In this episode of The Modern Hairstylist Podcast, Hunter Donia and Jodie Brown get into a topic Hunter has been teaching and refining with his Mastermind and Modern Stylist Movement members for the past year: what has actually changed when it comes to building, optimizing, and maintaining a website as a hairstylist right now, and why what worked a few years ago is no longer enough.
Hunter is honest that he hates building websites just as much as you do. But he is equally clear that if you want to attract high ticket clients and charge high ticket prices, your website has to look and perform the part. This episode covers exactly what that means in today's landscape.
Key Takeaways:
🤖 AI Website Builders Are Changing Everything: Hunter breaks down why he has moved away from traditional drag and drop builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Showit in favor of AI powered builders like Lovable and Base44. The difference is not just convenience, it is performance, speed, and the ability to add backend SEO code that traditional builders simply cannot do for you.
🔍 SEO Is More Important Than It Has Ever Been: Clients are now finding their hairstylists through Google AI summaries and chatbots, not just traditional search. Hunter explains why this makes SEO more specific and more competitive than ever, and what you can do right now to make sure you are showing up where your ideal clients are actually looking.
📄 Specialty Pages Are A Game Changer: Having a dedicated page on your website for your specialty service, whether that is extensions, curly hair, or Brazilian blowouts, sends a powerful signal to Google and AI crawlers that you are an authority in that specific area. Hunter walks through exactly what that page should include to actually convert the clients who land on it.
⭐ Social Proof Should Be Everywhere On Your Website: Hunter is direct: between every single section of your website, there should be a testimonial, a before and after, or a client story. The more social proof that exists on your site, the more trustworthy you appear to both potential clients and the AI systems recommending you.
⚠️ Know When Not To Make The Switch: Hunter closes with an important caveat. If your current website is already performing well and getting you found on Google consistently, disrupting it may not be worth it right now. He walks through when it makes sense to wait and when it makes sense to make the move.
Why You Should Listen: Whether you have been putting off dealing with your website or you are actively trying to figure out how to get found by more of the right clients online, this episode gives you an honest and practical breakdown of what is actually working right now and what you should be prioritizing to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond.
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