# Online booking for your website, widget, and custom domain > Accept online bookings through your website, WordPress, widget, and custom domain with real availability, prepayment against no-shows, and clear booking rules. Source: https://reservation.business/en/platform/online-booking · Language: en Clients can book 24/7 through your website, WordPress setup, widget, or custom domain, while bookings still follow the same rules, availability, and next steps as the internal schedule. ## This matters once bookings need to land cleanly in the schedule - Clients can book through your website, public profile, booking link, widget, WordPress setup, or custom domain without waiting for business hours. - Show only real services, staff, slots, and rules instead of letting the public path promise something the team cannot actually deliver. - Require a prepayment percentage on booking, while clients marked as trusted book without a deposit. - Booking also works through your own site and domain alone — the location does not have to appear in Marketplace. - Online bookings land in the same schedule and working rules instead of creating a second flow for manual cleanup. ## Online booking only helps when it does not create more work The problem is not adding a Book Now button. The problem starts when clients see one set of services and rules, and the team later has to move slots, explain restrictions, and repair the booking. ## From website visit to a booking that lands cleanly in the schedule A stronger public booking path does not stop at the form. It guides the client to the right appointment and brings that booking back into the day the team already manages. - Clients reach booking through the website, public profile, widget, WordPress setup, custom domain, or a direct booking link. - They see services, staff, and slots based on the same real availability and booking rules used internally. - They receive clear restrictions, notice periods, and client-facing messages before the visit instead of forcing the team to explain everything afterward. - Online bookings return into the same schedule, pending approvals flow, front desk work, and next steps instead of creating a second process. ## The settings that define the public path "Online bookings" lists the business locations, and each one opens a form with its own groups of settings — the same groups appear below. - **[Public profile and visibility](https://reservation.business/en/platform/booking-channels)** — When the location is public, how its profile looks and what a visitor sees. The public profile, the direct link and website booking all start here. - **Booking rules and availability** — The status new requests arrive with, available slots, staff selection, and how early or how far ahead clients can book. Separate restrictions decide which days and hours accept a request at all. - **Client self-service changes** — You decide whether clients can cancel, reschedule or change seats themselves — and up to what point. This is the difference between self-service and a phone that rings for every change. - **Widget, WordPress, and custom domain** — Embed booking into your own site with the widget or the official WordPress plugin, and with Online bookings PRO move it onto your own domain, with your logo and colour — without the location appearing in Marketplace if you prefer. - **Prepayment and no-show protection** — Require a percentage of the price on online booking. The appointment waits for payment before it is confirmed, while regulars marked as trusted book without a deposit. The money lands in the business account. ## What improves when everything stays in sync Online bookings can grow without creating more cleanup, more explanations, or more manual repair work for the team. - **More bookings outside business hours** — Clients can book when it suits them without the team returning calls and messages for every open slot. - **Fewer corrections after booking** — Clients see more realistic services, availability, and rules, so the team spends less time fixing expectations afterward. - **A clearer branded path to booking** — The widget and custom domain give the business more control over how clients discover, understand, and book services. - **Fewer no-shows and late cancellations** — Prepayment on booking, reminders, and clear deadlines for cancelling or rescheduling reduce empty slots without the team chasing each client individually. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is this only relevant for businesses with their own website? That is where it matters most, but not only there. This page covers booking through your own website, widget, WordPress setup, custom domain, public profile, and direct booking links. ### Does this also cover the public profile and booking rules? Yes. This page includes the public profile, visibility, booking rules, request restrictions, and the client-facing messaging around online booking. ### Can the website and widget follow the same booking rules as the internal calendar? Yes. The website and widget should stay tied to the same services, availability, restrictions, and messages instead of drifting away from the real booking model. ### Can booking stay under our own brand? Yes. The widget and custom domain help bring booking into the business’s own site and branded path when that matters. ### Can I take online bookings without appearing in Marketplace? Yes. With Online bookings PRO, booking lives on your own domain, and the "Hide from Reservation.Studio marketplace" setting keeps the location out of the public catalogue. Online booking does not require Marketplace. ### How do I reduce no-shows on website bookings? Set a prepayment percentage on online booking. The appointment waits for payment before it is confirmed, while clients you have marked as trusted book without a deposit. Separately, you set how late a client can cancel or reschedule. ### Is there a ready way to put booking into WordPress? Yes. There is an official plugin with shortcodes and admin settings, so booking can go on whichever page you need without development work. ### Where do Marketplace and client apps fit? They belong to the broader public booking layer. This page focuses on your own website, widget, WordPress setup, and custom domain. If you want to see every channel side by side and what stays under your control, open booking channels. ## Related pages - [Booking channels](https://reservation.business/en/platform/booking-channels) - [Services, team, and availability](https://reservation.business/en/platform/availability-setup) - [Notifications and messaging](https://reservation.business/en/platform/notifications-reminders) - [Marketplace, public profile, and client apps](https://reservation.business/en/platform/marketplace) ## Next step - [Book a demo for online booking](https://reservation.business/en/book-demo) - [See services, team, and availability](https://reservation.business/en/platform/availability-setup)