Every day, salon owners lose bookings simply because they don’t appear in the top three results on Google Maps. When someone searches “hair salon near me” or “nail salon open now,” Google shows a small set of businesses, and those listings get most of the clicks and calls.

The good news: ranking higher on Google Maps isn’t about complicated SEO. It’s about doing a few specific things consistently, and this guide will show you exactly what they are.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• How Google Maps rankings actually work
• The 3 factors that decide who shows up first
• 10 proven strategies salons can apply immediately
• A simple checklist to help you take action faster

If you stick with us until the end, we have a free downloadable Google Maps Ranking Checklist you can start using right away.

Quick Answer: How to Rank Higher on Google Maps

To rank higher on Google Maps, salons need to fully optimize their Google Business Profile, choose the right business category, collect fresh reviews regularly, upload photos and updates consistently, and make sure their website supports local SEO with accurate location information. Businesses that stay active and maintain consistent engagement signals are more likely to appear in the top 3 map results.

Why Ranking on Google Maps Matters for Your Salon

Before we talk about how to rank, let's talk about why it matters so much.

When someone decides they want a haircut, a set of nails, or a facial, they don't usually go straight to a business they already know. They pull out their phone, open Google, and type something like balayage salon near me or best lash extensions in New York. 

What they see next is a small map with three business listings. That section is called the Google Map Pack, and it's one of the most valuable spaces on the internet for a local business like yours.

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Backlinko reports that 42% of searchers click results inside the Google Maps Pack, meaning nearly half of local search traffic goes to those top listings.

If your salon isn't in those three spots, you're invisible to almost half of your potential clients before they even get a chance to discover you.

The 3 Things Google Looks At (And What You Can Actually Control)

Google uses three main factors to decide which businesses appear in the Map Pack. These same factors are also the foundation of local SEO rankings for salons, so getting them right helps your business show up both in Google Maps and regular search results.

1. Relevance: Does Your Business Match What People Are Searching For?

This is Google asking: Is this salon actually what this person wants?

If someone searches "nail salon" but your business profile is categorized as a "hair salon," Google may skip you even if you offer nail services. The more precisely your profile matches what people are searching for, the more relevant Google considers you to be.

For example:
Two salons sit in the same neighborhood. One lists only “Hair Salon.” The other lists specific services such as balayage, highlights, color correction, and blowouts as services. When someone searches “balayage near me,” Google will almost always favor the second one.

2. Proximity: How Close Are You to the Person Searching?

Google wants to show people businesses that are convenient for them. It uses the searcher's location at the moment they search to figure out which salons are nearby.

You can't move your salon, so you can't fully control this one. But you can make sure your address is listed correctly, and you can extend your reach by adding service areas to your profile (more on this in the next section).

3. Prominence: How Trusted and Well-Known Is Your Business?

This is the factor you have the most control over, and it's the most important one to focus on.

Prominence is Google's measure of how credible and established your business is. It looks at things like how many reviews you have and how recent they are, your average star rating, whether your business information is consistent across the web, how active your profile is, and whether your website mentions your location and services. These are the same signals that influence how Google ranks salons in search, which is why consistency matters so much.

Think of prominence like your reputation in the neighborhood. The stronger it is, the more Google trusts you, and the higher you appear.

10 Proven Strategies to Rank Higher on Google Maps for Your Salon

The strategies below break this down step by step so you know exactly what to focus on first.

1. Claim and Fully Complete Your Google Business Profile

This is where everything starts. Your GBP is the single most important asset for your Google Maps ranking. A half-filled profile tells Google your business is not ready to be recommended. Go through every section and fill it in completely: 

• business name
• address
• phone
• website
• hours
• services
• photos

The more complete your profile, the more confident Google is in showing it to people nearby.

Action step: Log in at business.google.com. If you have not claimed your listing yet, do that first. Then go to Edit Profile and work through every section until nothing is left blank.

2. Choose the Right Business Category

Your primary category tells Google what type of business you are and determines which searches you are eligible to appear in. This is one of the most impactful settings in your entire profile.

If you run a hair salon, select Hair Salon. If you do nails, select Nail Salon. One common mistake we see is salons picking broad categories like “Beauty Salon,” which makes it harder for Google to understand what they specialize in.

You can also add secondary categories for other services you offer. For example, a salon that does hair and lashes could use Hair Salon as the primary and Eyelash Salon as a secondary.

