You’ve perfected your balayage technique, created an inviting space, and ensured every client walks out feeling amazed—yet your chairs sit empty while the mediocre salon down the street is booked solid.
You post on social media, tweak your website, and maybe even run ads—but the bookings just aren’t where they should be. Sound familiar?
Here’s the problem: potential clients search for salons like yours but find your competitors instead. Why? Because they’re ranking for the right keywords—the ones that actually lead to bookings.
That’s exactly what you’ll get here: 80 carefully selected keywords, including 19 easy-to-rank opportunities.
I’ve analyzed 10,237 salon keywords with over 5.8 million monthly searches using enterprise-level SEO tools (SEMRush and Ahrefs).
After crunching the numbers, I’ve distilled this massive dataset into 80 high-potential keywords across 8 strategic categories. Better yet, I’ve identified 19 “Easy” competition keywords representing your fastest path to ranking success.
1. General Hair Salon Keywords
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
hair salon | 110,000 | High |
dominican hair salon | 14,800 | Moderate |
korean hair salon | 12,100 | Easy |
asian hair salon | 8,100 | Moderate |
japanese hair salon | 8,100 | Moderate |
mens hair salon | 8,100 | Easy |
tangles hair salon | 8,100 | Moderate |
best hair salon | 6,600 | Moderate |
hair salon men | 5,400 | Easy |
hair salons open on sunday | 5,400 | Moderate |
halo hair salon | 5,400 | Moderate |
mian tian sing hair salon | 5,400 | Moderate |
reflections hair salon | 5,400 | Moderate |
walk in hair salons | 5,400 | Moderate |
Strategic Insight: Notice that ethnic-specific hair salons (Korean, Asian, Japanese, Dominican) have substantial search volumes. If your salon specializes in these services, you’re sitting on a potential goldmine of targeted traffic.
2. Hair Coloring
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
hair color salon | 3,600 | Moderate |
hair salons that dye hair | 1,900 | Easy |
blonde hair salon | 1,300 | Easy |
hair coloring salons | 1,300 | Easy |
📍 IMPORTANT
This hair and beauty salon keyword data provides valuable search insights into the current market landscape. However, it’s crucial to adapt it to your specific salon context. Generic keyword lists can’t account for your:
- Current Rankings – Whether you’re starting from scratch, have some keyword rankings, or already rank for several terms will determine your keyword strategy. New salons need a different approach than established businesses already ranking for competitive terms.
- Marketing Resources – Your available budget, team size, content creation, and link-building capabilities directly impact which keywords you can realistically target and how quickly you can build rankings.
- Salon Specialties—Your expertise shapes keyword selection. Are you primarily a hair salon, nail salon, full-service beauty destination, or ethnic hair service specialist? Each requires unique keyword strategies aligned with your strengths.
- Service Focus – Your service menu shapes your keyword strategy, but only you know which services are your revenue drivers. Whether it’s your color services, signature treatments, or retail product sales, your understanding of profit margins should guide which keywords get priority attention.
- Local Competition – Understanding who you’re competing against in search results—whether it’s national chains, established local salons, or independent stylists—influences your keyword selection and difficulty level.
Every salon has unique strengths, market positions, and neighborhood dynamics that demand specific keyword targeting.
While these keywords provide a strong foundation for your salon’s SEO strategy, achieving meaningful rankings requires a deeper, customized approach that considers your local market and business model.
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3. Specialty Hair Services
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
curly hair salon | 12,100 | Moderate |
kids hair salon | 6,600 | Moderate |
natural hair salon | 6,600 | Easy |
hair extensions salon | 3,600 | Moderate |
braiding salon | 2,900 | Easy |
african braiding salon | 1,300 | Moderate |
4. Nail Salon
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
nail salon | 135,000 | High |
nail salons open on sunday | 8,100 | Moderate |
vietnamese nail salon | 4,400 | Moderate |
hair and nail salon | 3,600 | Moderate |
children’s nail salon | 3,600 | Easy |
nail salon open late | 2,900 | Easy |
nail salon prices | 2,900 | Easy |
organic nail salon | 2,900 | Moderate |
non toxic nail salon | 2,400 | Moderate |
walk in nail salons | 1,600 | Moderate |
black owned nail salon | 1,300 | Easy |
russian nail salon | 1,300 | Easy |
affordable nail salon | 1,300 | Moderate |
5. Eyebrow & Eyelash
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
eyelash salon | 2,900 | Moderate |
eyebrow salon | 1,900 | Moderate |
eyebrow threading salon | 1,900 | Easy |
threading salon | 1,900 | Moderate |
6. Location-Based Searches
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
nail salon near me | 1,000,000 | Moderate |
hair salon near me | 450,000 | High |
salon near me | 201,000 | High |
nail salons on near me | 110,000 | Easy |
nail salon near me open | 49,500 | Moderate |
nails salon near me | 49,500 | Moderate |
beauty salon near me | 40,500 | High |
best nail salon near me | 40,500 | Easy |
tanning salon near me | 40,500 | Moderate |
walk in hair salons near me | 33,100 | High |
best hair salons near me | 27,100 | Moderate |
dominican hair salon near me | 27,100 | Moderate |
nail salons open near me | 27,100 | Moderate |
aveda salon near me | 22,200 | High |
dominican salon near me | 22,200 | Moderate |
Strategic Insight: The “near me” keywords represent the highest search volumes in our entire analysis, with “nail salon near me” topping the list at a staggering 1,000,000 monthly searches.
