What new clients check before they book, how Fresha, Booksy, Vagaro and Square charge, deposits, gift cards, Google booking links and a step-by-step build with AI.
Most people choosing a new salon, barber, nail bar or spa do the same few things on their phone: look at the work, check the price and how long it takes, skim the reviews and see how easy it is to book. A website that answers all of that in under a minute gets the booking. This guide covers what new clients check, how the main booking platforms charge (including new-client fees), deposits and no-show policies, gift cards, Google booking links and photo consent, then a step-by-step build with AI.
A new salon is a small risk with a personal cost, so visitors look for reassurance, roughly in this order:
Barbershops can be simpler, with walk-in times up front. Spas need more on what to expect (what to wear, when to arrive, health questions). For nail salons, the gallery does most of the selling.
Instagram is where many salons are discovered, and it makes a good portfolio but a poor price list. Nobody scrolls 300 posts to find what a gel manicure costs, and your reach depends on an algorithm you do not control.
Use Instagram for recent work, and point both the profile link and the "Book now" action button (which Instagram offers through supported booking partners) at the same booking route as your website. Use the website for what Instagram does badly: the full menu with prices and durations, policies, team pages, gift cards, and pages Google can show for searches such as "curly hair specialist Denver". A good service page brings in bookings for years; a post fades within days.
There are two routes. A dedicated booking platform runs your calendar, reminders, payments and often your till, and gives you a booking page to link to. Or you use booking built into your website builder: one login, but usually less specialised. Here is what the best-known platforms cost at the time of writing (October 2026, US prices):
| Platform | Monthly price | New-client fee | Deposits and no-show fees | Web presence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | $19.95 for one person, or $14.95 per team member | 20% of the first appointment (minimum $6), only for new clients who find you on its marketplace | Deposits or a saved card | Marketplace profile, plus Book buttons for your site, Instagram and Facebook |
| Booksy | $29.99, plus $20 per extra staff member | Only if you switch on Boost: 30% of the first visit, $10 minimum, $100 maximum | No-show protection included | Booksy Profile page and a booking widget |
| Vagaro | $30 for one calendar ($23.99 for the first six months), plus $10 per extra calendar | No booking fees on the standard marketplace listing; paid promotions are optional | Deposits and fees through Vagaro's own card processing | MySite website for $20 a month extra |
| Square Appointments | Free; Plus $49 or Premium $149 per location | None on its pricing page | Deposits on every plan; cancellation and no-show fees from Plus | Free booking site on every plan |
The new-client fee is what catches people out. On a $180 balayage, Fresha's marketplace fee would be $36 and a Boost booking on Booksy $54. Both say returning clients, and new clients who come through your own channels, are not charged. Card processing is extra everywhere: Square's online card rate, for example, is 3.3% plus 30 cents on its free plan and 2.9% plus 30 cents on Plus.
If a marketplace genuinely brings you strangers who become regulars, a one-off fee can be a fair price. Either way, put your own booking link everywhere you control (website, Instagram, Google, receipts) so people who already found you never book through the marketplace by accident.
An empty chair where a three-hour colour should be is a lost afternoon's income. The usual protections are a deposit at booking, or a saved card you can charge for a late cancellation or no-show. All four platforms above support one or both, with conditions: on Square, cancellation and no-show fees need Plus (deposits work on the free plan), and Vagaro takes deposits and fees only through its own card processing.
Whatever you use, the policy only works if clients see it before they book. Put it on the services and booking pages in plain words, and keep it proportionate, because a policy that reads as punitive puts off more new clients than it saves you:
Gift cards are often a salon's easiest online sale, especially before holidays, and the people who receive them are often new clients. Sell them on the website, not only at the desk: someone shopping at 11pm on 23 December will not phone you.
Retail products sell online too, mostly as repeat purchases by existing clients. Start with the 10 to 20 your team actually recommends, offer collection in the salon, and add delivery only if people ask.
