Website questions owners
actually ask me.
Plain answers for salon, barber, spa, lash, nail and tattoo owners: what a site should cost, why booking links break on phones, which photos you need.
By kind of studio.
Why your salon needs a better website.
What clients check before they book, what one regular is worth to you, and how much friction sits in your booking flow.
What a barbershop site needs to do.
How people choose a new barber, why Google Maps matters more than the site, and what belongs in a barbershop portfolio.
How nail studios get more bookings online.
How people search for a nail studio, why DMs make a poor booking system, and how an independent studio competes with the chains.
Tattoo studio sites that attract the serious clients.
Deposit policy upfront, artist portfolios that filter inquiries, and the inquiry form that respects both sides of the chair.
Lash & brow: why Instagram alone isn’t enough.
Where your portfolio should live, what happens when the algorithm changes, and how far lash clients will travel.
Filling a day spa’s books year‑round.
Where spa bookings start, how to fill weekday slots, selling gift cards online, and writing a treatment menu people can follow.
Med spa websites that build trust before the consult.
How patients research a med spa, how to show before‑and‑after photos, and why SEO works differently when the treatment is medical.
By question.
How much should a salon website actually cost?
Real 2026 numbers for DIY builders, freelancers, agencies and monthly plans. Plus the one question that reorders every quote you get.
Do I need a website if Instagram is working?
An honest answer, including when you don’t. What Instagram does better, where it quietly costs you, and how to tell which side you’re on.
Squarespace, Wix, or custom?
A straight comparison from someone who sells one of them. Real costs, mobile speed, booking integration, and who ends up owning the site.
How long does it take to build one?
DIY, freelancer, agency and fixed‑scope timelines, plus the five things that cause most delays.
What photos do you actually need?
The full shot list, how to get usable photos on a phone, and the one lighting rule that fixes most salon photography.
How to get your salon showing up on Google.
Start with the free thing most owners skip. Business Profile, reviews, matching details, and the website basics that decide local rankings.
Why is my salon website so slow?
The usual causes, biggest first, and a real salon site measured at 4.1 MB of code before a single photo loaded.
Does embedding Vagaro slow your site down?
What a Vagaro widget adds to your load time, why the page jumps while it loads, and how to measure it yourself.
The best booking software for salons, compared honestly
Square, GlossGenius, Vagaro, Boulevard and Acuity. Price by team size, real card fees, which ones have built-in tipping, and which fits which kind of shop.
Vagaro vs Boulevard: which books better on a phone
Both prices side by side, card fees and tipping, then each booking flow re-tested on a phone: step counts, deposits, and where each one loses people.
A Book Now button that actually works
Placement, touch targets, deep links to a specific service, and the test almost no owner has run on their own phone.
Why your Instagram bio link is leaking bookings
Your bio link opens inside Instagram’s own browser, not Safari. Here is what that breaks for booking, and how to check yours.
Why your GlossGenius link breaks on iPhone
Usually it is Instagram, not GlossGenius. The four causes, why “open in Safari” is not a fix, and how to test yours properly.
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