While you can’t directly optimize for “near me” keywords because they are handled by Google’s location algorithm, not literal text matching, these searches highlight the importance of strong local SEO, including a well-optimized Google Business Profile.
7. Salon Brands & Franchises
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
salon centric | 110,000 | High |
jcpenney salon | 49,500 | High |
sola salon | 40,500 | Moderate |
phenix salon suites | 27,100 | Moderate |
walmart hair salon | 27,100 | Moderate |
ulta salon | 22,200 | High |
aveda salon | 14,800 | Moderate |
smartstyle hair salon | 14,800 | Moderate |
serenity salon | 8,100 | Moderate |
Knowing whether you are competing with a well-known brand in your area is crucial for your salon’s marketing strategy. These established names often dominate local search results and have built-in customer loyalty, making them formidable competitors for independent salons.
When a major franchise operates nearby, it brings significant marketing dollars and name recognition to your market. However, they also have standardized service models that create opportunities for differentiation.
8. City-Specific Salon Keywords
Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Competition |
hair salon chicago | 2,900 | Moderate |
hair salon miami | 2,900 | Moderate |
hair salon boston | 2,400 | Moderate |
hair salons in dallas | 2,400 | Moderate |
nail salon boston | 2,400 | Moderate |
nail salon dallas | 2,400 | Moderate |
best salon in new york | 1,900 | Moderate |
hair salon houston | 1,900 | Moderate |
new york hair salon | 1,900 | Moderate |
salon boston | 1,900 | Moderate |
nail salon atlanta | 1,600 | Easy |
hair salon greenville sc | 2,900 | Moderate |
hair salon portland | 2,900 | Easy |
nail salon san antonio | 2,900 | Moderate |
nail salon springfield mo | 2,900 | Easy |
These location-specific keywords demonstrate the importance of targeting your specific geographic area in your SEO strategy. While “near me” searches have higher volumes, these explicit city and state keywords attract visitors who are specifically searching for services in your location.
Skip the Costly Trial-and-Error Approach
Get personalized keyword research for your salon to drive targeted traffic and sales.
Unlimited Keywords
All keywords across the entire customer buying lifecycle
Custom Strategy
SEO roadmap built on your keyword rankings & revenue potential
Save Time & Money
120+ hrs. and $300+/mo on DIY keyword research saved
Prioritized Action Plan
Prioritized list of pages and target keywords
Includes: Video Walkthrough + Step-by-Step PDF Guide
Starting at
$99
⏰
Only
slots remaining this week
Final Thoughts
This deep dive into 10,237 salon keywords with over 2.5 million monthly searches gives you a powerful starting point, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The search landscape for salon businesses is remarkably nuanced, with distinct patterns that vary by specialty, location, and clientele.
What this keyword data reveals is striking:
Specialization drives targeted traffic. Whether it’s “curly hair salon” (12,100 monthly searches) or “korean hair salon” (12,100 searches), the most passionate clients seek specialized expertise.
Location dominates search patterns. City and state-specific keywords drive highly qualified traffic with clear geographic intent. “Hair salon nj” and “nail salon abilene tx” represent just two examples of location-specific searches that convert at exceptional rates.
Competitive opportunities abound. With 19 easy-competition keywords identified across multiple categories, immediate ranking opportunities exist for nearly every salon business.
Brand awareness matters. The monthly searches for pure salon brand names demonstrate how established salon brands influence the competitive landscape in every market.
But here’s the crucial insight: every salon market is unique, and your keyword strategy should be too. The keywords that drive growth for a curly hair specialist in Austin will differ dramatically from those that work for a full-service salon in suburban New Jersey.
Do you need help uncovering the exact keywords that’ll drive growth for your salon business? I will dive deep into your specific market and create a custom keyword strategy that matches your services and location.