Check your salon’s Google booking link from the customer’s side.

Test the destination before editing the profile.

Open the link you intend to publish in a private browser window on a phone. You should see the customer’s route to an appointment, not the employee login, the software vendor’s homepage or a link that works only because you are already signed in.

Write down the salon name, location and service you expect to see. Follow the flow far enough to check the available information without creating a false appointment. If a genuine test booking is necessary, label it and remove it from the live diary afterwards.

Use the booking area in your Business Profile.

Google’s help instructions direct profile managers to the relevant transaction area, such as Booking, to add and save a link. In Maps, the route is through editing the profile and selecting the transaction type. The available controls depend on the profile and eligibility.

If the profile has more than one suitable link, Google also documents a preferred-link setting. Check which one is shown to customers after your change. Do not assume the link you most recently added automatically replaced an older provider.

Match the link to the location.

Google’s business-link guidelines require a relevant destination where the customer can complete the intended action. For a multi-location business, the link should lead to the specific location. Its guidelines also cover accessibility to the systems that verify links.

For your own check, compare the location name, address and contact number with the profile the customer opened. Then check that the appointment would be placed with the intended team. A correct-looking page can still send work to the wrong branch.

Check for an old provider as well as your new link.

An appointment button may have been supplied by a third-party booking provider. Google documents a separate removal process for those provider links, which can require contacting the provider rather than deleting a manually added link.

Take a screenshot of the customer-facing profile and note where each button goes before making changes. This gives you a record if an old destination remains visible. Keep access to the old provider long enough to check any future appointments that were already made there.

Repeat the customer test after the edit.

Search for the salon again without relying on your saved management screen. Open the appointment link and check it on a second device if you can. If you receive an error, capture the exact address and message rather than repeatedly saving a different link at random.

Do the same check whenever you change software, website domains or locations. Include it in the handover when someone new takes responsibility for the salon’s online profiles. A short recurring check is more useful than discovering a broken link from a customer at the desk.

• Correct salon and location.
• Customer-facing booking destination.
• Readable service and appointment information on a phone.
• No expired link or staff-login destination.
• Old provider links reviewed.
• A clear way for customers to contact the salon if they need help.