Websites for tattoo studios
Tattoo studio websites where clients pick the artist first
People rarely choose a tattoo studio and then an artist. They find an artist whose style they love and then check that the studio is somewhere they would trust with their skin. A tattoo website has to serve both decisions, and quietly filter out the enquiries you would never take.
Every resident artist needs a page of their own
A shared gallery mixing fine line, blackwork, neo-trad and colour realism tells a visitor the studio is versatile. It does not tell them who to ask for. Each resident artist should have their own page: the styles they do and the ones they do not, a portfolio of their own work, whether their books are open, and how to enquire with them specifically.
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This matters for search as well. People look for a style and a place: fine line, blackwork, Japanese or cover-up, with a town name. An artist page built around a clear style is a far better match for those searches than a homepage trying to be about everything at once.
Healed work beats fresh work
Fresh tattoos photograph well and heal differently. Experienced clients know this, and they look for healed photos to judge line work, saturation and how an artist's pieces settle over the months that follow. A small healed section on each artist's page, even six or eight pieces, is more convincing than fifty fresh shots under studio lights and cling film.
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Cover-ups and reworks deserve a section of their own, with the before clearly visible. They are a distinct kind of enquiry, often from someone nervous after a bad experience elsewhere, and the before and after is exactly the proof they are looking for.
Books open, books closed, and a form that sorts people
Many artists open their books for a few weeks and close them when the diary fills. Announcing that only on Instagram means anyone who finds you through search never knows. A simple line on each artist's page, such as books open for June and July or books closed until further notice, saves a lot of hopeful messages.
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When books are open, the enquiry form does the sorting. Ask for what you need to plan and quote, and nothing more:
- The idea in their own words, with up to three reference images
- Placement on the body and approximate size in centimetres
- Colour, or black and grey
- Whether it covers, or sits near, existing work
- Which artist they want, or whether they are happy to be matched
- Rough availability, and confirmation that they are 18 or over
★★★★★
“… He took the vision for my brand, Byte & Batter, and built a premium, high-converting digital storefront entirely from scratch. …”
The age rule and council registration, stated plainly
Tattooing anyone under 18 is illegal in Great Britain under the Tattooing of Minors Act 1969, whatever a parent says. Stating that on the site, along with the fact that you ask for photo ID, removes an awkward conversation at the counter and a steady trickle of enquiries from sixteen-year-olds.
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Studios and artists also need to be registered with, or licensed by, their local council, and the detail varies between councils and between the UK nations. Mentioning your registration, how equipment is sterilised and that needles are single-use answers the hygiene worry that stops some first-timers booking at all. Pair it with a proper aftercare page, because that is the page clients reread at home during the first fortnight.
Guest spots, conventions and a site that is never finished
Studios change constantly. A guest artist visits for a week, a resident goes to a convention, someone runs a flash day. If the website only reflects the studio as it was at launch, it soon contradicts your Instagram, and clients trust whichever looks more current.
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A guest spots page with dates, the visiting artist's style and a way to book, updated for each visit, turns those weeks into bookings from people who do not follow the guest yet. This is the kind of steady small update Growth Care is designed for: you send the details, the page changes, and nobody in the studio has to learn a website editor.
Why most studios need reviews more than ads
Your Google Business Profile does a lot of quiet work for a studio. People check photos of the interior, opening hours and reviews before they walk in for a consultation. Reviews that mention an artist and a style are the most useful to the next client, so ask for that detail when you ask for the review, usually at the end of the final session.
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Most established studios do not need paid search, because their best work comes through reputation and portfolio. It can be worth testing for a service with clear intent, such as cover-ups, or laser removal if you offer it, sent to a page about that service. A broad advert for tattoo studios in your town tends to attract exactly the enquiries the form above is trying to filter out.
What it costs
From £1,400, one-off.
That is the whole Growth Website™ rebuild for a tattoo shop, up to 6 pages. It covers the audit, rewriting how you explain the work, design, build, the conversion and local search groundwork, tracking, speed and launch. It is about 14 working days from agreed direction to launch, and you own it outright.
Growth Care™ is optional: £149 a month. Cancel any time, with a month’s notice. Every price is fixed and published, so you know the cost before you speak to us.
In our clients’ words
What our clients say.
Questions
The ones that come up.
Should each tattoo artist have their own page on the studio website?
Yes. Clients usually choose the artist before the studio, so each resident needs a page showing their styles, their own portfolio, healed work and whether their books are open. Individual pages also match the way people search, by style and place, far better than one shared gallery does. Guest artists can share a single page with dates that is updated for each visit.
How can a tattoo studio cut down on time-wasting enquiries?
Ask for the details you need before you reply: the idea, reference images, placement, size, colour, the artist wanted and confirmation that the client is 18 or over. State your deposit terms and minimum charge on the same page. People who fill all of that in are serious, and the ones who only wanted a price for a small tattoo tend to filter themselves out.
How can a tattoo studio talk about price when every piece is custom?
Most custom work cannot be priced without seeing the design, so an exact price list rarely works. What helps is showing your minimum charge, hourly or day rates if you use them, how deposits work and whether design time is included. That sets a realistic expectation, and it stops the enquiry that assumes a full sleeve costs about the same as a small piece of flash.
What legal points should a tattoo studio website mention?
Say clearly that you do not tattoo anyone under 18, which is the law in Great Britain even with a parent's consent, and that you ask for photo ID. Mention that the studio is registered with or licensed by the local council, and describe your hygiene practices factually. A dedicated aftercare page is worth having too, since clients return to it throughout healing.
Where to next
Also for tattoo shops:
Related trades we build for:
Tattoo Shop websites
Find out what your website is costing you.
A free Growth Audit™: a written, prioritised audit of your website, with the three fixes worth making first. It is yours to keep whatever you decide.
We take on a limited number of builds at once, so there is usually a short wait before a new one starts. Once yours starts, it is about 14 working days from agreed direction to launch.