Your online booking page: what to put on it and what to leave off

A booking page needs eight things: the service list with durations and prices, the staff choice where it matters, real availability, the location with address, a short form (name, mobile, one question), the deposit and cancellation policy in one sentence, a confirmation with a way to change it, and consent for text reminders. It should not have a login, a twelve-field form, a "request" that is not a booking, or a promotion. And it should be one way to book, not the only way.

The eight things

1. Services with durations and prices. Customers choose by name; the system needs the duration. Starting prices where the real one depends on a visit.

2. Staff choice, where it matters. A salon customer wants Maria. A dental patient usually does not care who cleans their teeth. Offer the choice where customers use it and skip it where they do not.

3. Real availability. From the live calendar, per service and staff member. A page that shows slots that are not really free is worse than a phone number.

4. Location, with address. For multi-location businesses, the choice comes first and the address appears in the confirmation.

5. A short form. Name, mobile number, email for the confirmation, and one optional line for "anything we should know". Nothing else before the booking exists.

6. The policy, in one sentence. Deposit, if any, and the cancellation window. Before the customer commits, not in a footer.

7. A confirmation with a change option. By text and email, with "Reply CHANGE" or a link that actually works.

8. Consent for reminders. A plain checkbox: "Text me reminders about this appointment." Not pre-ticked, and recorded.

The six things that lower completion

An account or login before booking. A form longer than five fields. "Request an appointment" that a person confirms later (that is a form, not a booking). A promotion or upsell mid-flow. Availability shown as a calendar grid the customer has to hunt through, rather than the next few open slots. And a page that does not work well on a phone, which is where most people are.

The booking page is a fallback

Most customers who want to book will text, DM, or call. The booking page is for the ones who prefer to click, and for the ones who found you at 2am and want to sort it without a conversation. Link it from your Google Business Profile, your Instagram bio and your website. But measure it: if most bookings come by text, put the effort there.

Booking pages and the AI receptionist

An AI receptionist uses the same availability engine as the page, so a slot taken on the page disappears from what the AI offers and vice versa. It also means the AI can send someone the booking page when that is what they want ("I would rather look at a calendar"), without the two sources disagreeing.

Multi-location

Location first, then service, then staff, then time. The page should remember a returning customer's usual branch. The confirmation must state the address every time; the most common multi-location no-show is a customer at the wrong branch.

Frequently asked questions

Should the page show prices?

Yes, or starting prices. Hiding prices lowers completion and increases the calls asking for them.

Should new customers fill in intake forms on the page?

After the booking is confirmed, not before. Send the form link in the confirmation.

Do I need a booking page if I have an AI receptionist?

It is worth having as the option for people who prefer it, and it costs little once the availability engine exists. It should not be the primary channel.

What Frontiva does here

Frontiva's bookings give each location a public booking page (no account needed) that runs on the same availability engine and double-booking constraint as the staff calendar, shows your deposit policy before the customer books, and carries the unticked consent box for reminders. See booking buffers and turnaround time for the setting that keeps offered slots realistic.