Before you launch a tanning salon website, check that a first-time visitor can find your salon, understand your services and prices, and take the right next step. Then test that the enquiry or booking reaches the right person. A finished design is only one part of a working website.
Use this checklist with whoever builds your site. Keep a record of the result, the person responsible and anything that must be fixed before launch.
Start with the customer journey
Choose the route that matches how your salon actually works:
| Salon model | Main website action | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in | Find us or call | Correct map pin, opening hours and working telephone link |
| Appointment based | Book with your existing provider | Correct salon, service and booking destination |
| Mixed services | Choose a service first | Visitors can distinguish walk-in services from appointments |
A walk-in salon does not need to pretend it takes appointments. One of the salon websites worth copying on our list simply says so near the top. A spray-tan studio that books appointments should make its booking route clear. If the website sends customers to another platform, describe that as a booking link unless there is a tested technical integration.
Seven checks to work through
Tick each check as you review it with your builder. These ticks are temporary and are not sent anywhere.
1. Check the facts against your salon records
Compare the website with the information your staff use, rather than an old Facebook post or a previous website.
- Confirm your trading name, address, postcode, phone number and opening hours.
- Check every service is currently available at that location.
- Match the equipment names and photographs to the machines actually installed.
- Check single-session prices, course prices and any expiry or use conditions.
- Remove expired offers and clarify any offer end dates.
- Confirm whether customers need an appointment, can walk in, or should call first.
Keep prices as readable text, with a comparison table where useful. A photograph of a price board can support the page, but visitors should not have to zoom into an image to understand the options.
2. Show the real salon
Prepare a small, useful set of photographs: the entrance, reception, relevant equipment and any private treatment or changing area you want customers to see. Check that you have permission to publish the images and that they do not reveal customer details.
Give each image a job. An entrance photograph helps someone recognise the building. An equipment image explains which machine a description refers to. A picture of parking or the approach can help where the entrance is difficult to find.
Write captions that identify what is shown. Add alternative text when an image conveys information; decorative images can have empty alternative text. Avoid using stock photographs in a way that suggests they show your premises.
3. Try the website on a phone
Open the site on an actual phone. Check that the main text is readable, price tables fit, buttons can be tapped and the navigation opens and closes. Test the contact route without relying on a desktop preview.
Look for large photographs that delay useful content, banners that cover buttons, awkward horizontal scrolling and text over images that is hard to read. Check the page with keyboard navigation as well, including visible focus and clearly labelled form fields.
Ask someone unfamiliar with your salon to find today’s opening hours, the address and the right next step. Their hesitation is useful feedback about the page.
4. Test enquiries and booking links end to end
Agree one clearly labelled test enquiry with the person receiving it. Check the confirmation shown to the visitor, that the enquiry is retained where the agreed system stores it, and that the notification reaches the correct inbox. A success message alone does not prove delivery.
Check the reply address and the process for failed notifications. Someone should know where to find an enquiry if an email does not arrive. Do not put real customer information into a test.
For an external booking link, check the correct branch and service. Do not create a real charge or reserve a customer slot just to test a button. Arrange a test booking through the provider’s agreed test process if a full booking test is needed.
5. Make each important page easy to understand
Use a clear title and main heading for each service or location. Answer the visitor’s practical questions directly, then add the detail they need. Link related pages with descriptive text, such as your prices or directions, rather than vague labels.
This also makes information easier for search engines and other systems to interpret. Do not hide essential facts inside an animation or image. There is no guaranteed Google ranking or AI recommendation from adding a particular phrase, score or file.
Ask your developer to verify that public pages can be indexed, that each points to its intended canonical address and that the sitemap contains the right URLs. Keep private demos and staging copies out of search results. Google’s SEO Starter Guide explains the foundations.
6. Check the handover
If you built the site yourself, the six checks in our builder guide are a good start. Know who controls the domain, hosting and website accounts, who can update prices, and how you request help. Confirm the actual renewal arrangements and what your build includes. If you’re launching under a new name, run the five name checks before anything is printed. Keep access details in your password manager rather than an email chain.
If you are replacing a website, ask for a map from useful old addresses to their relevant new destinations. Check important existing links after launch and make sure the new site has not accidentally kept a staging noindex setting.
7. Review the first week
After launch, check that the live site matches the approved version. Review enquiries, broken links and Search Console issues. Distinguish an indexed page from a published page: a live address does not mean Google has already indexed it.
Measure useful actions that match your business model. Calls and direction requests may matter more to a walk-in salon; appointment-based services need booking evidence. Use the results to choose improvements rather than changing everything at once.
Ready for your own website?
Compare the TSW build inclusions, explore the designs and read how the build works. Bring your current price list, opening hours, photographs and the contact or booking route you want customers to use.