9 Reasons Why Your Salon Doesn’t Rank in Google
Your business relationship with Google is a lot like a friendship. When you meet someone, you most likely aren’t sharing your deepest darkest secrets with them.
Your acquaintance can build trust over time, experiences and through good communication. Observing them and their interactions with others also help to develop a bond. If everything goes well, you can build up to a friendship.
So where are you at with your Google Relationship? If Google is not showing you any love, it may be because of these 9 reasons:
1. You don’t have a Google My Business Profile (GMB)
As simple as it seems, too many salons and spas have not claimed their Google My Business page. Or worse yet, they don’t even have one at all.
Let’s be real for a moment. If you haven’t bothered to claim or create a business listing on Google, then how do you expect Google to help you?
2. You have problems with your GMB
The worst things you can do with your Google My Business page, is to leave them unclaimed, incomplete or have duplicates. So once you have access to your page, fill in as much information as possible.
The more information you can provide, the more ability Google has to show your listing. This includes but is not limited to your business name, phone number, address, website, email, business hours, services, photos, etc.
If you don’t give a darn about your Google Business Page, why would Google give a darn about promoting your business?
3. You have no online reviews
Reviews. I know. You love them, you hate them. You’re embarrassed to ask your clients for them or you’re afraid of getting negative reviews so… You don’t.
But when looking for a new business, whether it be a salon, spa, restaurant, hotel, or whatever, who do you ask first? Some may ask their friends for a recommendation. But most people will take to Google, Yelp or Facebook and read those online reviews.
If you don’t have any, it looks bad. If you have one or two, that’s better but there’s still little trust built with only a handful of reviews. Or if you receive negative reviews, those can hurt your reputation. Learn how to to respond to negative reviews.
So, there’s no way around it. You need several good reviews to do well in business these days. So buck up honey and ask your HAPPY clients for them. It’s not as bad as you think. Your happy clients want to help you succeed.
And as important as asking for that review, THANK THEM when they do it. Respond to each review. Tell them what a pleasure it was to serve them and you look forward to seeing them again. And then the next time you do see them in person, thank them again. It will go a long way.
4. Your NAP is inconsistent
NAP is techie lingo for Business NAME, ADDRESS and PHONE NUMBER. It seems like an obvious thing but you MUST put these on your website. It’s best practice to include these in the same location on every single page, the bottom footer.
Also, be sure to include it on your Contact page. Keep everything consistent and make sure it matches what you’ve put on your Google My Business Page.
NAP should also be consistent throughout the web. So any place your business information appears online, it should match. This includes your website, Google, Facebook, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc. (See example below)
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Using the example above: If your business name is “Touch of Class Salon”, all your listings should say exactly that. Don’t use variations like “Touch of Class, LLC.” Or “A Touch of Class”.
The same goes for your phone numbers, addresses and website URL’s. If you use “123 Main Street” on Google, “123 Main St” on your website, “123 Maine St.” on Facebook, it will cause you trouble.
If you want to check your NAP or business’ consistency online, check it here.
5. Your website is outdated
Imagine carrying around a phone from 2014. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. But let’s be honest, it would eventually start to present issues for you. Some of your favorite apps would stop working and the new ones, forget it. You can’t even download them.
The same goes for your website. So many things have changed in the past 5 years when it comes to the web. If you are guilty of this, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Is my website responsive or mobile friendly?
- Is my content (pictures, staff, contact information) still relevant?
- Am I able to update my website if I want to?
- Does my website start with https:// instead of http://?
- Does my design look fresh and modern?
If you answered no to any of these questions, it may be time for a website makeover.
6. You don’t have a blog
Blogging… Yuck. It can be a dreaded word for a busy business owner. But it doesn’t have to be. Many salons we work with brainstorm their posts once or twice a year.
From that meeting, they choose 6-12 topics trending in the industry. Each topic is then broken down into several subtopics and bullet lists. From there, a staff member or copywriter can pick it up and fill in the rest of the post.
You don’t need to blog every week. Some blog posts can even be about an upcoming or past event you took part in. Think outside the box and write about what you are enthusiastic about. That’s when blogging will become second nature.
7. Your website takes too long to load
How long does your website take to load? Ideally, for a mobile website, the target is 1.5 seconds or less. Ideally no more than 3 seconds max. Not sure about your site? Test your website’s speed here.
8. Your website is not optimized for search engines
What the what? How do you know if your site is search optimized or not?
Well first, who built your site? You? Then there’s a 99.9% chance it’s not optimized. Did an amateur designer (friend, family member or student) build it? They may have done a bit more of a professional job than you could have yourself. But there’s likely a lot still needing to be addressed.
Did a professional web designer build it? One thing to note is all designers, developers, marketers are not the same. The skill level and prices of services of developers can vary wildly. If you’re unsure on how you’re current site stacks up, run it through a couple of the tests below:
9. You have no incoming links
Remember, you are trying to build a relationship here. So trust is the key. If you can’t find anyone to vouch for your new acquaintance, it’s going to be a lot harder to trust them. Or if you hear people speak negatively against them, your trust may fade away.
Google puts a lot of credibility on incoming links or links pointing to your website. If ‘Website ABC’ points to a blog post on your site, Google takes note. If many sources, (especially authority or .edu sites) link to your content, Google values that input. It shows others are “friends” with you. They trust you, and over time, Google will too.
If you want to check out who’s linking to you (or to your competitors), check here.
Pro Tip: See who is directing the most traffic to your competitors and contact the site to see if they will link to you too (or instead). This may require publishing a blog post or some helpful, related information to your site.
Now, it’s your turn
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Which one of these top 9 tips for ranking your Salon’s website in Google will you try?
Leave your answers in the comments below.
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