How Do I Set Up Online Booking for My Salon?
Set up online booking by choosing salon software with integrated scheduling, configuring your services and staff availability, embedding the booking widget on your website, enabling Reserve with Google, and promoting your booking link across all channels.
Why This Matters
Plenty of salons still run on phone calls and walk-ins, which misses the 67% of customers who would rather book online. Without it you lose clients to competitors who have it, never hear the after-hours inquiries, and pay staff to answer calls a system could handle. Few things a salon can set up return as much.
Step-by-Step Guide
- 1
Choose salon booking software
Pick salon booking software that covers online booking, the calendar and automated reminders. Daisy does AI-powered booking with no transaction fees, from $1/month, plus $50 once you pass 5 appointments in a month. - 2
Configure your services and pricing
Add every service with an accurate description, duration and price, grouped into categories such as hair, nails and skin so people can find things. - 3
Set up staff availability
Set each person's working hours, breaks and which services they do. Customers then only ever see slots that genuinely exist. - 4
Customize your booking page
Add your logo, colours and photos. White-labelled, the booking page carries your brand rather than somebody else's platform. - 5
Add booking to your website and social media
Put the widget on your website, add a "Book Now" button to Instagram and Facebook, and switch on Reserve with Google so people can book from search. - 6
Set up payment and cancellation policies
Decide on deposits, prepayment and your cancellation policy. These three settings do most of the work against no-shows.
How Does Daisy Help?
Daisy makes online booking setup effortless: configure your services and staff, customize your booking page with your branding, and go live in under a day. As a full salon management platform, it includes AI-powered scheduling that optimizes appointments, automated reminders that reduce no-shows, and a 24/7 AI receptionist that handles inquiries even when you're busy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to set up online booking?
On a modern platform it takes 1-2 hours: add the services, set the staff schedules, apply your branding and share the link.
Do I need a website to accept online bookings?
No. Daisy gives you a booking page you can share as a link, a QR code or a social post. A website helps, but you can start without one.
How much does online booking software cost for salons?
Most salon management platforms include it. Daisy starts at $1/month, plus $50 once you pass 5 appointments in a month, with nothing added per booking, where some platforms charge $1-3 a booking, which mounts up quickly.
Can clients book through Instagram or Google?
Yes. Google Reserve lets people book straight from search results, and you can put "Book Now" links on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and anywhere else you post.
Will online booking work with my current website?
Yes. Most systems give you an embeddable widget or iframe that works on WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or a custom site.
How do I handle walk-ins alongside online bookings?
Daisy handles both. A walk-in goes onto the live calendar immediately and online availability updates with it, so nothing gets double-booked.