Google Business Profile for salons: booking links and services

Which Google fields should a salon use for services and bookings?

Use the profile category to identify the business, Services to describe what customers can receive, attributes to state available details, and links to send a customer to a menu or booking flow. The right combination depends on whether the salon is walk-in-first, appointment-led, or mixed.¹²³⁴

How should a salon choose its Google category?

Choose the most specific category from Google's list that describes the salon's main business. Google gives Salon versus Nail salon as its example: use the specific option when it is available, and use a general category only when the needed specific option is not available. Google does not allow a custom category.¹

The category should answer “What is this business?” rather than “What does this business have?” Do not add a category for every treatment, product, amenity, or nearby business. Use as few categories as possible while representing the salon's core business; a more specific category can already include broader categories behind the scenes.²

To edit it, open Business Profile → Edit profile → Business category → Edit. Enter the primary category, select an option returned by Google, use Add another category only for another truthful business category, and select Save.¹

How should a salon show its complete service menu?

Open the profile and select Edit services. Select the suggested services that match the salon, or choose Edit services → Add more services → Add custom service when the needed service is not listed. Open a service to add its description and price, then select Save. Group different types of work into service categories when that makes the menu easier to use.³

Do not put a price or phone number in a custom service name. Google says custom services that violate policy are automatically rejected and custom service names should avoid profanity, gibberish, personal information, prices, and phone numbers.³

Google describes a service-business menu as the complete set of services available at the business. A salon's public menu should therefore represent the services customers can actually receive, not only its popular treatments. A menu URL cannot be a direct link to a third-party ordering or delivery service.²

Google's local links guidance allows one menu or service-list link on a Business Profile. Add that link when a customer needs a fuller menu than the Services editor provides, and keep the destination current.⁴

Which booking link should an appointment-led salon add?

If the salon uses a booking provider, open Business Profile → Bookings → Get started, select the provider, and select Done. Google says booking providers show on the profile within a week. If the salon has no provider, Google points businesses to providers available through Reserve with Google and also allows the salon to add its own link.⁵

If more than one booking link is available, set the one customers should use first as Business preferred. Google allows up to 10 links in each local-link category, including booking, while the menu or service-list link remains a separate single-link field.⁴

Treat a custom booking URL differently from a provider connection when measuring results. Google says performance data is not available for custom booking links; its documented booking-performance check is through Reserve with Google.⁵

Some booking links can appear automatically from third-party partners or Google's automated data. If a partner link is wrong or unwanted, use Google's Remove Provider path or request its removal from the provider; Google says providers need to remove third-party links within 5 days of receiving a removal request.⁴

What should a walk-in salon show instead of a booking link?

A walk-in-first salon should make its service list easy to inspect, use a menu or service-list link when the full list needs another page, and set only the attributes that describe the actual visit. It should not send a customer to a booking calendar that does not reflect how the salon accepts customers.²⁴⁶

If some services require appointments and others do not, use the mixed model: keep the full menu in Services, then send appointment customers to the booking flow and everyone else to the service information. Do not use Google's restaurant-only waitlist feature as a salon booking path. Google says that feature requires an eligible third-party provider and is available only to restaurant businesses.⁵

Which salon attributes should be set on Google?

Add attributes that help a customer understand the visit, such as the available amenities or payment details shown in the profile's own attribute list. Google says attributes can appear on Search, Maps, and other Google surfaces, and some may make the business show up in searches for places with those attributes.⁶

To edit an available attribute, open Business Profile → Edit profile → More, open the relevant attribute category, choose Yes or No, and select Save. Some attributes can be populated from customer input rather than edited directly. Google says review usually takes about 10 minutes but can take up to 30 days. Some attributes are available only in certain locations, countries, or business categories, and attribute names may change over time.⁶