A woman has just moved to a new part of town. She needs someone for brows and lashes before a friend's wedding and, if she likes the result, a regular place for facials, waxing and nails for the rest of the year. She searches on her phone, scrolls through photos and reviews, checks opening hours and books online with the salon that feels right. For a beauty salon or spa, a client won that way can come back dozens of times.
Once you have decided to invest in being found, the next question is practical: which plan? Presence, Momentum, Flood or an exclusive plan? This guide helps you decide based on the size of your business, your ambitions and the competition around you, using the prices published on the Traffic Engine offer page.
The plans at a glance
Every plan shares the same foundation: a one-time setup of $1,650, a 12-month commitment, a dated report every week, results you can follow in your own Search Console and a measured review at three months. What changes is the intensity of the work done to make you visible.
| Plan | Monthly price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Presence | $1,200 | A salon that wants steady, baseline visibility in its neighbourhood |
| Momentum | $2,100 | A salon or clinic that wants to grow and fill its diary; the most common choice |
| Flood | $3,850 | A spa or brand facing heavy competition |
| Momentum Exclusive | $4,250 | A business that wants to lock the beauty sector in its area |
| Flood Exclusive | $6,450 | Maximum intensity, with no competitor taken on |
Presence: for the neighbourhood salon
Presence suits a hair salon, nail bar, barbershop or small treatment room that lives mainly on local clients. You are not trying to become the best-known name in the city; you want to be found by people nearby who search for a stylist, a brow specialist or a massage therapist, and to stop relying only on walk-ins and Instagram.
Year one comes to $16,050: the $1,650 setup plus 12 monthly payments of $1,200. Whether that pays back depends on what a loyal client is worth to you across a year of visits and retail, and on how many new regulars you can realistically take on. If your chairs are already close to full, there is no point paying to attract more bookings than you can serve.
Momentum: for the salon that wants a fuller diary
Momentum is the plan most businesses choose, and it fits a salon that already has a team, several treatment rooms and a broad menu (facials, lashes, waxing, massage, bridal make-up). The aim is a diary that fills on weekdays, not just on Saturdays and in the run-up to prom season, Christmas or wedding season.
Year one represents $26,850: the $1,650 setup plus 12 payments of $2,100. Work out how many extra regular clients would cover that, using what a typical client spends with you in a year. For many established salons, the number is smaller than they expect. Our guide on how many clients it takes to break even walks through the reasoning.
Flood: for the spa or brand facing strong competition
Flood is built for more ambitious businesses: a hotel or resort spa, a wellness centre with treatment suites, a brand opening a second location, or a salon on a high street where competitors sit door to door. In those situations, competition to be found is intense and the value of a client (packages, courses of treatments, gift vouchers, bridal parties) justifies more firepower.
Year one comes to $47,850: the $1,650 setup plus 12 payments of $3,850. It is a serious commitment, best suited to businesses with spare capacity and a front desk that answers enquiries quickly.
Exclusive plans: locking beauty in your area
Traffic Engine limits each sector to 3 standard seats per area, each with its own positioning. Momentum Exclusive and Flood Exclusive go further: no other salon, spa or beauty business in your area is taken on during your commitment. This is only possible while the sector is still empty; as soon as a first standard seat is signed, the option is withdrawn. It mainly appeals to brands that want to be the local reference and do not want a rival benefiting from the same support. The reasoning behind the cap is set out in our guide on limited seats per sector.
How to decide in practice
Ask yourself four questions, in this order.
- How many new clients can you take each month? If your treatment rooms are nearly full, Presence or Momentum is enough. If you have room, a more intensive plan makes sense.
- What is a loyal client worth over a year? The higher the figure, the faster an ambitious plan pays back. The payback calculator runs the numbers with your own inputs.
- How many serious competitors are nearby? On a crowded street, Presence may be too quiet to make a difference.
- Is your sector still open? If nobody has taken a beauty seat in your area yet, this is the only window for exclusivity.
If you are still unsure how much to spend overall, our guide on setting a visibility budget for a beauty salon helps you frame it.
Your next step
You do not have to choose blind. The Visibility Audit, at $750, reviews how your salon shows up on Google and with AI assistants, compares you with other businesses in your area and recommends the right plan. The report arrives within 48 working hours and the fee is fully deducted from the setup if you start within 30 days. See the offer and check which seats are still available.