Opening a Studio in Surry Hills: What the Page Will Cost You in Time

Suppose you have just signed the lease on a small studio in Surry Hills. The floor is being laid, the mirrors are on order and the opening is a month away. How much of your time should the website take? Here is the comparison, counted in hours rather than dollars.

The custom site

A custom site means meetings with a designer, choosing a look, supplying photographs of a room that is not finished and several rounds of corrections. Even a straightforward project can swallow evenings you need for the studio. If it finishes late, people searching during the weeks before opening find nothing at all.

No page

This saves effort for now, but it hands your first impression to chance. Someone near Bondi looking for a yoga class, or a person in Newtown searching for a personal trainer, will choose a place that explains itself. A studio with no page can look as though it has not opened, however good it is.

The simple page

You write down what the studio offers, who it suits, where it is, when it opens and how to book. That takes an afternoon and needs no photographs. Start a free page here and refine it as opening day approaches.

What to include

• A line on who the sessions suit, including beginners
• A weekly timetable or how to book a time
• The nearest train station or bus route
• A way to ask questions

Dance schools can add age groups and term dates, and a day spa can list treatments with short descriptions.

Details that matter in Sydney

Many people reach a Surry Hills studio on foot from Central or by bus along Crown Street, so give a clear walking direction from the nearest station. Mention whether street parking is time-limited, since that worries drivers. If sessions are held early, before work, or after a beach morning, say so. A line on showers, lockers and whether newcomers need to bring a towel or a mat can settle a hesitant first-timer's mind before they ever walk through the door.

After opening

Once you are running, the page costs only the minutes needed to change the timetable. That is the real saving: a simple page you actually keep current beats an impressive one you dread editing. Spend the month on the studio and give the page a single afternoon.