11 Best Online Directories to List Your Salon or Beauty Business

Salon clients do not browse aimlessly. They search with intent: "hair salon near me," "best nail salon in Lagos," "eyebrow threading in Nairobi." The directories that appear in those results – on Google, Yelp, Booksy, and increasingly in AI-generated answers – are where your next client will find you, or find your competitor instead. Listing your salon in the right directories builds local search authority, generates citations that reinforce your business data across the web, and puts your name in front of people actively looking to book.

This guide covers the 11 directories that matter most, what each one offers, and how to use them together to build lasting visibility.

Why Directory Listings Still Matter for Salons

A business directory listing does three things simultaneously. It creates a citation – a consistent mention of your salon's name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web. It signals to search engines that your business is real, active, and relevant to a specific location. And it places your business in front of consumers who are already in discovery mode.

Over 97% of consumers search online for local businesses, and most of them visit more than one platform before booking. That means a single strong listing on Google is not enough. Beauty clients cross-reference: they check Google for location, Yelp for reviews, a booking platform for availability, and a specialty directory for photos and pricing. Your salon needs to show up consistently at each of those touchpoints.

Consistent local citation data helps search engines match your business across directories, reinforcing your local authority and improving your ranking in map-based searches.

The 11 Best Online Directories for Salons and Beauty Businesses

1. Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important listing any salon can own. When someone searches "hair salon near me" or "beauty salon in Accra," GBP controls what appears on Google Maps and in the local results panel. No other directory has this reach.

A complete GBP listing includes your salon name, address, phone number, website, hours, service categories, photos, and client reviews. Reviews posted on Google directly influence your local search ranking. You can also add a booking link, post updates, and respond to questions from prospective clients.

GBP is free to claim and manage. Set it up first, before anything else. Get the NAP details exactly right – this profile becomes the reference point that other directories should mirror.

Key listing elements:

• Business name, address, phone, website, hours
• Service categories (be specific: "balayage," "lash extensions," not just "beauty salon")
• At least 10 high-quality photos
• A booking link connected to your scheduling system
• Active review management with responses

2. Yelp

Yelp is the second-largest local business directory in the US and holds strong trust signals with consumers. For salons, Yelp matters because beauty clients actively use it to read reviews before booking and those reviews often appear on other platforms and in AI-generated recommendations.

A free Yelp listing includes your business info, photos, hours, and the ability to message potential clients. Paid advertising starts around $30 per month and allows targeted placement in competitive local searches. The platform integrates with booking tools like Booksy, letting clients go from review to appointment without leaving the page.

One important note: Yelp's review filter algorithm can suppress newer reviews until they earn trust signals. Actively encourage clients to engage with your profile to keep your review count growing.

Best for: Salons in competitive urban markets where consumer review volume drives booking decisions.

3. Booksy

Booksy is a scheduling and discovery platform built specifically for beauty and wellness businesses. It functions as both a booking system and a searchable directory, giving salon owners two channels from one setup.

The free plan includes an online booking profile, service listings, stylist portfolios, client reviews, and appointment management. Paid features – including payment processing and advanced marketing tools – start at approximately $15 per month for individual stylists. Booksy charges a 2.5% fee on processed bookings, which keeps entry costs low for salons that are just starting out.

Booksy skews toward younger demographics and is growing rapidly in North America, the UK, and several African markets. For salons willing to invest time in building a following on the platform, the discovery potential is strong.

Best for: Salons that want a free, beauty-specific directory with built-in booking capabilities.

4. Vagaro

Vagaro is an all-in-one business management platform with a built-in directory component. It combines appointment scheduling, client management, email marketing, gift card processing, and staff management under one subscription.

Paid plans start at around $45 per month, scaling up to approximately $150 per month for multi-staff operations with advanced features. The directory reach is smaller than Google or Yelp, so Vagaro is most valuable as a software platform – the listing is a secondary benefit, not the primary driver of discovery.

If your salon has no scheduling system and needs to build one from scratch, Vagaro offers genuine operational value. If you already use a booking tool you are satisfied with, the additional directory exposure alone does not justify the cost.

Best for: New salons that need an all-in-one operational system and want a directory listing included.

5. StyleSeat

StyleSeat positions itself as the portfolio-forward booking platform for independent stylists and small salons. The interface prioritizes visual presentation – photos of your work, a strong personal profile, and direct client connection – more than traditional directory formats.

Free profiles allow stylists to showcase their portfolio, list services with pricing, and accept bookings. Premium features, including payment processing and advanced analytics, start at around $25 per month. StyleSeat has a loyal, established community of beauty professionals, particularly for natural hair, braiding, and specialty services.