Action step: Go to Edit Profile -> Business Category. Pick the most specific primary category for your main service. Add secondary categories for everything else you offer.

3. Add Every Service You Offer (and Be Specific)

When someone searches "gel manicure near me" or "balayage salon in San Diego," Google checks the services listed on nearby profiles. The more detailed your service list is, the more searches you become eligible for.

Instead of:

• Hair Color

Use:

• balayage
• highlights
• color correction
• root touch-up

Every service you add is another opportunity to appear in a search.

Action step: Go to Edit Profile -> Services. Add each service individually with at least one sentence describing it.

4. Get More Google Reviews (and Keep Them Coming)

Reviews are one of the strongest local SEO ranking signals on Google Maps. BrightLocal's 2024 Consumer Review Survey reports that 98% of consumers say online reviews influence their decision when choosing a local service. Google looks at how many reviews you have, how recent they are, and what your average rating is.

The best time to ask is right after a great appointment. Salons that steadily ask for reviews after appointments usually see faster ranking improvements than those asking randomly.

Keep it simple: "If you ever have a second, a Google review really helps people find us." Hand them a QR code card that takes them directly to your review page.

Example of a good review:

❌ “Great salon!”
✔️ “Got a balayage here and loved the result.”

Respond to every review, positive or negative. It shows Google and future clients that you are present and care about your people.

Action step: Get your review link from your GBP dashboard under "Get more reviews." Print QR code cards and keep them at your station.

5. Upload Fresh Photos Regularly

Google ranks businesses with more photos higher in local results. But it is not just about having photos. According to Google's own data, profiles with photos receive 42% more direction requests and 35% more website clicks than those without.

Adding new ones regularly tells Google that your business is active. Aim for three to four new photos per month. It can be your work, your space, your team, and clients who have given you permission to share. Profiles that upload photos regularly often outperform salons that upload everything once and then stop updating.

Action step: Take a photo after any appointment you are proud of and upload a small batch to your GBP at the end of each week.

6. Post Regular Updates on Your Profile

Google Business Profile lets you publish Posts, short updates that appear directly on your listing when someone finds you on Maps or Search. Salons that post regularly signal to Google that they are active, which positively influences rankings.

Use Posts to share seasonal promotions, new services, limited availability alerts, or a quick before-and-after. You do not need to overthink it. A photo with two sentences and a call to action is enough.

Action step: Post at least twice a month. Set a recurring calendar reminder so it becomes a habit rather than something you get around to eventually.

7. Keep Your Business Information Consistent Everywhere

This is called NAP consistency: your Name, Address, and Phone number need to be written exactly the same way across every platform where your salon is listed.

If your Google profile says "The Luxe Salon" but your Yelp page says "Luxe Salon LLC" and your Instagram bio says "Luxe Hair and Beauty," Google sees those as three separate businesses. That inconsistency weakens your ranking.

Go through Google, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, StyleSeat, Vagaro, and any local directories. Make every listing match exactly.

Action step: Do a quick search for your salon name online. Look at every listing that comes up and update any that have a different name, address, or phone number.

8. Build Local Citations and Get Listed in Directories

A local citation is any mention of your business name, address, and phone number on another website. Think Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, StyleSeat, Vagaro, the local Chamber of Commerce website, or any neighborhood business directory.

The more places your salon is accurately listed, the more signals Google receives that your business is real, established, and trustworthy. This directly contributes to your prominence score, which is one of the three core ranking factors.

Action step: Make sure you are listed on at least the major platforms: Google, Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Facebook, and any booking platforms you use. Each listing should have the same name, address, and phone number.

9. Optimize Your Website for Local SEO & Mobile Search

Your website and your Google Business Profile work together. A location-focused website strengthens your Maps ranking while a slow or hard-to-use website hurts it.

Make sure your city name appears naturally on your homepage and service pages. Embed your Google Map on your Contact page. Add your name, address, and phone number to your website footer so it appears on every page.

Just as important: your website needs to load fast and work well on a phone. Most people searching for a salon nearby are on mobile. If your site takes forever to load or is hard to navigate on a small screen, potential clients will leave and Google will take note.

Action step: Test your website on your own phone right now. Does it load quickly? Is the Book Now button easy to find? If not, ask your web developer to prioritize mobile speed and usability.

10. Earn Local Backlinks

A backlink is when another website links to yours. When trusted local websites, blogs, or businesses link to your salon's site, it tells Google that your business is credible and worth recommending.

