The 7 Deadly Sins Beauty Professionals Make With Their Websites
A beautiful, functional, and thoughtful website can be a huge asset to your business. People go to websites to get more information, book appointments, and get a feel for what the overall culture and vibe of a business is. After designing websites in the spa and beauty industry since 2016, I can confidently tell you that these are the most common website mistakes I see being made.
Not Having A Website
Your Instagram feed or booking link doesn’t cut it! In the world of social media and online booking apps, it may seem like those platforms could replace the need for a website but by not having one you miss out on so many opportunities. For one, having a website legitimizes you as a business and builds trust with you and potential clients. Websites also allow you to take full advantage of online marketing. If you want to run a Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok ad, where will people go when they click on the ad? By having a website you can create endless landing pages for different ads and offers thus maximizing the potential of those paid ads. Lastly, people still use Google! When is the last time you searched for a business or product in Google? With a website, you now have the ability to improve your ranking every day by providing an optimal website experience for your clients and customers.
2. Hard To Find Contact Information
It’s hard to count how many times I’ve been to a beauty professional’s website, whether they were my client or I was trying to become theirs, and I couldn’t find their phone number or email! I would go through each page scrolling and hoping I was just somehow missing something. Your contact info should be in AT LEAST two of these three places:
The header
The footer
On a contact page that linked in the main navigation
Brow To Toe is an example of a website I designed that has the contact info in all three of those places.
If you are worried about putting your business’s phone number out there and missing calls or having to listen to voicemails, Squarespace has made it really easy to link your phone number to an SMS functionality. You can also clarify on your website that you prefer texts due to the fact that you’re in the treatment room most business hours. Hello Sugar is a great client example of this functionality since they are a text-only business. You can see that when you click on any of the phone numbers listed throughout the site it automatically pulls up your text messaging app. If you want customers and clients, make it easy for them to contact you!
3. Not Having Online Booking
Speaking of making it easy for clients to contact you…make it easy for them to book with you too! In order to survive in this digital age, making your business as convenient as possible for people to interact with is key to getting new clients. Having a good online booking platform means people can book with you 24/7 and don’t have to wait till business hours to make an appointment. This saves them time AND saves you time.
4. Poor Call-To-Actions
Think of your website as a maze. At the end of the maze is a booked appointment but in order to get there, you need to help people find their way. When someone lands on the homepage of your beauty website what should they do next? If your business is specialized and straightforward, maybe directly on the homepage is a button that says, “Book Now”. But let’s say you offer a variety of services or your business has a unique way of doing things and you want to educate potential clients before they immediately book a service. Examples of call-to-action might be, “See Services”, “See How It Works”, “Start Here”, or “Choose A Service”. Having clear call-to-actions helps guide potential clients to where you eventually want them - in your treatment room!
5. Not Mobile-Friendly and Overall Bad Design
It’s amazing that I still come across websites that aren’t mobile compatible in the year 2021 given that mobile traffic surpassed and now far exceeds desktop traffic. If a potential client can’t easily interact with your website on his or her phone it’s all too easy for them to just move on to the next business. You never want people to associate your business with frustration.
Bad design can be a huge turn-off to people especially when they are looking to book a beauty service! They want to trust the person they are entrusting their hair, skin, brows, or makeup to has good taste. A site that looks cheap or homemade can be the difference between someone who chooses you or someone else. All of our Squarespace website templates are carefully designed to look beautiful and be functional on both a desktop and mobile device so you can be sure your potential clients are getting the best possible website experience.
6. Poor Image Sourcing
If people knew how much time I spend sourcing high-quality images when designing these templates they would be absolutely shocked! Humans are extremely visual beings and good photos can make or break your website. For instance, you probably have a different reaction looking at these two photos:
This photo looks very “stocky”, outdated, and overly edited. Although the intent of this photo is meant to give off a luxurious vibe it almost has the opposite effect.
This one comes across as a lot more high-end and natural. Even though it’s still highly edited, it doesn’t look as curated and staged as the first one.
Stock photos can be really helpful when designing a website, brochures, or social media post and if you want to check out my favorite stock photo sites, read this article where I spill all my favorite sites, photographers, and collections. Although stock photos are available to us and are an affordable option, my vote still stands that the absolute best way to get photos to use for your website, social media, and other platforms is to hire and photographer and do your own photoshoot! My clients Tiffany and Michelle are great examples of how a brand photoshoot can completely elevate a website. To me, they are more personal and professional-looking. They also give potential clients a peek into your space, therefore, building that trust before even walking through your door.
7. Vague Treatment Descriptions
When it comes to descriptions of the skincare, beauty, hair, or spa services you offer the Goldilocks Principal does come into play. Too much information can overwhelm or bore website visitors but too little can cause confusion and distrust. Also, keep in mind you are writing these descriptions for the everyday person, not someone who graduated esthetician or cosmetology school so keep technical language at bay. A good litmus test to see if your descriptions make sense and sound compelling is to ask your spouse or friend, “Does this make sense to you? Would you want to book this treatment? Please be honest.”
Here are some service description do’s and don’t:
Include what specific skin types, conditions, and concerns this treatment would benefit.
Use result-based language when writing the descriptions. How will this treatment make them feel? How does the treatment work? What results can the client expect?
Include the price and estimated time of the service. Some estheticians or salon owners don’t like having prices on their website but the convenience and transparency for your clients outweigh any risks in my opinion.
Include an interesting fact that people may not know like “75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated which can have a disastrous effect on the skin. With Microcurrent we can help…”
Don’t be hyperbolic. People nowadays are very savvy and sensitive to being marketed to. Being honest about the commitment that is required of the client to get or maintain results, and not overselling can actually be a trust builder between you and a potential client.
Don’t just list off the steps and ingredients used in the treatment.
Don’t use a generic description given to you by the machine retailer or product wholesaler. Usually, those descriptions are too technical or bland.
By addressing these seven mistakes you are that much closer to having a website that is continually bringing in new clients and customers on a weekly if not daily basis. Feel free to check out our templates to get started on a site that you’re proud of!
