Online Business Card for Mobile Businesses: A Set-Up Guide
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Online business cards for local businesses
For mobile hairdressers, dog groomers, cleaners, mechanics and window cleaners: service area wording, your QR code on the van and invoices, WhatsApp, bookings, a before-and-after gallery and reviews.
If you run a mobile business, your van is your shop front and your phone is your office. Customers find you through neighbours, a sign on the van or a quick search, and they want answers before they call: do you cover my street, what does it cost, and when can you come? An online business card answers those questions on one page you can share anywhere.
This guide is for mobile hairdressers, dog groomers, cleaners, mobile mechanics, window cleaners and anyone else who goes to the customer. It covers service area wording, using your QR code on the van and on invoices, WhatsApp, bookings and enquiries, a before-and-after gallery, reviews and a sample layout.
Start with your service area
The first thing a customer checks is whether you come to them. Make it impossible to miss.
Write it the way customers think
- Name towns and villages, not just a radius. "Within 10 miles of Otley" makes people reach for a map. "Otley, Ilkley, Burley, Menston and Pool" does not.
- Add postcode districts if your area is a city. "LS16, LS17 and LS18".
- Say what happens just outside. "Further afield? Ask, we may be able to come for a small travel charge."
- Put it in the header line. For example: "Mobile dog grooming in Otley, Ilkley and Burley."
Keep the wording identical on your card and your Google Business Profile, so customers see one consistent business.
Your QR code on the van and on invoices
Your van is seen every day, parked on drives and in traffic. A QR code that opens your card turns that attention into enquiries.
On the van
- Size it for distance. A code people scan from the pavement needs to be much bigger than one on a leaflet. Our QR code size and placement guide explains how to size a code for the distance people will scan from.
- Place it at eye level on the side and back doors, away from handles and panel seams.
- Add a line of text. "Scan for prices and booking" tells people why to scan.
- Keep the phone number large as well. Not everyone scans.
On invoices and quotes
Add the QR code and the link to every invoice and quote, digital or paper. A customer who was happy with the job can rebook, recommend you or leave a review straight from it.
WhatsApp: the button most mobile customers use
Many customers would rather message than call, especially when you are busy with a job and cannot answer. Put a WhatsApp button near the top of your card. Set up a WhatsApp Business away message that points back to your card: "Thanks for your message. I'm on a job and will reply this evening. Prices and booking are here."
Booking or enquiry form?
On the Business Plan you can have both. Choose the one that fits how you work.
- Bookings suit fixed-length services where you know your diary: grooms, mobile hair appointments, regular cleans. Clients pick a service and a free time. Our guide to an online business card with booking explains how to set up services, timings and gaps for travel.
- An enquiry form suits jobs you need to price first: car repairs, one-off deep cleans, gutter clearing. Ask for the postcode, the job and the best time to call.
Build travel time into your bookings. If you need 20 minutes between clients, add it as a gap if your booking settings allow it, or add it to each service's length.
A before-and-after gallery, with permission
For mobile businesses, before-and-after photos often do more selling than any description.
- Ask first. Get the customer's permission before you take or show photos of their home, car, pet or hair. Keep a note of when they agreed.
- Hide personal details. Crop or blur house numbers, car registration plates, faces of other people and anything that shows where someone lives.
- Show variety. One photo of each type of job is more useful than ten of the same thing.
- Keep it current. Swap in recent work every month or two.
Reviews: ask at the end of every job
Customers of mobile businesses often cannot see your premises, so reviews carry more weight. On the Business Plan, your card's reviews button sends customers straight to your Google review page. Ask every customer, in the same words, for an honest review. Never offer anything in return. Our guide to online business card reviews has wording you can use.
Which sections matter for your business
Business type | Most important sections | Booking or enquiry | Gallery focus
Mobile hairdresser | Service area, prices, booking, testimonials | Booking | Finished styles, with permission
Dog groomer | Service area, price list by size of dog, booking | Booking | Before and after grooms
Cleaner | Service area, what is included, enquiry form | Enquiry for one-offs, booking for regulars | Before and after rooms, no personal items in shot
Mobile mechanic | Services, area, enquiry form with car make and fault | Enquiry | Repairs, with registration plates hidden
Window cleaner | Area by street or village, round days, enquiry form | Enquiry | Results on different property types, house numbers hidden
Example: a mobile groomer's profile
This is an Example for a made-up business, not a real customer.
- Header: Muddy Paws Mobile Grooming. Otley, Ilkley, Burley and Menston. Tuesday to Saturday.
- Buttons: WhatsApp, Book a groom, Call.
- About: Two lines: grooms done in a heated van on your drive, one dog at a time, no cages.
- Services: Full groom (small, medium, large), Bath and tidy, Puppy intro, Nail trim. Each with a "from" price and how long it takes.
- Documents: "Price list, October 2026" and "Before your groom: what to expect".
- Gallery: Eight before-and-after pairs, shown with owners' permission, with no house numbers in shot.
- Reviews: "Leave an honest review" button, plus three testimonials used with permission.
- Footer details: Service area again, and "Further afield? Message us".
A week of sharing, for a mobile business
- Monday: add the card link to your WhatsApp Business profile and away message.
- Tuesday: add the QR code and link to your invoice and quote templates.
- Wednesday: put the card link in your Google Business Profile, if you do not have a website.
- Thursday: arrange the QR code on the van, at the right size.
- Friday: send the link to your regular customers with a short note: "You can now book online here."
Mobile businesses that also trade at markets or events can borrow ideas from our guide to an online business card for market traders.
Which plan?
If customers just need your details, prices and photos, Brand Presence (£45 one-off) covers it. If you want bookings, an enquiry form, saved leads or the reviews button, choose the Business Plan (£90 one-off). Our online business card with a QR code page shows both plans. More guides for local businesses are in the journal.
Frequently asked questions
How should a mobile business describe its service area?
Name the towns, villages or postcode districts you cover, rather than giving a radius. Put it in your header line, and say what happens if someone is just outside your area. Use the same wording on your card and Google Business Profile.
How big should the QR code on my van be?
Big enough to scan from where people will stand, which on a van is usually the pavement or the next parking space. Our QR code size and placement guide explains how to work it out. Keep your phone number large as well.
Should I use bookings or an enquiry form?
Bookings suit fixed-length services in a set diary, such as grooms or mobile hair. An enquiry form suits jobs you price first, such as car repairs or one-off cleans. The Business Plan includes both.
Can I show before-and-after photos of customers' homes or pets?
Only with the customer's permission. Hide house numbers, registration plates and anything that shows where someone lives. Keep a note of when they agreed.
Which plan suits a mobile business?
Brand Presence (£45 one-off) covers your details, service area, prices, documents and gallery. The Business Plan (£90 one-off) adds bookings, enquiry forms, saved leads and a reviews button, which most mobile businesses find useful.
Do customers need an app to open my card?
No. They scan the QR code with their phone camera or open the link, and the card opens in their browser. There is nothing to install.