For "near me" searches your Google Business Profile often matters as much as the site, and Google offers two ways to add booking to it:
Either way, keep the profile in step with the site: same hours and services, recent photos, replies to reviews. Our SEO tools check the on-page basics of the site itself.
Your best marketing is photos of real clients, and a photo of a recognisable person is personal data. The UK regulator, the ICO, gives the example of a small business using customer photos in a marketing campaign and says it would need their consent first. The EU's GDPR takes the same view, and everywhere else it is simply good practice.
Prices at the time of writing (October 2026), US, annual billing where the vendor offers it:
| Option | Suits | From | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking platform's own page (Square's free booking site, Booksy Profile, Fresha profile) | Solo stylists and barbers who mainly need a calendar and a link | $0 to $30 a month | Their design, often their domain; little room for your own pages and search content |
| Booking platform plus its website add-on (Vagaro MySite) | Salons settled on Vagaro that want one system | $30 plus $20 a month | The website is tied to that platform |
| General builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Design control and a large app ecosystem | Wix Core $29 (Light at $17 cannot take payments); Squarespace from $19, plus Acuity Scheduling from $16 | Generic booking tools; Squarespace scheduling is a separate Acuity subscription |
| WebNewBiz | A site, store and CRM in one place | Starter $29 (store); Growth $79 (bookings in the CRM) | Not a salon point-of-sale system; no marketplace; young platform |
Our honest view of WebNewBiz for salons. The AI drafts the whole site (pages, layout, copy) from your description, and you change it by chatting with the AI Copilot or by hand in Design Studio. From Starter the online store sells retail products and gift cards, with card, Apple Pay and Google Pay checkout. From Growth, bookings sit in the AI CRM, with site enquiries and store buyers as contacts.
What it is not: a dedicated salon system. There is no marketplace sending you new clients, no in-salon till, and fewer salon-specific booking controls than Fresha, Booksy, Vagaro or Square. It is also young, with a much smaller app ecosystem and community than Wix or Squarespace. If those things matter, keep the salon software for the calendar, till and deposits, and use the website for everything else, with every Book button pointing at the software. On WebNewBiz that needs Starter, not Growth. More in website builders with a CRM.
Domain and Search Console setup are covered in how to build a website with AI, and launch checks in the AI website checklist.
What is the best website builder for a hair salon?
It depends where your bookings live. If you already run on Fresha, Booksy, Vagaro or Square, choose a builder that puts that booking link on every page, or use the platform's own site option. If you want the website, store and client records in one place, an all-in-one builder such as WebNewBiz fits, though it is not a salon point-of-sale system.
Do I need a website if I already use Fresha or Booksy?
Not strictly, since both give you a bookable profile. A website adds what a profile cannot: your own domain, pages that can rank for your services and area, gift card and product sales on your terms, and a booking route that never passes through a marketplace that may charge a new-client fee.
How much does a salon website cost?
At the time of writing, salon booking software runs from free (Square Appointments) to about $30 a month for one person, plus card fees. A general builder that takes payments starts at around $29 a month. On WebNewBiz the first month is $1, then $29 a month with an online store or $79 with bookings in the AI CRM.
Should my salon take deposits for online bookings?
For long or high-value services such as colour, extensions or spa packages, it is worth it, because it discourages no-shows. Keep the amount proportionate, take it off the final bill, and show the policy on the services and booking pages so clients agree to it before they book.
Can clients book my salon directly from Google?
Yes, in two ways. If your booking software is a Reserve with Google partner in your country, booking can happen on your Business Profile in Search and Maps. Otherwise you can add your own booking link to the profile, although Google does not give performance data for custom links.
Can I sell gift cards on my salon website?
Yes, and it is worth doing because they sell outside opening hours. Use your booking software's gift cards or an online store, state the terms clearly, and in the US remember that federal rules generally stop gift cards expiring within five years.
Write your service menu, then describe the salon to the AI Website Builder and look at the draft it produces. Every plan is $1 for the first month with no minimum contract, so you can start for $1, link your existing booking page, and decide once you have seen it.