6 Things You Must Do Before You Build (or Rehab) Your Estie Website

A Smith & Crawford Guide for Estheticians Who Want a Website That Actually Converts

If you’re an esthetician getting ready to build (or glow-up) your website in 2025… pause that Wix tab for one hot second.

Because here’s the truth no one tells you: Your website is the LAST step — not the first.

A profitable, polished, client-magnetizing esthetician website is built on strategy, clarity, visuals, messaging, and alignment that happens before a single pixel is designed.

And this is exactly where most estheticians go wrong.

They jump right into picking templates. They start dragging and dropping things into Canva. They upload random photos from their camera roll. And they expect it to magically “look professional.”

But you’re not just building a website. You’re building a brand asset that books clients, positions you as the expert, and becomes the home base for your esthetician business.

So before you touch a template, scroll one more time, or yell “WHY IS THIS FONT DOING THAT?” at your laptop… here are the 6 things you absolutely need in place first.

1. Do a Small, Professional Photoshoot (Yes… Before the Website Begins)

A website without professional photos is like a facial without moisturizer. It technically works, but the result is dry, unfinished, and not giving what it needs to give.

Your website is a visual experience.Clients decide in 3 seconds if you look credible, elevated, and worth booking.

And nothing elevates faster than thoughtful, intentional brand photography.

Here’s what your shoot should include:

✔ Headshots

Clean, welcoming, natural. People buy from faces they trust.

✔ Treatment shots

Holding tools, performing services, prepping the treatment room, cozy close-ups of towels or serums, with all that aesthetic goodness.

✔ Lifestyle content

Smiling, standing, working, writing notes, looking at your product shelves, mixing masks as examples. You want photos that show energy, confidence, and your esthetician personality.

✔ Space shots

Even if you rent a room, make it look intentional. Clean counters, and thoughtfully arrange bottles in an aesthetic way. Your environment matters.

This doesn’t need to be a huge, expensive shoot. You don’t need 300 photos. You just need 20–30 strategic ones that match your brand vibe and give your website designer real imagery to work with.

Bottom line: Professional photos instantly make your website look 10x more expensive, trustworthy, and polished — even if you’re brand new.

2. Define Your Brand Foundation: Fonts, Colors & Visual Aesthetic

Your website cannot look cohesive or luxe if your brand doesn’t have a clear visual identity.

Fonts and colors matter — not because they’re “cute,” but because they create brand recognition, consistency, and authority.

You need at minimum:

• ✔ A primary brand color

• ✔ A secondary/neutral color palette

• ✔ A clean, readable paragraph font

• ✔ A high-end headline font

• ✔ A photography style that matches your aesthetic

• 
  

If you want to attract premium clients, you need premium visual consistency.

Strong branding does the heavy lifting for you. It tells your website designer:

• how your buttons should look

• how your headers should feel

• how your photos should be edited

• what your layout needs to convey

• 
  

This is why our Estie Brand & Website and Mini Estie Brand & Website packages always start with brand development first — because the website cannot exist without it.

Before you build, decide:

• ✔ Are you soft neutrals or bold statement colors?

• ✔ Are you minimal, clinical, warm, or luxurious?

• ✔ Are your clients earthy spa girls or modern med-aesthetic lovers?

• 
  

Clarity here = a website that feels intentional, not random.

3. Clarify Your Brand Voice & Messaging (What You Say + How You Say It)

This is the step estheticians skip most, and it’s the one that converts the most.

Your brand voice is your personality in words. 

It’s how you talk about:

• skin

• treatments

• results

• client experience

• what makes you different

• 
  

You need to know, before your website is designed:

• Are you clinical and educational?

• Are you warm, cozy, and holistic?

• Are you edgy + bold?

• Are you funny, approachable, and trendy?

• Are you luxury, minimalist, and highly curated?

• 
  

Your copywriter or designer cannot guess this. If your tone isn’t defined, your website ends up sounding generic. And generic websites don’t convert.

Your voice should:

• speak directly to your ideal client

• validate their concerns

• position you as the skin expert

• explain your philosophy

• show your personality

• make booking feel like the obvious next step

• 
  

This is why we help our Estie clients create “brand voice guidelines”  because once your voice is defined, everything clicks into place.

4. Organize Your Service Menu & Treatment Structure With Intention

Scrolling a chaotic service list is the digital version of walking into a cluttered spa lobby.

Your website needs a strategic, simplified menu that makes booking easy, not overwhelming.

