You’ve finally gotten around to scheduling that long-needed appointment, only to find that you can’t book it online. You vow to call the next day, but work and life get in the way, and it soon becomes too much of a hassle to make that phone call, so you move on to a provider that offers easy online booking.
This all-too-common scenario is why it’s important for every service business that relies on appointments to have a user-friendly booking website.
Whether you run a cleaning service, a spa, or a tattoo parlor, this guide will show you how to make a booking website that simplifies your booking process and improves customer satisfaction.
What is a booking website?
A booking website lets clients schedule appointments online without having to call or visit a physical location. Booking websites give service businesses and entrepreneurs a dedicated space for clients to explore services, check availability, and secure appointments.
Here are a few approaches you can take when creating your own booking website:
-
Build a standalone booking website. Create a simple online booking site solely dedicated to allowing clients to book appointments with your business.
-
Develop a full website. Create a comprehensive booking site that includes a booking system with features like a calendar, service breakdown, company story, and other offerings (such as an ecommerce component to sell products related to your business).
-
Integrate appointment software with an existing website. If you already have a business website, you can add a booking system or appointment software to the site using apps, third-party widgets, or plug-ins.
How to make a booking website
- Choose your platform
- Pick your domain name
- Choose your booking software
- Establish your availability
- Explain your service offerings
- Select a reliable payment processor
- Direct online traffic to your booking page
From selecting a reliable platform for your website to creating compelling content for service pages, here are a few steps to make a booking website that converts website traffic into confirmed appointments:
1. Choose your platform
Your hosting provider plays a crucial role in the performance of your online booking site, directly affecting your site’s speed, reliability, and ability to handle traffic surges—all of which can influence customer conversion rates.
Choose a reliable, user-friendly platform to ensure a smooth and quick setup. Website builders like Shopify help entrepreneurs create secure, appealing websites quickly without requiring any coding knowledge. Shopify’s website builder offers features like free website design templates, a stock photo library, and a QR code generator.
2. Pick your domain name
Your domain name is the address clients use to access your online booking website. Choose one that’s short, relevant to your service and brand, and easy to remember so clients can find you and effortlessly book appointments.
Avoid hyphens and numbers in your domain name, and if possible, opt for a .com domain extension, the most common domain suffix. If you can’t think of a domain name, Shopify’s free domain name generator can help.
3. Choose your booking software
Decide how you want to enable bookings on your website. There are a range of apps, widgets, and plug-ins to choose from when creating an online booking system. If you build your website through Shopify, you have access to over 8,000 applications on the Shopify App Store that you can install and use right away.
Here are some of the most popular appointment booking apps built for Shopify:
-
Bookeasy. This free booking app lets you manage bookings across multiple locations and calendars for different team members. Customers can reschedule appointments, and you can set custom time slots and blackout dates.
-
Meety. This booking app allows easy integration of a calendar booking system onto your website. Its free plan includes unlimited bookings for a single service; unlimited services and features like automatic appointment reminders start at $14 per month.
-
Cowlendar. This app adds a scheduling pop-up to your website so clients can view available slots and book appointments. The free plan includes unlimited services and appointments, and the first paid tier ($15 per month) adds functionality like reminders, custom appointment durations, and the ability to cancel and reschedule appointments.
-
Apntly. This booking app syncs to Google or Outlook calendars and lets you assign appointments to specific team members. The free plan includes unlimited booking for one service and one team member; upgrading to a paid tier (starting at $5 per month) expands this to unlimited team members and services, plus other features.
4. Establish your availability
Once a booking system is set up on your website, adjust the online booking settings to set clear business hours and days you and your team are available. The booking app will automatically block out anything outside of your schedule. Some appointment scheduling software lets you set unique availability for individual team members—essential for service businesses like salons or spas.
5. Explain your service offerings
You know your services and how long each appointment takes, but your clients don’t. Develop clear appointment products for each service. An appointment product is a specific service a client selects on your website.
For example, an appointment product for a yoga studio can be a single class, a class package, or a monthly membership. Listing out your specific offerings makes it easy for customers to find and select what suits them best.
6. Select a reliable payment processor
Secure payment gateways let you accept payments through your booking website. Set up a payment processing system that allows clients to use their preferred payment provider, whether that’s a credit card or a digital wallet like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Shop Pay.
If you use Shopify to build your booking website, you have automatic access to Shopify Payments, a built-in gateway that lets you accept online payments with encryption for added payment security.
7. Direct online traffic to your booking page
Develop inbound marketing strategies that drive online traffic to your booking website. For example, if you run a hair salon, use content marketing tactics like posting TikTok videos about hair care and styling tips. You can also optimize your booking website for search engines with basic SEO strategies to make sure it ranks well for relevant search terms.
If you rely on in-person clients, focus on local SEO by researching localized keywords (such as combining the name of your area with your niche (e.g., “hair salon Brooklyn”), setting up your Google Business Profile, and encouraging clients to post positive reviews online. These local strategies can direct more relevant, regional leads to your website to book an appointment.
How to make a booking website FAQ
How do I create a booking website?
To create a booking website, choose a reliable website-building platform and integrate an appointment booking system using an app, widget, or plug-in that lets clients schedule appointments and pay for services directly on your booking website.
How much does it cost to create a booking system?
Although it costs money to host a booking website on a reliable platform, you can add a booking system to your existing website with a free app. For example, you can host your booking website on Shopify’s Basic plan for $29 per month and then select from a variety of free booking apps.
Can I make my own booking app?
Yes, you can make your own booking app, although it requires coding and app development knowledge and can take more time and money than using an existing booking app or platform.
How can I add booking to a website?
You can add appointment booking to a website by choosing an app, widget, or plug-in designed to facilitate online appointment scheduling.
