The short answer
Seeing a Treatwell, Fresha or Phorest page rank above your own website on Google isn't usually a sign that something's broken. Google is showing the page it currently trusts most for that search, and a well-reviewed marketplace listing can genuinely out-trust a thin or outdated website without meaning your business is doing anything wrong. The actual risk isn't the marketplace page existing, it's your name, address, phone number and services disagreeing across your website, your Google Business Profile and the marketplace page, because that's what actually confuses both Google and a prospective client.
Why Google sometimes shows a marketplace page above your own
Treatwell, Fresha and Phorest are themselves large, frequently updated websites with their own strong local SEO, consistent structure across thousands of salon and clinic pages, and a steady stream of reviews collected automatically at the point of booking. A single salon's own website is competing against that with far fewer pages, usually fewer frequent updates, and a review flow that depends on someone remembering to ask. When Google weighs the two for a local search, it isn't picking a side between "you" and "the marketplace", it's picking whichever page currently looks most complete, current and trusted for that particular query. Early on, especially for a newer business, that's often the marketplace page simply because it's had more consistent signals for longer.
Is that actually bad for you
Not automatically. A marketplace page that brings in a new client who'd never have found you otherwise is doing its job, and it's still your business benefiting, whichever page they clicked first. The genuine risk sits in two places. First, if your own website and Google Business Profile have gone stale while the marketplace page stays fresh, you've effectively handed control of your first impression to a platform you don't run and that also lists your competitors on the same page, often with a "similar businesses nearby" section a few scrolls down. Second, if the three listings disagree, different opening hours, an old address, services that have changed, that inconsistency is what actually damages your ranking and confuses a client trying to book, rather than the marketplace page existing at all.
There's also a cost side worth weighing honestly. Most marketplace platforms take a booking fee or a percentage of the sale on clients who book through them, so a channel that's quietly become your main source of new clients is worth knowing the real cost of, rather than treating as free marketing simply because you didn't pay for an advert.
Keeping your name, address, phone and services identical across all three
This is the part worth actually checking rather than assuming. Your business name should read identically on your website, your Google Business Profile and whichever of Treatwell, Fresha or Phorest you use, not "Jess Hair Studio" in one place and "Jess Hair & Beauty" in another. The address and phone number need to match exactly, including how the street name is written out. Services and prices should tell the same story everywhere, not necessarily identical wording, but not contradictory either: a treatment listed as available on the marketplace but missing from your own services list reads as neglect rather than choice. Where this diverges most often in practice is after a change, a price rise, a new treatment added, a team member leaving, because it's updated in one place and quietly forgotten in the other two.
A simple monthly check to run yourself
Once a month, open your website, your Google Business Profile and your marketplace profile side by side and run through the same four checks:
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Name | Identical wording and punctuation everywhere, not a shortened or older version on one listing |
| Address and phone | Exactly matching, including how the street name is written and whether a landline or mobile is shown |
| Services and prices | Broadly agreeing, nothing listed on the marketplace that's quietly missing from your own site |
| Opening hours | The same hours everywhere, including any seasonal or holiday change |
It takes a few minutes and catches most of the drift before it becomes a genuine problem. If you run more than one marketplace profile, the same check applies to each, and it's worth doing again after any change to pricing, services or hours on any one of them, not only on a fixed monthly date. A quick way to spot drift without opening every page is to search your own business name and skim what Google itself is showing from each source, since that's the same comparison a prospective client is quietly making.
When to get help, and what we'd do
If keeping three or four listings in sync has already slipped, or you're not sure your Google Business Profile is pulling its weight next to a marketplace page that's clearly working harder, local SEO foundations covers the technical and on-page fixes that let your own website and profile compete properly again, rather than quietly ceding ground to a platform you don't control. We'd start with a consistency audit across everything you're listed on, then prioritise whichever gap is actually costing you enquiries rather than everything at once.
Related
Read more on the general problem of customers can't find us on Google, and see Fresha vs Timely vs Phorest for cutting no-shows for the related, but different, question of which booking platform handles reminders and deposits best.
Frequently asked questions
Should I close my Treatwell or Fresha profile so Google ranks my own website instead?
Generally no. Closing a marketplace profile that's bringing in clients usually loses you those bookings without guaranteeing your own website moves up, and the two aren't a zero-sum trade in the way it can feel.
Why does my marketplace page have more reviews than my Google profile?
Marketplace platforms typically prompt for a review automatically right after a booking, while a Google review usually depends on someone remembering to ask. Automatic review requests on your own side close most of that gap.
Does it matter which marketplace platform I use for SEO purposes?
Not especially. Treatwell, Fresha and Phorest are all large, well-optimised sites in their own right. The consistency between whichever one you use and your own listings matters far more than which platform you picked.
How often should I check my listings actually match?
Once a month is a sensible routine, plus an extra check any time you change a price, a service, your hours or your address, since that's when the three listings are most likely to drift apart.