Google Business Profile Checklist for Salons (Hair, Nails, Beauty and Barbers)

For most salons, the Google Business Profile is the first thing a new client sees. Someone searches 'nail salon near me' or 'barber open now', taps a result, scrolls the photos, checks a couple of reviews and either calls, books or moves on. Your website may never come into it.

That makes the profile worth an hour of careful setup and ten minutes a week of upkeep. This checklist is written for hair salons, nail bars, beauty salons and barbershops. Work through it in order; each section builds on the one before.

Before you start: make sure the right person has access

Only the salon owner, or someone the owner has authorised, should claim or verify the profile. If a previous manager, a former receptionist or an agency set it up years ago, get the owner added back as the primary owner before changing anything else. Our guide 'Google Business Profile Verification: A Practical 2026 Guide' walks through how ownership and verification work.

Once the owner has access, add staff as managers rather than sharing the owner's Google login. That way, if someone leaves, you remove their access in a minute instead of changing passwords everywhere.

1. Name, address and contact details

1. 1Use your real-world salon name exactly as it appears on your sign. Don't add services or locations to the name (for example 'Bloom Hair Salon – Best Balayage Downtown'). It breaks Google's guidelines and can get a profile suspended.
2. 2Enter the full street address clients actually walk into. If you work from a rented chair or suite inside another business, check Google's guidelines for practitioners before creating a separate profile.
3. 3Add a phone number that is answered during opening hours. If calls usually go to voicemail, say on the profile that booking online is the fastest route.
4. 4Match these details on your website, Instagram bio, Facebook page and any booking app. Our article 'Local Citations & NAP Consistency: The Quiet Ranking Factor' explains why that matters.

2. Categories: be precise, not greedy

Your primary category tells Google what you are. Pick the one that describes most of your work: Hair salon, Nail salon, Beauty salon, Barber shop, and so on. Then add a small number of secondary categories only for services you genuinely offer as a regular part of the business.

• A hair salon that also does regular brow and lash appointments might add a relevant beauty category.
• A barbershop that only does occasional beard trims doesn't need a separate category for that; list it as a service instead.
• Avoid adding categories just because they get more searches. Irrelevant categories can show you for searches you can't serve, which leads to wasted calls and poor reviews.

3. Services and prices

Salons have one big advantage here: clients want to know what you offer and roughly what it costs before they book. The Services section is where you answer that.

1. 1List each service clients actually book: women's cut and finish, men's cut, skin fade, root colour, full head highlights, gel manicure, acrylic infills, brow shape and tint.
2. 2Write one or two plain sentences per service: what it includes, roughly how long it takes, and who it suits.
3. 3Add a starting price where you can ('from' prices are fine). Keep them in line with your booking system and price list.
4. 4Group services under clear headings such as Cuts, Colour, Nails, Brows and Lashes, so the list is easy to scan on a phone.

4. Booking: make it one tap

If you take online bookings, add your booking link to the profile. Depending on the booking software you use, you may also be able to show a 'Book' button directly on Google through a supported booking partner; check your software's settings or help pages to see whether it offers this.

Then test it on your own phone. Search for your salon, tap the booking option and make sure it lands on the right location and a working page, not a generic homepage or an expired link.

5. Hours, including the awkward ones

• Set regular hours for every day, and mark closed days as closed.
• Add special hours for bank holidays, Christmas and New Year well in advance. Clients get annoyed when Google says you're open and the door is locked.
• If late-night appointments are by request only, don't list them as normal hours. Mention them in the description instead.

6. Photos that show the real salon

Salon clients choose with their eyes. A profile with a handful of blurry photos from years ago loses to one with clear, recent pictures, even if the work is just as good.

• Exterior: the shop front as it looks from the street, so first-time visitors recognise it.
• Interior: stations, wash area, waiting area. Natural light, tidy space.
• Your work: finished cuts, colour, nails and brows, photographed in good light. Only post photos of clients who have given permission.
• The team: friendly photos of the people clients will actually meet.
• Add a few new photos every month or so. A steady trickle keeps the profile looking current.

Don't use stock images or other salons' work. Apart from being dishonest, it sets expectations you then have to live up to in the chair.

7. The description

You have a short description box. Use it to say, in plain language, who you are, what you specialise in, where you are, and how to book. For example: 'Independent hair salon near the train station specialising in colour corrections and curly cuts. Online booking available; walk-ins welcome on weekday mornings.'

Skip the keyword lists and the claims you can't back up ('best salon in the city'). They don't persuade people, and they don't help the profile.

8. Attributes

Go through the attributes Google offers for your category and tick only the ones that are true: things like wheelchair accessibility, appointment requirements, or payment options. These answer the practical questions people ask before visiting, and they're quick to set.

9. Reviews: ask consistently, reply to all

Reviews matter a lot for salons, because a new client is trusting you with how they'll look for the next six weeks. The fix isn't a one-off push; it's a habit.

• Ask at the end of a good appointment, when the client is happy with the result. A small card or QR code at the till makes it easy.
• Never offer discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews, and never write reviews for yourself or ask friends to. Google's policies prohibit both.
• Reply to every review. A short, personal thank-you for positive ones; a calm, specific reply for negative ones.

Our posts 'How to Ask Customers for Google Reviews (Scripts Included)' and 'How to Reply to a Negative Google Review (With Examples)' give word-for-word scripts you can adapt.

10. Posts and offers

Google Business Profile posts are a simple way to show you're active: a new service, a seasonal offer, last-minute availability, or holiday opening times. One post a week or a couple a month is plenty for most salons. Use a real photo and a clear next step, such as 'Book online' or 'Call us'.

A 10-minute weekly routine

1. 1Reply to any new reviews.
2. 2Check questions and messages, if you have messaging switched on.
3. 3Add two or three new photos of recent work (with permission).
4. 4Check that hours are right for the coming week, especially around holidays.
5. 5Glance at the profile's performance view to see whether calls, bookings and direction requests are moving in the right direction.

None of this guarantees a particular ranking; nobody can promise that. What it does is make your profile accurate, trustworthy and easy to act on, which is what turns a search into a booked appointment. For a broader look, see 'Google Business Profile Optimization: 12 Things Most Businesses Miss'.

Want a second pair of eyes?

If you'd rather have someone review your salon's profile and website together, the DigitalPitch team can go through it with you and point out what to fix first. Get in touch through our contact page. We'll tell you honestly what's worth doing and what isn't.