Article
Salonized mini site or your own website: which is smarter for your salon?
Many salons run their diary in Salonized and get a mini site with it. The question that follows: is that mini site enough, or do you need your own website? A level-headed answer.
What the Salonized mini site is
Salonized is first of all an online salon diary: clients book, you manage your schedule, checkout and client records. It comes with a mini site: one page on a Salonized address with your treatments, prices and the booking button. If you are just starting out, that is a fine start: it is up fast and bookings run right away.
Is Salonized free?
No. Salonized is paid software with a 14 day free trial; after that you pick a subscription. The mini site is part of that subscription. Looking for a free salon booking system? Look at Fresha, where you create a free account. Whichever software you pick, the subscription is in your own name.
What is a good alternative to Salonized?
For the diary itself: Salonkee, Treatwell, Fresha and Booksy do the same job, each with its own pricing model and marketplace. Compare them on what you need: monthly cost, whether new clients can find you there, and whether the system handles reminders and deposits. No single system is best for every salon.
When is your own website smarter?
A mini site lives on your software's address and mostly shows your price list. Your own website lives on your own domain, can be found in Google on your treatments and your town, shows your work at full size and grows with you: portfolio, intake, gift cards, extra treatments. If you want to be found by people who do not know you yet, your own site does that job; the mini site mostly serves people who already know you.
How do I add the booking widget to my own website?
You do not have to choose between Salonized and your own site: they work together. Salonized gives you a booking link and a widget; you place those on your own website, so clients book there while your diary stays in Salonized. The steps are in the Salonized help centre, and if we build your site you do not have to do it yourself.
How we handle it
At Salon in 7 Days we build your own website and connect your booking system, whether that is Salonized, Salonkee, Treatwell, Fresha or Booksy: on day 4 your booking link is live on the preview. No system yet? We set up Fresha for you, in your own name. That way you have both: your own findable site and the diary you already know.