Make Your Online Booking Link Easy to Find
If customers can book with you online, the booking link should be the easiest thing on your website to find. Conqueror Capital often sees local businesses that pay for a booking system and then hide it three clicks deep, or only mention it on social media. Here is where the link should live, what Google's own help says about booking links on your Business Profile, and a simple monthly test.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The short answer: Put a clear booking button near the top of every page, including on phones, at the end of every service page, and in the booking link field of your Google Business Profile. Keep your phone number right beside it. Then test every link yourself once a month, because a broken booking link loses customers without anyone telling you.
WHERE THE LINK SHOULD BE
- The top of your website. A clear button in the header, visible on a phone without opening a menu.
- The end of every service page. Someone who has just read about a service is ready to act. Do not make them scroll back up.
- Your Google Business Profile. Use the booking link field, covered below, so the button appears on Search and Maps.
- Your email signature and replies. Every email to a customer is a chance to book.
- Your social profiles. The link field on each profile, not only a post from months ago.
Use the same words everywhere, such as "Book online" or "Book an appointment", so customers recognise the button. Our post on one clear next step on every page explains why one main button works better for most visitors than five competing ones.
KEEP THE PHONE NUMBER NEXT TO IT
Some customers want to book in two taps. Others want to talk to a person first, especially for a bigger job or a first visit. Give both a clear path: the booking button and a tap-to-call phone number side by side. Hiding the phone to push online booking, or hiding booking to push calls, loses the customers who prefer the other way.
BOOKING LINKS ON YOUR GOOGLE PROFILE
Google's help page on local business links says your profile can carry links that help customers book an appointment, make a reservation or place an order, and that you can add up to 10 links per category. If you have more than one, you can set a preferred link that shows at the top as "Business preferred."1
Two details owners often miss. First, booking or reservation links can appear on your profile automatically through third-party partners. Google says you cannot delete those from your profile settings yourself: you contact the provider, and providers are required to process opt-out requests within 5 business days.1 So check that the booking button on your profile goes to the system you actually use.
Second, if you sign up with a booking provider through Google, Google's help says the provider might charge you, that providers show up on your profile within a week, and that performance data isn't available for custom links.2 If you add your own link, plan to measure bookings in your own booking system or website analytics instead.
TEST IT EVERY MONTH
Booking links break quietly. A plan renews under a new web address, a staff member changes a setting, or a service is removed. Once a month, on your phone:
- Tap the booking button on your homepage and on two service pages.
- Tap the booking button on your Google profile, on both Search and Maps.
- Check the page loads, shows the right services and staff, and lets you reach the final step.
- Cancel your test booking so your calendar stays clean.
Our small business website checklist covers the other monthly checks worth doing at the same time.
SMALL, MID-SIZE AND ENTERPRISE
Small businesses: one booking system, one link, placed in the five spots above and tested monthly.
Mid-size businesses: if different services or staff use different booking pages, link each service page to its own booking page, so customers do not have to search again.
Multi-location and enterprise brands: each location's profile should send customers to that location's booking page, not a generic brand page. Google's help notes that local business links are not available via the Business Profile API or spreadsheet upload,1 so plan for someone to set and check them location by location. See how we work with enterprise teams.
FAQ
Where should a booking button go on a small business website?
Near the top of every page, visible on a phone without opening a menu, and again at the end of every service page, with your phone number beside it.
How do I add a booking link to my Google Business Profile?
Google's help says to open your Business Profile, choose Booking, select Add link, enter the web address and save. You can add up to 10 links per category and set one as preferred.
Why is there a booking link on my Google profile that I did not add?
Google says booking and reservation links can appear automatically through third-party partners. To remove one, contact that provider; providers must process opt-out requests within 5 business days.
Can I see bookings from my own link in Google's reports?
Google's help says performance data isn't available for custom links. Measure those bookings in your booking system or website analytics.
How often should I test my booking link?
Once a month, on a phone, from your website and from your Google profile, through to the final step.
SOURCES
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your local business links.
- Google Business Profile Help, Set up bookings through a provider.
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
KEEP READING
BOOK A STRATEGY CALL
Want us to check where your booking link shows up, and whether it works? Book a 15-minute call, or ask for a free Google listing and website check.