Before your build, answer these questions:

✔ What treatments do you actually want to be known for?

Not the ones you tolerate, the ones you absolutely love.

✔ Which services convert first-time clients the best?

Lead with those.

✔ Which treatments are your higher-ticket or signature services?

Feature them prominently.

✔ Do your services need better grouping?

Example:

• Corrective Facials

• Acne Programs

• Age Management Treatments

• Advanced Modalities

• Add-ons

• 
  

✔ What is your long-term client journey?

How do they progress from beginner to long-term?This determines how your website guides them.

Clients need clarity:

• what the treatment does

• who it’s for

• how often to come

• what results to expect

• 
  

If you don’t outline this before the website is built, the site will feel unfocused, unclear, and harder to convert.

5. Write or Outline Client-Focused Copy That Converts

Most esthetician websites talk at clients instead of to them.

Your website copy needs to:

• build trust

• reduce hesitation

• position you as the expert

• remove confusion

• get them excited

• make booking feel obvious

• 
  

Before the site is built, outline:

• your mission + philosophy

• what makes your approach special

• who you serve

• the transformation you offer

• what makes your treatments different

• FAQs you answer constantly

• client problems you solve

• results they can expect

• 
  

Strong copy = strong conversions.

Weak copy = people clicking away.

This is why many estheticians build a site and still feel like “something isn’t working.”99% of the time? It's the messaging, not the design.

And yes… this is exactly the difference our clients feel when they invest in a Smith & Crawford brand and website. We write copy that turns browsers into bookers.

6. Gather Your Tech, Reviews, Policies & Proof So Nothing Slows Down Your Build

Website builds slow down not because of design, but because estheticians don’t have the backend pieces ready.

Here’s what you MUST gather beforehand:

✔ Booking Link

A direct link to your booking platform (Vagaro, GlossGenius, Boulevard, etc.).

✔ Client Testimonials + Before/Afters

Proof sells.Your website needs credibility, not just pretty layouts.

✔ Your Policies

Cancellation Late arrivals No-shows Returns Membership terms All written and ready.

✔ Your Email, Phone, Address & Socials

Brand-consistent and updated.

✔ Any Forms or Programs

Consultation formsMembership PDFsPre- and post-care instructionsAcne program details

✔ Your SEO Targets

Your cityYour nicheYour service keywords

If you want a smooth, stress-free website build, have these assets gathered before the project begins.

Your designer will thank you. Your timeline will thank you. Your future self will thank you.

Here’s Where Smith & Crawford Comes In…

Once estheticians realize how much goes into a professional, high-converting website, they fall into one of two camps:

1️⃣ “I want this done right — someone please take over.” or2️⃣ “I love the DIY spirit… but I need strategy, structure, and design support.”

We built two packages specifically for estheticians at two different stages:

⭐ The Estie Brand & Website — $2997

(Full Mini Brand + 3-Page Website Build)

Perfect for estheticians who want:

• A polished, elevated, luxury brand

• A fully built website that feels expensive

• A high-end digital home for their business

• Professional copywriting included

• Done-for-you strategy, design, and structure

• 
  

Includes: 

✔ Brand colors + fonts 

✔ Moodboard + aesthetic direction 

✔ Homepage 

✔ Services page 

✔ About page 

✔ Booking integration 

✔ SEO setup 

✔ Copywriting 

✔ Mobile optimization 

✔ Payment plans available

⭐ The Mini Estie Brand & One-Page Website — $1797

(Fonts & Colors Only + A Beautiful Single-Page Site)

Perfect for beginners, solo esties, or those not ready for a full build.

Includes: 

✔ Fonts + color suite 

✔ Beautiful one-page layout 

✔ Service overview 

✔ About section 

✔ Booking section 

✔ Contact section 

✔ Light SEO setup 

✔ Payment plans available

Same S&C polish. Smaller footprint. Budget-friendly. Still stunning.

Final Word: Your Website Is Your First Impression — Make It Count

You deserve a website that feels like you. Professional. Warm. Expert. Trustworthy. Booked-out energy.

And that doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens by preparing intentionally.

Do these six things before you build, and your website will not just look gorgeous… it will work.

If you want the strategy + design done for you by a team who lives and breathes esthetician brands:

👉 Explore our portfolio here: www.smithandcrawford.com

Email: hello@smithandcrawford.com

Your clients are Googling you. Let’s make sure what they find is unforgettable.