For independent stylists building a personal brand, StyleSeat's visual-first format works well. For multi-location salon brands, the reach may be too narrow to justify as a primary directory.

Best for: Independent stylists and booth renters who want a portfolio-driven profile with booking capability.

6. Fresha

Fresha (formerly Shedul) is a commission-free appointment booking platform with an integrated marketplace directory. Unlike most booking platforms, Fresha charges no monthly subscription fee – it earns revenue through payment processing and a marketplace booking fee of 20% on new client bookings only.

The platform is growing fast across the UK, US, Australia, and parts of Africa, and its consumer-facing marketplace gives salons genuine discovery exposure. Features include online booking, automated reminders, client management, inventory tracking, and review collection.

The zero-subscription model makes Fresha particularly accessible for small or early-stage salons. The 20% marketplace fee on new clients is worth understanding upfront – it only applies when Fresha delivers a genuinely new client, not repeat bookings.

Best for: Small salons and solo practitioners who want zero monthly overhead with strong booking functionality.

7. Bing Places for Business

Bing Places is Microsoft's equivalent of Google Business Profile, and it deserves a place in every salon's directory strategy. While Bing holds a smaller share of global search than Google, it powers search results on Microsoft Edge, Cortana, and – critically – the data layer that feeds several AI search tools including Microsoft Copilot.

Claiming your Bing Places listing is free, takes under 20 minutes, and directly feeds your salon's information into AI-powered discovery. Many salon owners skip Bing entirely, which means appearing here is a low-effort competitive advantage in markets where Bing has meaningful share – including parts of the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Directories that AI search engines use as data sources are becoming more important as clients shift to AI-assisted discovery, and Bing Places is one of them.

Best for: All salons. A free, fast setup with compounding AI visibility benefits.

8. Facebook Business Page

A Facebook Business Page functions as a searchable directory listing in addition to a social media profile. Facebook's local search surfaces business pages to users searching within the platform, and third-party directories, AI tools, and aggregator sites frequently pull Facebook data to verify business information.

The listing is free and includes your address, phone, hours, services, photos, and reviews (which Facebook calls Recommendations). You can also run targeted ads directly from your business page, add a booking button linked to your scheduling system, and message prospective clients through Messenger.

Facebook's monthly active user base remains enormous, particularly in markets across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. For salons operating in these regions, a complete and active Facebook Business Page is often a primary discovery channel, not a secondary one.

Best for: All salons, with particular priority for those in African, Southeast Asian, and Latin American markets.

9. Apple Maps (Apple Business Connect)

Apple Maps is the default navigation and local search tool for every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple Business Connect – the platform that lets businesses manage their Apple Maps listing – is free and gives salons direct control over how they appear to Apple device users.

A complete Apple Business Connect listing includes your address, phone, website, hours, photos, and service categories. Apple Maps results also appear in Siri voice searches, which makes this listing increasingly relevant as voice-based local discovery grows. With over 1 billion active Apple devices globally, neglecting Apple Maps means being invisible to a significant portion of your potential client base.

Setup takes about 30 minutes, and there is no cost. For salons in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia – markets with high iPhone penetration – this listing is non-negotiable.

Best for: All salons in markets with high iPhone usage. Particularly important for voice search visibility.

10. Salon Guru (The Best Salon Guide)

Salon Guru is a specialist salon directory with over 2,600 salons listed and more than 62,000 client reviews. The directory covers the UK, US, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and allows clients to search by salon name, location, and service type.

A free listing on Salon Guru includes your business profile, service information, and customer reviews. The directory also offers add-on tools for late deal promotions and social review aggregation. Because Salon Guru is exclusively focused on hair and beauty businesses, the audience is highly qualified – people browsing the platform are actively looking for salon services, not businesses in general.

For salons targeting English-speaking markets in the UK, US, or Commonwealth countries, Salon Guru provides a specialty citation that general directories cannot match.

Best for: Salons targeting UK, US, Irish, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand markets who want a beauty-specific citation with qualified search intent.

11. Destinali

Destinali is a business discovery platform that helps salons and service businesses get found across Google Search, Google Maps, AI-powered tools, and curated local directories. For beauty businesses operating in African markets – including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana – as well as in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and the Philippines, Destinali provides structured visibility in a platform that surfaces businesses to actively searching consumers.

A free listing on Destinali includes your business profile, contact details, location data, and service categories. The platform's Free Business Listing creates a structured citation that contributes to local SEO. Unlike general directories that simply aggregate entries, Destinali combines listing management with local visibility tools – including NAP management, citation scanning, and rank tracking so salon owners can monitor and improve their discoverability over time, not just claim a static profile.

