Google’s new Search Generative Experience (SGE) could impact salon owners in two ways:
- their visibility as a local business and
- the visibility of their ecommerce products.
These are currently the two most impacted spaces as AI takes over the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Local Business
Google Business Profile remains the most important asset that a business has for showing up in Google Maps but there are a couple of specific aspects that should be focused on when optimizing Google Business Profile. Note that the local pack will show 5 business listings if you are in the Search Generative Experience.
Reviews
SGE automatically creates descriptions of businesses to show alongside the business names and some of that content comes from user reviews – so you need to have processes in place to constantly be seeking reviews.
Download a cheatsheet to everything SGE - no email required!
Images
Google reportedly shows different images for a business based on the searchers query. So if someone searched for balayage vs. hair straightening, if the images are available in Google Business Profile, Google would match the photo to the users query in relation to the salon name. So upload lots of different photos that showcase your skills!
I have a personal pet peeve of businesses that don’t show their business from the outside. It helps to understand where one needs to get off the bus or park if we can see your business in the context of other businesses on the block or in the strip mall or the shopping centre. Show where parking is, where the entrance is, etc.
Descriptions
In the past descriptions were not thought to play a strong role in the visibility of a Google Business Profile but AI may use that content therefore you may as well feed the beast – give Google some good content to work with by focusing on your users needs.
Services
I have not seen any documentation about whether or not this is being used but it certainly would not hurt.
Ensure Your Ecommerce Products Show up in SGE
There are big big changes happening for ecommerce with the rollout of SGE. For starters, Shopping Ads appear before SGE, which means that organic content will be pushed even further down the page. Furthermore, when users interact with the SGE, it is a couple of clicks before Google takes the user to the website that has the product they are interested in. Google is keeping users on the SERP longer.
We’ve got an action list of how to optimize for SGE Ecommerce.
Organic Results in Google’s SGE
In additional to the local pack, a salon may show up additionally in the SGE. A key factor in this happening is detail. Lots and lots of detail in the website content. A critical component of optimizing your salon’s website involves detailing the services you offer, moving from a mere list of prices to comprehensive service descriptions. This approach is not just beneficial for potential clients but is a strategic move in aligning with the capabilities of AI-driven search engines such as the new Search Generative Experience (SGE) in Google.
Take, for instance, the specialized hairdressing service of balayage. By creating detailed content around balayage, including its process, benefits, and variations (such as balayage for dark hair, short hair, extensions, or curly hair), a salon can cater to the increasing use of AI algorithms in search engines. These AI-powered algorithms prioritize content that is not only unique and relevant but also detailed and informative (learn more about helpful content (E-E-A-T)), thereby improving your salon’s visibility in search results.
Discussing specific services in depth on your website, including showcasing before-and-after photos, customer testimonials, and stylist insights, can significantly enhance your SEO. This strategy aligns with the AI’s ability to analyze and understand content, ensuring your salon’s website ranks higher for those specific services. Moreover, when potential clients search for tailored hairdressing solutions like “balayage for curly hair,” your detailed and focused content positions your salon as the go-to expert, directly connecting you with your target audience.
If you decide to run Google Ads on specific services in the future, you’ll have the advantage of having good content to send visitors to (rather than just your homepage) and benefit from a higher conversion rate.
When writing blog posts (for example about this stylist’s thoughts on the newest hair straightening products), be sure to highlight the name of the stylist and link to their About page on the website. An author box can automate this process.
Use Video!
Google loves all things video! Stylists can introduce themselves via video or use the trend of doing one’s makeup while talking about something (such as the newest retinol products). Note that while AI can be used, in the salon industry, it is likely not the best option as visitors want to get to know their stylist.
If videos are organized on YouTube as well as used on the website and social media, you are getting more use out of the content you create.
Backlinks and Domain Authority
Domain Authority has always been important and also difficult to achieve. When I worked for Yellow Pages years ago, they outsourced SEO for their clients to a firm that bought links on sites for “mail order brides”. Completely irrelevant and against Google’s Terms and Conditions. The thing is, this tactic worked. Until it did not. Overnight several clients became invisible in Google. Many had to start over with new domain names and new websites without sketchy backlinks.
So building quality links is challenging.
In future this space will be updated to provide ideas about how to use AI to help with link building.
Online Booking
This is a no brainer but what many people don’t know is that even if you use a 3rd party tool such as Phorest, you may be able to track your conversions (now called Key Events) in Google Analytics (see this example of how we tracked JaneApp conversions in GA4 for a client)!
- About the Author
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Darlene is a search marketer, analyst, speaker, trainer, and owner of DriveTraffic Digital Marketing. She has been working in the digital marketing industry since the mid 90s and has narrowed her specialty to SEO, Google Ads and Google Analytics. She is especially interested in Google’s new Search Generative Experience and how businesses will need to adapt to remain visible. Want to see how DriveTraffic can help? Let’s chat!
