!

We read reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp all the time for businesses. Make that shine through on your website! It will do a huge job of selling for you, if someone is undecided.

To share reviews, you can take screen shots of your social reviews and put them in a gallery on your site, or you can copy/paste text from DMs or emails and share them - with clients’ permission of course.

Put these reviews on their own page or on your “About” page, and your visitors will have such a full, rich picture of just why your clients love you. They’ll want to check you out, too!

Secret #3: Collect emails

95% of people who visit your website won’t book with you or buy anything… But you don’t have to lose them!

In fact, you can keep in touch with them and eventually turn them into paying clients by doing something simple: Collect their email addresses!

As most people won’t just give you their email address for nothing, you’ll want to ask for it in return for something irresistible. This could be a promo code for first time clients, or an invite join your beauty club with exclusive offer, or download a digital freebie like a “How to style your bangs at home” guide.

Once you’ve collected your visitors’ emails, connect with them through regular emails, nurture them, tell your story, and once in a while promote and sell your services, too!

Click here for more ideas about what to send in your emails to clients.

To collect email addresses on your website, I like the Sumo.com popup, or website makers usually have a popup. I have hundreds of new email subscribers each month from a simple website popup. They actually work very well!

Secret #4: No stock images (just your own photos)

I’m sorry to say it, but stock images look fake and make you look inauthentic. You know, those free or paid photos your downloaded from the internet? And then you stuck them on your website, hoping people will think you took those photos? Guess what… they know you didn’t take them. And they’re hurting your brand as a beauty business.

Here’s what most people will think: If your work is so great, why do you need to download photos of hair, nails, makeup, or brows off the internet?

Because like I said, people can tell when they’re stock photos. And while occasional stock photos do have their place (I use them in my blogs for example), I recommend that whenever possible you use your own photos, even if they aren’t perfect.

Start with what you have, then work on getting better photos. When you’re ready to, you can hire a professional photographer for headshots and photos in your salon.

Click here for my tips for getting personal branding photos done.

Alternatively, if you’re on a budget, you can still get some great photos on your own. I love the idea of setting up a photoshoot day! You can totally DIY this, with an iPhone, a shot list, and some organizing on your part.

Click here for a guide on taking your own gorgeous salon photos.

By sipping the stock photos, and using your own photos, your website will look more personal, genuine, and you’ll be more trustworthy to your visitors.

Secret #5: Have a menu with pricing

I’m sure most of us know this by now, but in case it needed to be repeated: Don’t hide your pricing, even if it’s a range -- it will be an instant turnoff if we don’t know how much you’re charging.

Transparent pricing is so important to building trust. If they are your ideal clients, they will be okay with it!

One of the most important pages you can have is a menu of services or treatments. Have a menu page with photos, examples, and attractive descriptions of what your treatments or services are.

For example, for brow lamination, instead of saying it’s a semi permanent way to straighten and shape your eyebrows. Say: Get fluffy, fuller eyebrows with just your natural brows. They’re fuller than you think! Lasts 6-8 weeks and gives you that bold brow look you’re after by relaxing your brow hairs and putting them right into place.

See how the emphasis is on benefits of the treatment instead of features? Use that as a guide when writing all of your service menu, and clients will be instantly attracting to it.