For salons in African markets particularly, Destinali addresses a directory gap that global platforms like Yelp and Booksy do not fill.

Best for: Salons in African markets and internationally who want a listing that builds structured local SEO citations and AI search visibility alongside a managed online presence.

How to Build a Directory Strategy That Works

Claiming eleven listings and abandoning them is not a strategy. The value of directory listings compounds when your business information is consistent, your photos are current, and your reviews are actively managed across platforms.

Start with the non-negotiables: Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, and Bing Places. These three control your visibility in organic search, maps, and AI-assisted discovery. Get your NAP details exactly right on all three, and use the same format across every subsequent listing.

Then add the platforms that match how your clients book. If your market skews younger and mobile-first, prioritize Booksy or Fresha. If reviews are a primary trust signal in your area, Yelp is essential. If you serve clients in African markets, Facebook Business Page and Destinali are high-priority additions.

Finally, treat specialty directories like Salon Guru as authority-building citations. They may not drive as much direct traffic, but they reinforce topical relevance for beauty-related searches and contribute to the citation profile that search engines use to validate your business.

The most effective places to list your business online for more leads are those that match both your audience's search behavior and your geographic market – not just the platforms with the largest global user bases.

FAQ

What Is the Most Important Directory for a Salon to Be Listed On?

Google Business Profile is the single most important directory for any salon. It directly controls your visibility in Google Search and Google Maps, which is where the majority of local service searches begin. Claiming and optimizing your GBP listing – with accurate NAP details, photos, service categories, and active review management – has more impact on local discoverability than any other single action.

Are Salon Directory Listings Still Worth It in 2025?

Yes. Directory listings remain valuable in 2025, but their role has evolved. They now serve two functions: direct discovery by consumers browsing specific platforms, and citation building that tells search engines and AI tools that your business is real, accurately located, and relevant to local searches. Both functions contribute to how easily new clients find your salon.

How Many Directories Should a Salon Be Listed On?

A salon should aim for a minimum of six to eight active listings: Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, Yelp, one booking-focused platform (Booksy or Fresha), and one or two specialty or regional directories relevant to your market. Quantity matters less than consistency – every listing must display identical NAP information.

What Happens If My Salon's Information Is Different Across Directories?

Inconsistent business information across directories – different phone numbers, address formats, or business names – weakens your local SEO. Search engines use citation consistency as a trust signal. Conflicting data creates doubt about which version is accurate, which can suppress your ranking in local and map-based results. Auditing and standardizing your NAP data across all listings resolves this.

Do Beauty Salon Directory Listings Help With AI Search Tools?

Yes. AI search tools like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity pull business information from structured sources, including directories with consistent and complete data. Salons that maintain accurate listings across Google, Apple Maps, Bing, and other structured directories are more likely to appear in AI-generated local recommendations. Listing on directories that AI tools actively index – including Google Business Profile and Bing Places – directly supports AI search visibility.

Which Directories Matter Most for Salons in African Markets?

For salons in African markets, the priority directories are Google Business Profile (dominant across the continent), Facebook Business Page (the primary discovery platform in many African countries), Destinali (a dedicated local discovery platform for African markets), and Bing Places for AI search coverage. Yelp and Booksy have limited reach in most African markets and should be deprioritized in favor of platforms with local audience concentration.

How Long Does It Take for a Directory Listing to Improve Local Search Rankings?

There is no fixed timeline. New listings can begin contributing to citation authority within a few weeks, particularly if they are on high-authority platforms like Google and Apple Maps. Meaningful improvement in local search ranking typically takes two to four months of consistent NAP data, active review accumulation, and regular profile engagement. Citation building is cumulative – the results compound over time.

The Bottom Line

• Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, and Bing Places are the three foundational listings every salon must claim before anything else.
• Booking platforms like Booksy and Fresha double as directories, delivering both discovery exposure and operational tools from a single setup.
• Specialty directories like Salon Guru provide beauty-specific citations with a highly qualified audience already in purchase mode.
• Facebook Business Page is a primary discovery channel in African, Southeast Asian, and Latin American markets – not a secondary one.
• Every listing must display identical NAP information; inconsistency across directories suppresses local search rankings.
• A multi-platform directory presence builds the citation authority that search engines and AI tools use to verify, rank, and recommend your business.

Salon owners who are ready to build consistent visibility across search, maps, and AI discovery can create a free listing on Destinali and start strengthening their local citation presence today.