Start with the people already searching for a salon near you. Fix your Google Business Profile, ask every happy customer for a review, and make sure your website shows prices, hours and directions on a phone. After that, work on bringing people back. Paid ads can wait until those jobs are done, because there’s little point paying to send people to a salon they can’t find.
We run three tanning salons ourselves, so this is the order we’d do it in. None of it is secret, and most of it costs time more than money. We can’t promise you a Google ranking, and neither can anyone else.
Start with your Google Business Profile
Google says local results mainly depend on relevance, distance and prominence. You can’t move your salon closer to everyone, so work on the other two. Google also says there’s no way to pay for a better local ranking, so be wary of anyone selling one.
- Claim and verify the profile, using our Google Business Profile guide.
- Choose the category that fits your business.
- Keep your hours right, including bank holidays.
- Add real photos of your beds, rooms and shopfront.
- Reply to reviews, including the awkward ones.
Ask for reviews the honest way
Reviews help people choose you, and Google counts them towards prominence. Ask every customer in the same way, ideally with a short link they can tap before they leave. Our Google reviews guide has the wording.
Two rules matter here. Google’s policy bars offering discounts or freebies in exchange for a review, and it bars asking only the customers you expect to be happy. UK consumer law also bans fake reviews, and the Competition and Markets Authority has published guidance on it. A free session for five stars is the sort of bright idea that ends badly.
Make your website do its job
Someone comparing two salons wants to know four things: how much, when you’re open, where you are, and how to get started. Put those on the first screen a phone shows them. A photo of a price list won’t do, because it’s a pain to read on a phone.
- Show real prices for minutes, courses and spray tans, laid out so people can follow them.
- Make the phone number tap to call.
- Give each service the right next step, such as a booking link or directions.
- Use photographs of your actual salon.
If your trade is mostly walk-in, read what a walk-in salon website should do. Our launch checklist works on an existing site too. And if your only page is on Instagram, here’s why a website is still worth having.
Bring back the customers you’ve already won
Finding a new customer takes more effort than reminding an old one you exist. A simple loyalty scheme and a friendly “we’ve missed you” message will often do more than another promotion. We cover this in our loyalty ideas guide.
Keep sunbed offers about value and avoid pushing people to tan more often. The UK Health Security Agency advises against repeated sessions to build a quick tan, so a “tan every day this week” deal is best left on the shelf.
Regulars are worth planning for. A monthly membership can suit a salon with steady repeat trade, spray tans especially.
Run offers without upsetting the ASA
Quiet weekday mornings are the obvious place for an offer. Before you post one, read it against the Advertising Standards Authority’s sunbed advice.
- Don’t claim or imply sunbeds are safe.
- Don’t mention vitamin D, mood or skin conditions.
- Don’t aim sunbed marketing at under-18s, and check your targeting if you post on TikTok or Instagram.
In January 2026 the ASA banned ads from five tanning-related companies, so this one’s being watched.
Team up with local businesses
Hairdressers, nail techs, gyms and bridal shops see the same people you want to reach. Spray tans suit this well, with weddings, holidays and nights out all coming with a date attached. Offer each other’s customers something simple, such as a shared card at reception, and ask where new customers heard about you so you can tell whether it’s working.
Where to start this week
- Check your Google Business Profile hours and photos.
- Set up a review link and tell the team to use it.
- Open your website on your phone and time how long it takes to find a price.
- Add one question to your welcome chat: “How did you find us?”
Do those four before you spend a penny on ads. If your website is what’s holding you back, our guide to what a salon website costs will help you budget for it.
Sources
Checked on 30 October 2026: