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Case Study

How Floka Salon Grew Their Business With Local SEO and a New Website

By Jacob Mar 10, 2026 8 min read

When Floka Salon first reached out, they were nearly invisible online. A boutique Toronto salon with serious talent and a loyal in-person following — but a website that didn't reflect any of it, and a Google Business Profile that hadn't been touched in years.

Here's the full story of how we turned that around in 90 days.

Where Floka was before

  • Outdated WordPress site, slow on mobile (PageSpeed score: 28)
  • No online booking — every appointment required a phone call
  • Google Business Profile with 11 reviews, no posts, missing services
  • Not ranking for any meaningful local search terms
  • Roughly 4-6 new client inquiries per month from online sources

The strategy

We approached this as a full local presence rebuild, not just a website redesign. Three workstreams ran in parallel: site rebuild, GBP optimization, and review acquisition.

Website redesign

  • Custom design reflecting Floka's premium boutique brand
  • Mobile-first, PageSpeed score jumped to 96
  • Integrated booking via Square (booking visible on every page)
  • Service pages for each treatment with proper SEO
  • Neighborhood-targeted landing pages (Leslieville, East York)

Google Business Profile rebuild

  • Complete category and services overhaul
  • 30+ new professional photos uploaded
  • Weekly post schedule (specials, new staff, fresh work)
  • All Q&A answered, FAQs seeded

See the full Floka Salon project for visuals and metrics.

View case study

Review acquisition

We set up a process to text every client a direct review link 24 hours after their appointment. Floka went from 11 reviews to 87 in 90 days, with a 4.9 average.

Results after 90 days

  • Online inquiries: 4-6/month → 28/month
  • Online bookings (no inquiry): 0 → 41/month
  • GBP reviews: 11 → 87 (4.9 avg)
  • Ranking #1 for 'salon Leslieville' and #2 for 'hair colour East York'
  • Mobile PageSpeed: 28 → 96

Lessons for other salon owners

  • Your GBP matters as much as your website — invest in both
  • Online booking is non-negotiable in 2026
  • Reviews compound — start asking now
  • Neighborhood targeting beats city targeting for boutique salons
  • Photos of your real space and team beat stock every time

Want Floka-level results for your salon?

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Ready to grow your salon online?

J

Jacob

Founder of Elevate Web Design. Building fast, conversion-focused websites for small businesses across Canada and the US since 2018.

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