Do you still need a salon website if you use Fresha or Treatwell?

What a booking marketplace does well, and what it costs

Fresha and Treatwell are genuinely useful. They put your salon in front of people who are actively looking to book a treatment near them, they handle the calendar and reminders, and they can fill a Tuesday afternoon you would otherwise lose. For a new salon with no audience yet, that reach is hard to replicate on day one. The trade-off is that a marketplace ranks you next to every competitor, frames the relationship as theirs, and charges for the new clients it introduces.

Treatwell states that it charges 35% commission on first bookings made by new clients it brings you from the marketplace, with 0% on repeat bookings. Fresha's marketplace new-client fee applies to clients who discover your business through your Fresha marketplace profile, including those who view your profile first and then book through another channel. On both platforms, a client you already have, or who finds you directly, is not a paid introduction. That single distinction is the whole argument for owning your own website.

Why your own website is the channel that stays commission-free

The clients who matter most to a salon are the regulars who rebook every four to six weeks. On a marketplace, the first booking from a new client can carry a finder's fee; the value is in turning that person into a regular who books with you directly from then on. Treatwell confirms there is no commission on bookings made directly with you, including calls, texts, WhatsApp, clients you add yourself, or the 'Book Now' button on your own website and social media. Fresha likewise does not charge the marketplace fee for clients who find you through your own website, Google, or social channels rather than its marketplace.

So the website is not competing with the marketplace; it is where you move the relationship once you have it. A regular who searches your salon's name, lands on your own site, and rebooks there is a booking nobody takes a percentage of. Over a year of repeat visits, that is the difference between renting your client list and owning it.

What a salon website actually needs to do

• Show your treatment menu with real prices, or clear 'from' prices, so customers self-qualify before they book.
• Offer one obvious way to book or enquire: an embedded booking button, a deposit-protected slot, or a tappable phone number.
• Name the services you specialise in (balayage, fades, gel, lashes, barbering) in the words clients actually search.
• State your cancellation and deposit policy plainly, so no-shows cost you less and expectations are set up front.
• Show a few real photos of your work and your space, not stock images, so a first-time client knows what to expect.
• Make your address, parking or nearest stop, and opening hours impossible to miss on a phone.

How do deposits and no-shows fit in?

No-shows and last-minute cancellations are one of the biggest hidden costs in a salon, because an empty chair cannot be resold at short notice. A booking tool that takes a deposit or holds card details reduces that, and you can keep using the platform you already trust for the actual calendar. Your website's job is to send motivated clients into that flow and to state the policy clearly: a short, fair cancellation window and any deposit, written in plain English, prevents most disputes before they start.

Do your website and Google Business Profile agree?

Most local clients find a salon through Google Search or Maps first. Google lets you manage your name, services, hours, photos, and booking link through a Business Profile so the details stay accurate across Search and Maps. The common mistake is a profile, a website, and a marketplace listing that quietly disagree: different prices, old opening hours, or a phone number nobody answers. When a client spots two versions of the truth, they hesitate, and hesitation near the moment of booking is a lost client. Decide the facts once and make every channel match.

When is your own website worth building?

If you rely on a marketplace for every booking, you are paying to reach clients you may already own, and you are at the mercy of that platform's ranking, fees, and rules. A simple website you control changes that: it captures the people searching your name, gives regulars a commission-free way to rebook, and makes your prices and brand yours rather than a row in someone else's list. You do not need a big site. You need a clear one that loads fast on a phone, shows your work and prices, and makes booking one tap away.

A practical checklist before you decide

• Work out roughly how many of last month's bookings were new marketplace clients versus regulars you already had.
• Check what each new marketplace client costs you in commission, and whether those clients come back and rebook directly.
• Open your current online presence on a phone: can a stranger see your services, prices, and how to book in under a minute?
• Make sure regulars have an obvious, commission-free way to rebook with you directly.
• Confirm your website, Google Business Profile, and any marketplace listing agree on prices, hours, and contact details.
• Write a clear cancellation and deposit policy and show it where clients book.

The takeaway

A booking marketplace and your own website do different jobs. The marketplace is good at finding new faces and filling gaps; your website is where you keep them, on your terms and without a commission. If almost every booking currently runs through a platform that charges for new clients and lists you beside your competitors, building a clear website you own is one of the highest-return moves a salon can make.