You do not need dozens of these. Even a handful of quality local links can make a real difference. Think about local lifestyle bloggers who cover beauty, neighborhood business directories, local press features, or partner businesses like photographers or wedding planners who refer clients to each other.

Action step: Reach out to one or two local bloggers or businesses this month and explore whether a feature, collaboration, or mutual link makes sense. A single mention from a trusted local source carries more weight than ten links from generic directories.

Common Mistakes That Stop Salons from Ranking

If you are putting in effort and still not seeing results, one of these issues is likely the reason.

Wrong business category: Selecting something too broad or off-target means you are not matching the searches you want to rank for. Always confirm your primary category is the most specific and accurate option available.

Incomplete profile: Missing photos, no services listed, or a blank business description all signal to Google that your listing is not ready to be shown prominently. A complete profile is a trusted profile.

Few or stale reviews: Having 50 reviews is great, but if the most recent one is from over a year ago, that is a problem. Google weighs recency heavily. A salon with 20 reviews collected in the last six months can outrank a salon with 100 reviews that stopped coming in.

Inconsistent business information: If your name or address looks different across different platforms, it creates confusion for Google and weakens your overall ranking. Make everything match exactly.

An inactive profile: No posts, no new photos, no review responses. An inactive profile signals to Google and to potential clients that the business may not be running at its best.

Google Maps Ranking Checklist (Quick Recap)

If you want to rank higher on Google Maps, make sure you are consistently doing these:

✔ Fully complete your Google Business Profile
✔ Choose the most specific business category
✔ List every service you offer
✔ Collect fresh Google reviews regularly
✔ Upload new photos every month
✔ Post updates on your profile
✔ Keep your business information consistent everywhere
✔ Build local citations and directory listings
✔ Optimize your website for local SEO and mobile
✔ Earn a few strong local backlinks

Want the full version? Download the complete checklist with step-by-step actions included.

Want All of This Done for You Automatically?

Most salon owners know what needs to be done. The hard part is staying consistent while running a full schedule.

Zoca is an AI marketing platform built specifically for beauty and wellness businesses, and its Discovery Agent handles the work that actually moves your ranking.

Salons that were previously invisible on Google Maps are seeing profile view increases of over 1,200%, fuller calendars, and more consistent client leads, without relying on ads. Instead of manually managing updates and follow-ups, your profile stays active in the background.

See how Zoca's Discovery Agent works and book your free demo at zoca.com/demo. Most salons see results within the first 30 days.

Google Maps Ranking FAQs

How do I rank higher on Google Maps for my salon?

The most effective steps are completing your Google Business Profile with the right category and all your services listed, collecting fresh Google reviews on a regular basis, keeping your business information consistent across every platform, uploading photos consistently, and posting updates to your profile at least twice a month. Doing all of these things together is what moves the needle over time.

Why is my salon not showing on Google Maps?

The most common reasons are an incomplete profile missing key details like services and photos, too few recent reviews, a business category that does not match what people are actually searching for, or a profile that has not been updated in a long time. Work through the steps in this guide, starting with your profile basics, and you will start to see improvement.

How long does it take to rank higher on Google Maps?

Most salons start seeing some improvement within four to eight weeks of making consistent updates. Breaking into the top three Map Pack results can take two to four months, depending on how competitive your local area is. The most important thing is not to stop. Consistency is what separates the salons that rank from the ones that do not. If you want to speed up the process, read our full guide on how to improve local SEO rankings for salons.

Do reviews actually help my Google Maps ranking?

Yes, reviews are one of the most important ranking signals for local businesses on Google Maps. Google looks at how many reviews you have, how recent they are, and what your average rating is. A steady flow of genuine, detailed reviews tells Google your salon is trustworthy and actively serving clients. Aim for at least two to three new reviews per month as an ongoing habit.

How often should I update my Google Business Profile?

At minimum, post an update or add new photos at least twice a month. Any time something changes, like your hours, services, or phone number, update it right away. The more active and current your profile is, the more Google treats your business as relevant. Think of your Google Business Profile like a living part of your marketing. The more you tend to it, the harder it works for you.

What is the Google Map Pack? 

The Google Map Pack is the section at the top of Google search results showing three local business listings alongside a map. It appears when someone searches for a nearby service like 'hair salon near me.' Studies show 42% of local searchers click directly on these results without scrolling further.

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