Websites for Hair Salons: From the Price List to Online Booking

Isn't Instagram enough? Why salons need their own website

Instagram is a powerful shop window for hairdressers — but a rented one. The algorithm decides who sees your posts, appointment requests drown in the message flood, and if the account gets suspended, your reach is gone overnight. On top of that: people looking for a new hairdresser google first. "Hairdresser near me", "balayage + city", "men's haircut without appointment" — your Instagram profile rarely ranks high for these searches.

Your own website is the space you control: it ranks on Google for your city, answers the three key customer questions — What does it cost? Who cuts? When is a slot free? — and turns searchers directly into booked appointments. Instagram remains useful, but as a feeder: the link in the bio leads to the website, and that is where people book.

Showing your price list online: required in the salon, an advantage on the web

Inside the salon, German law is clear: under § 12 of the Price Indication Ordinance (PAngV), hairdressers must display a price list for their essential services — in the salon and, if there is one, in the shop window. There is no general obligation to publish a price list on your website. But as soon as you state prices there, they must be final prices including VAT.

Legal questions aside, almost everything speaks for showing prices online. Missing prices are one of the most common reasons prospects bounce — someone who doesn't know whether a haircut costs 25 or 85 euros often won't call at all. A clear price list also pre-qualifies: the customers who come already know and accept your prices. For highly individual services like colour or extensions, "from" prices with a note about a short consultation work well.

What belongs on a salon website

A hairdresser's website doesn't need twenty pages. What matters is that the content answers the questions new customers actually ask — and that everything works on a smartphone, because that is where most searches happen.

• Services with prices: clearly grouped by women, men, colour, styling — no PDF file, but directly readable
• Gallery with real work: before-and-after shots, cuts and colours from your salon — your own photos beat any stock image
• Team page with photos and specialities: customers book people, not companies — "your colour specialist" builds trust
• Opening hours, address, directions and parking — clearly visible, not buried in the small print
• A booking button on every page: "Book appointment" must always be reachable without scrolling and searching
• Legal notice (Impressum) and privacy policy: mandatory for every business website in Germany — missing details can trigger legal warnings

Online booking: the biggest lever for daily salon life

No other website element changes a salon's daily routine as noticeably as online booking. The obvious benefit: customers book when it suits them — in the evening on the sofa, on Sundays, during their lunch break. Exactly when the salon is closed or nobody can pick up the phone. Every appointment booked online is one call fewer pulling a team member away from the customer in the chair.

The second effect is often underestimated: fewer missed appointments. Good booking systems send automatic reminders by email or SMS — and someone who booked themselves can also reschedule themselves instead of simply not showing up. For notorious no-shows, deposits or stored payment details help with time-intensive appointments like balayage or bridal styling. Important when choosing a system: customer data, appointment history and colour formulas are sensitive data — the system should be GDPR-compliant, offer a data processing agreement and ideally host in the EU.

Booking portal or your own system: the commission question

There are two routes to online booking. Route one: marketplaces like Treatwell or Planity. They bring visibility because customers actively search for salons there — but they charge for it. With Treatwell, on top of the monthly fee of around 39 euros, up to 35 percent commission applies to a new customer's first booking via the marketplace. And the customer relationship runs through the platform — your customers have to register there.

Route two: your own booking system, embedded in your website. Salon software like Shore, Salonkee or studiolution costs roughly 49 to 70 euros per month depending on scope — no commission, full control over customer data and calendar. For most salons the combination makes sense: your own website with commission-free booking as the foundation, portals at most as an additional channel for new customers. If you want everything from one provider: in our website subscription, online booking can be added as a module for €149 per month — including setup and maintenance.

Getting found locally: Google Business Profile and website as a duo

Searching for a hairdresser is almost always local. For "hairdresser + city", Google shows the map with three highlighted salons above the regular results — that is where most clicks go. To appear there, you need a fully maintained, free Google Business Profile: the right category ("hair salon"), opening hours, your own photos, services — and above all reviews. Ask satisfied customers right after their appointment; a QR code at the till makes it easy.

The website handles the second part: it links the Business Profile, names your city and services in the page title ("Hairdresser Musterstadt — Salon Example") and thereby also captures the organic results. Profile and website reinforce each other — Google cross-checks the data, customers check both. A salon with a well-kept profile, good reviews and a website with online booking covers the whole journey: get found, convince, book.

What does a hair salon website cost?

The range is wide. Website builders start at 10 to 30 euros per month — plus your evenings and weekends for setup, copy and maintenance. Agencies often charge 2,000 to 6,000 euros one-off for a salon website with booking function, with ongoing maintenance on top. Salon software sometimes includes simple profile pages — but these rarely replace a full website that ranks on Google.

The third route is the subscription model: professional creation, hosting, maintenance and updates for a fixed monthly price, without a large upfront investment. With us that starts at €79 per month, with online booking available as an add-on module. Which route fits depends on time, budget and ambition — what counts is that the website ends up bringing appointments rather than just "being there". Do the honest maths: two additional new customers per month typically pay for a website subscription.