Treatwell, Google or your own booking system: where do new salon clients come from?

New clients for a salon usually arrive through three routes: a marketplace such as Treatwell, Google (search results, Google Maps and ads) and your own booking system. Treatwell puts you in front of people who have never heard of you. Google catches people who are already searching for a treatment nearby. Your own booking system is what brings them back. It works best when each channel has a clear job.

This article covers what each channel does, how to set up Treatwell properly, when Google Ads pays off and how to get clients to rebook through your own system after their first visit.

What each channel does for your salon

• Treatwell: a marketplace where people compare salons and book on the spot. Strong for reaching new people, especially while your name is still unknown.
• Your Google Business Profile: what people see when they search for 'lash lift' plus a town, or browse Google Maps. Free, but it needs upkeep.
• Google Ads: paid ads above the search results. You pay per click and set your own budget.
• Your own booking system, such as Salonized, Fresha or Salonkee: where regulars book, get reminders and where you keep control of client data.

None of these is right or wrong. What matters is the job you give each one. If everything runs through a single channel, you depend on it.

What Treatwell charges, according to Treatwell

Treatwell's partner pricing page for the Netherlands (treatwell.nl/partners/prijzen) says that on the Starter plan you pay commission on the very first booking from a new client who discovers your salon through the Treatwell marketplace. That commission is listed as 35 percent, excluding VAT. Repeat bookings from that same client carry 0 percent commission, according to the same page.

Bookings that come to you directly, for example by phone, WhatsApp or through the 'Book now' button on your own website or social media, carry no commission according to Treatwell. Online prepaid appointments come with a transaction fee, and the plan itself has a monthly price. Rates and terms change, so check the current page and your own contract.

In practice, Treatwell is a paid way to win new clients. Work out per treatment whether the first visit still makes sense after commission, and look mainly at what a client is worth once she keeps coming back.

How to set up your Treatwell profile

On a marketplace your salon sits right next to its competitors. Your profile has a few seconds to show who you are and what to expect. These are the points we run into most often:

• Photos: use recent, real photos of your salon, your team at work and your treatment rooms. People book with people, not with an empty room. Put your best new photos first and remove outdated ones.
• Treatment names: use the words clients use. Nobody searches for a name you made up yourself. Put the common description in the title and your own name in the description if you want it.
• Treatment descriptions: what happens, how long it takes, who it suits and what the aftercare is. Short and specific.
• Prices and duration: keep them identical to your website and booking system. Differences lead to awkward conversations at the desk.
• Reviews: ask for one after every appointment and reply to all of them, including the critical ones. A calm, factual reply to a negative review often tells new clients more than the score.
• Availability: open up the slots where you have room. That way the platform fills gaps instead of slots you would have filled anyway.

When Google Ads pays off for a salon

Google Ads shows your ad the moment someone searches, for instance for 'gel nails' or 'facial' plus a town. You pay per click. It pays off when three things are in place: you have room in the diary for that treatment, there is a page on your site about exactly that treatment, and you track what gets booked.

In the accounts we audit, the same mistakes keep coming back:

• The ad sends people to the homepage instead of the page for the treatment they searched for.
• The salon's own name sits among the treatment keywords, so you pay for people who were already looking for you. Give your name its own campaign and exclude it everywhere else. If competitors bid on your name, that brand campaign keeps you on top.
• The bidding strategy optimises for conversions while no bookings are being tracked, so Google has nothing to learn from.
• The budget is spread across many small campaigns of a few euros a day. Fewer campaigns with enough budget work better.
• The ad area is too wide, so you pay for clicks from people who will never travel to you.
• Phone calls are not tracked, even though for some treatments many people prefer to call.

Let the budget follow your diary. When a treatment is fully booked, scale down. When there is room, scale up. That way you never pay for clients you cannot fit in.

Getting clients to rebook through your own system

The first visit is your chance to move the relationship to your own channels. On a marketplace, other salons are always one tap away. In your own system you control the client details, the reminders and the follow-up.

• Book the next appointment at the desk, straight into your own diary. It is the simplest way to see someone again.
• Put your own booking link everywhere clients find you: your website, your Google Business Profile and your Instagram and TikTok bios. We often see bios that link nowhere, or only to a Facebook page.
• Link from each treatment page straight to that treatment in your booking system, not to a general overview where people have to search again.
• Send reminders for maintenance treatments such as lashes or nails, plus two reminders before every appointment to cut no-shows.
• Reward loyalty: a points scheme for regulars or a bring-a-friend offer with a perk for both.
• Only send marketing emails to clients who have opted in.

Make sure you can see where bookings come from. A thank-you page after booking on your website makes that possible. And at a first appointment, simply ask: how did you find us?

A split that works

A practical split for most salons: Treatwell for reach and to fill quiet periods, your Google Business Profile always up to date, Google Ads only for treatments with spare capacity, and your own booking system for everything after the first visit. Once a month, check per channel how many new clients it brought and how many of them came back.

Want to pick one thing for this week? Add your own booking link to all your bios and your Google profile, and go through your Treatwell treatment names using the words clients actually search for.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay Treatwell commission on regular clients?

According to Treatwell's partner pricing page for the Netherlands, on the Starter plan you pay commission on the first booking from a new client found through the marketplace and 0 percent on repeat bookings. Always check the current terms and your own contract.

Is Google Ads too expensive for a small salon?

You set the daily budget yourself and pay per click. Start with a few treatments where you have room, send each ad to the right treatment page and track bookings before you scale up.

Should I leave Treatwell once I have my own booking system?

Not necessarily. Many salons use Treatwell to reach new people and their own system for regulars. What matters is that you book the follow-up appointment yourself after the first visit.