Why Google reviews matter for salons and barbershops

Online reputation is everything for local businesses. Potential customers rely heavily on previous customer reviews to make their buying decisions. For a beauty salon business, reviews on your business page are critical for potential clients to validate their decision to visit you instead of another hair salon down the street.

Word-of-mouth and personal recommendations are still common methods to get new clients. As a business owner, review sites are the digital word-of-mouth and can be a large portion of your overall salon marketing strategy. Therefore, getting positive reviews from customers is crucial.

Not only do you want to showcase your positive star ratings, but reviews matter for search engine optimization (SEO), making your business listing come up higher on organic search results.

Why do Google reviews matter?

According to a survey, 71% of potential clients say they feel more comfortable choosing a local business if it has positive reviews. Additionally, 90% of that group says they see reviews as a personal recommendations.

While there are many review sites, Google reviews are especially impactful for a salon business owner. Potential customers often rely on Google to find new businesses. When your potential clients are doing a local search for a hairstylist or a hairdresser, you want your business profile to appear at the top of their search results, and‌ reviews may be their first impression.

Salon owners want to build a positive online reputation to attract new clientele. The more stars your business has, the more comfortable potential clients will be when booking an appointment at your hair salon.

How can I get more reviews for my salon?

Online reviews are critical for any service-based industry, especially for a beauty salon business. Here are a few tips to get more reviews for your salon.

Claim your business on Google business profile

Claiming your business page on Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) allows you to respond to reviews. You also manage your business listing, including phone numbers, business name, hours of operation and address. Using your Google account, you have complete control over what parts of your business are public-facing.

Ask your customers for reviews

While this may seem obvious, many local salons don’t actively ask their customers for reviews. Prompt your clients to leave a review about their customer experience at the salon.

Some local salons have QR codes on the mirrors of each hairdresser’s station, while other salon owners send an email or SMS text after their customer has left the salon. Either way, start actively asking your customer to leave you a review after they leave your salon.

Don’t offer incentives to customers that leave reviews

Potential clients want to know that the reviews they see in their Google search are truthful and unbiased. Plus, incentivizing your customers to leave reviews through discounts or giveaways violates Google’s policies.

Google is not the only platform that prohibits incentivizing reviews. Review sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor also have regulations around paid reviews, so you want to ensure you’re not violating any agreement terms.

Share customer reviews you already have

Use your social media platforms and website to showcase the positive customer reviews you already have. As other customers see you sharing reviews, they will also be reminded to write a review.

Responding to your online reviews

Whether it’s on Yelp, Google or another review site, salon owners should respond to every review to show gratitude for their service. Once you’ve logged into your Google account or Yelp business account, you can respond to all online reviews.

People who write reviews want to know that the review is being read and appreciated. Potential clients browsing reviews also want to know that the business owner at the salon cares enough to read through reviews and respond thoughtfully.

Responding to positive reviews is essential for maintaining positive client relationships. You should respond to positive reviews to thank customers for their feedback and for taking the time to write a review.

It’s also vital to respond to negative reviews. If your business receives a negative review, it’s an opportunity to engage with that person to resolve the issue and shows other potential clients that you care about the customer experience at your salon. Sometimes a customer will even revise their review if their problem is resolved.

Increase your salon reviews with help from Broadly

Broadly is here to help you improve your local SEO, manage your online reviews and focus your energy on running your local salon. Our tools allow you to view and respond to reviews from across different social media platforms, all in one convenient place.

With additional features, you can modernize your website, share upcoming promotions with email campaigns and send appointment reminders. Let Broadly help you build a strong, long-lasting online presence and reputation.