8 things every booking website needs

The short answer

A good booking website answers a client's questions before they book: who you are, which services you offer with their length and price, which times are open, where the session happens, what your cancellation policy is, and how their details will be used. The eighth requirement is that all of it works smoothly on a phone.

This checklist is for therapists, dietitians, coaches, barbers and beauty professionals who book their own clients. Each item covers why it matters, how to check your site, and how Ranovu handles it.

How do you audit your booking website in 8 steps?

Open your site on your phone and go through this table. Start with any row where the answer is "no".

A rule worth keeping: A booking website is only as good as the messages it saves you from answering.

1. What should the first screen of a booking website say?

Clients usually arrive from Instagram or a shared link, and the first thing they check is whether they are in the right place.

Check your own site:

• Put your name and profession in the headline, for example "Dr. Sarah Lee, counselling for adults and couples".
• Keep a "Book now" button on the first screen.
• Use a real photo with alt text.

Accessibility matters here too. The 2026 WebAIM Million report found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of the top one million home pages, most often low-contrast text (83.9%) (WebAIM Million). WCAG 2.2 asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text (W3C).

In Ranovu: Roon builds and publishes your site through a short chat. After that, you edit your own site from your dashboard, changing its text, colours and fonts there. On every plan: hero text, hero image, palette or custom colours, font set and section order. Your site lives at yourname.ranovu.com; connecting your own domain with automatic SSL is on Ultra. See the site builder guide for the steps.

2. Why should services show length and price?

"How much is it?" and "How long is a session?" are the questions clients ask most. If the page does not answer them, clients message you or leave.

Check your own site:

• Show each service's name, length and price side by side.
• If the price varies, give a starting price and what it depends on ("depending on package").

In Ranovu: If you offer more than one service, the booking flow starts with the client choosing a service. When choosing, your client sees each service's description, length and price (or "Free"); you can hide the price and length if you prefer. Service categories, add-ons and packages are on Premium and above, as is the Prices section of the site. You can offer free appointments or take payment at the visit. Details are in the service catalog guide.

3. How should open times appear on a booking website?

Messaging back and forth to find a time is the most tiring step for a client.

Check your own site:

• Let clients see only the times that are actually free.
• Keep personal commitments in the same calendar so availability stays accurate.
• Set a minimum notice period (for example, "at least 12 hours ahead").

In Ranovu: Clients pick an open slot on your booking page and book it themselves. They can book any of your open slots at any hour of the day; only the times you open are offered, and your minimum notice and service rules apply. If auto-approve is off, the booking waits for your approval. Your booking page is at yourname.ranovu.com/randevu. Premium and above include two-way Google Calendar sync (30-day trial on Free).

4. How do you make it clear whether a session is online or in person?

Many therapists, dietitians and coaches work both online and in person. If the format is unclear, a client may go to the wrong place or wait for a link.

Check your own site:

• Put the format in the service name or make it visible when the service is chosen: "Online session (50 min)", "In-person session (50 min)".
• For online sessions, say which tool you use (Google Meet, Zoom).

In Ranovu: Premium and above create automatic Google Meet links for online appointments (30-day trial on Free); Ultra adds automatic Zoom links. To run online and in-person bookings in one calendar, see hybrid appointments.

5. How should the address or meeting link reach the client?

After booking, the next question is how to get there or join. If that detail gets lost, a "where's the link?" message arrives as the session starts.

Check your own site:

• For in-person services, give the full address and entrance.
• Put the date, time, service and address or link in the confirmation and the reminder.

In Ranovu: When a booking is confirmed, your client automatically gets a WhatsApp and email confirmation. Automatic WhatsApp and email reminders go out before the appointment; you choose how many hours before. For online appointments on Premium and above, once the booking is confirmed, the Meet link is sent to your client on WhatsApp and in the confirmation email. For in-person appointments, the confirmation email includes the address and a map; the address also shows on the appointment page linked from the WhatsApp message. Details are in the online meeting links guide.

6. How should a cancellation policy be written on a booking website?

A written policy makes things predictable for both sides. Without one, late cancellations turn into negotiations.

Check your own site:

• Keep it to one sentence: "You can cancel up to 24 hours before your appointment."
• Say what happens after that point (a cancellation request, a fee or a new booking).
• Show the policy before the client books.
• Give clients a simple way to cancel.

In Ranovu: You set the cancellation deadline; before it, clients cancel from their own link. After the deadline, depending on your setting, they either send a cancellation request or only see a notice. Per-service deadlines are on Premium and above. Clients can't reschedule from their own link; to make a change, they contact you, you move the booking from your dashboard, and your client is notified. For the client side, see managing a booking.

7. Why does a booking form need a consent step?

A booking form collects personal data, sometimes including health-related notes. Clients want to know how it will be used before they press send.

Under Article 13 of the GDPR, when personal data is collected from a person, the controller must give them information such as its identity and contact details, the purposes and legal basis of processing, and how long the data is kept (GDPR Article 13). The UK Information Commissioner's Office says this privacy information must be provided at the time you collect the data (ICO). Whether you also need consent depends on your work; check with a qualified adviser.

Check your own site:

• Put a short, plain privacy notice and consent step before the submit button, linking to the full text.
• Ask only for what you need. Baymard Institute's 2024 research found the average checkout has 11.3 form fields, while most sites need only 8 in total (Baymard). The principle carries over to booking forms.

In Ranovu: Every booking form includes a consent step that can't be switched off. Booking and contact forms are protected against bots. For form steps, see the booking form builder guide.

8. How should a booking website work on a phone?

In September 2026, 58.99% of web page views worldwide came from mobile devices, according to StatCounter (StatCounter).

Check your own site:

• The page should read as a single column with no sideways scrolling.
• Buttons and time slots should be large enough to tap. WCAG 2.2 sets a minimum target size of 24 by 24 CSS pixels (W3C).
• The page should load quickly. Google's web.dev guidance sets good targets of 2.5 seconds for the largest content to load, 200 milliseconds to respond to input, and 0.1 or less layout shift (web.dev).
• Book once on your own phone and note where you hesitate.

In Ranovu: Your site and booking page fit phone screens, so clients can book from their phone.

A rule worth keeping: If you answer the same question more than three times a week, the answer is missing from your site.

What does Ranovu provide here?

• Site and booking address: Roon builds and publishes your site through a short chat; your booking page is at yourname.ranovu.com/randevu.
• Online booking: Clients pick an open slot on your booking page and book it themselves.
• Confirmations and reminders: Confirmations and reminders go out on WhatsApp automatically.

See examples for psychologists, dietitians and barbers. Setup is explained on Create a booking website.

You can start on the free plan: free forever, 30 bookings a month, no card. Plan details are on the pricing page.