How to Get More Customers as a Optometrist in Perth

Most optometrists in Perth still depend heavily on word of mouth and the occasional referral from a GP. And fair enough — that approach kept chairs filled for decades. But the landscape has shifted dramatically, and it's not shifting back.

In 2026, 97% of consumers search online before choosing a local business. That includes people with blurry vision, headaches they suspect are eye-related, or parents looking for their child's first eye exam. They're not asking a friend anymore. They're typing "optometrist near me" into Google at 9pm on a Tuesday.

If your practice doesn't show up in that moment, you don't exist. Someone else gets the booking. Someone else builds the relationship. Someone else sells the frames.

The average optometry appointment is worth $100 to $800 when you factor in consultations, prescriptions, lenses, and frames. Multiply that across the dozens of potential patients searching in your suburb every single week, and the cost of being invisible online becomes painfully clear.

This guide walks you through exactly how to get more customers as a optometrist in Perth — step by step, no fluff, no jargon. Whether you run a solo practice in Fremantle or manage multiple locations across the metro area, these strategies work. We've used them to help health and allied health businesses across Perth generate measurable increases in calls, bookings, and revenue.

Let's get into it.

TL;DR

• This is a step-by-step guide to getting more customers as a optometrist in Perth
• We cover Google Maps, reviews, your website, content strategy, and AI search optimisation
• The average optometrist appointment value sits between $100 and $800
• Every strategy here is designed specifically for local service businesses in Perth
• You can DIY most of this, or hand it off to professionals like us at Searchmaxxed

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Step 1: Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most powerful free tool available to your practice. When someone searches "optometrist in Perth" or "eye test near me," Google pulls results from GBP listings before anything else. That map pack — the three businesses shown with a map at the top of results — drives more phone calls than any other section of the search page.

Here's how to set yours up properly:

Claim your listing. Go to business.google.com and either claim your existing profile or create a new one. Google will verify your business via postcard, phone, or email. Don't skip this. An unclaimed profile is a missed opportunity — or worse, someone else could claim it.

Complete every single field. Business name (your real registered name — no keyword stuffing), address, phone number, website, hours of operation, services offered, and business description. Google rewards completeness. Incomplete profiles get pushed down.

Choose the right categories. Your primary category should be "Optometrist." Add secondary categories like "Eye Care Center," "Contact Lens Supplier," or "Optical Store" if they apply. These categories directly influence which searches you appear for.

Add high-quality photos. Upload photos of your practice interior, exterior, your team, your equipment, and your frame displays. Businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more click-throughs to their website. Use real photos, not stock images.

Post weekly updates. GBP has a "Posts" feature that most optometrists ignore entirely. Use it. Share seasonal eye care tips, new frame arrivals, special offers, or community involvement. It signals to Google that your business is active and engaged.

Keep your information consistent. Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be identical everywhere online — your website, directories, social media, and GBP. Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your rankings.

For a deeper dive into this process, check out our guide on local SEO for optometrists in Perth.

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Step 2: Get Your Website Ranking for Local Keywords

Your Google Business Profile gets you into the map pack. Your website gets you into the organic results below it. Owning both positions means dominating the entire first page — and that's where the real growth happens.

Target the right keywords. Start with the obvious ones: "optometrist in Perth," "eye test Perth," "bulk billed eye test Perth." Then go deeper. Think about specific services and suburbs. "Children's optometrist Joondalup." "Contact lens fitting Subiaco." "Emergency eye care Rockingham." Each of these represents a person actively looking for what you offer.

Build dedicated service pages. Don't lump everything onto one page. Create individual pages for each core service: comprehensive eye exams, contact lens consultations, paediatric eye care, myopia management, diabetic eye screening, and frame fitting. Each page should target a specific keyword, include genuine detail about the service, and have a clear call to action.

Create suburb-specific pages. Perth is spread out. Someone in Mandurah isn't looking for an optometrist in Scarborough. Build landing pages targeting the suburbs you serve. Each page should reference local landmarks, mention your proximity, and explain why patients from that area choose your practice.

Nail the technical basics. Your site must load fast (under 3 seconds), work perfectly on mobile phones, use HTTPS security, and have clean URL structures. Google measures all of this. A slow, clunky website will tank your rankings regardless of how good your content is.

Use schema markup. This is structured data that helps Google understand your business. Add LocalBusiness schema, MedicalBusiness schema, and review schema to your site. It improves how your listing appears in search results and can unlock rich snippets.

We cover this in much more detail in our complete SEO for optometrists in Perth resource.

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Step 3: Build a Review Generation System

Reviews aren't just social proof. They're a ranking factor. Google explicitly uses review quantity, quality, and recency when deciding which businesses appear in the map pack. And from a patient's perspective, reviews are often the deciding factor between two practices.

Ask at the right moment. The best time to request a review is immediately after a positive interaction — when a patient remarks on how thorough the exam was, when they love their new frames, or when you've resolved a concern they had. That emotional high translates into genuine, detailed reviews.

Make it stupidly easy. Generate a direct review link from your Google Business Profile and shorten it. Send it via SMS or email within an hour of their appointment. The fewer clicks required, the higher your response rate. QR codes at the front desk work well too.

Use a simple template. Here's one that works: "Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Practice Name] today! If you had a great experience, we'd really appreciate a quick Google review. It helps other people in Perth find quality eye care. Here's the link: [link]." Keep it personal and short.

Respond to every review. Good or bad. Thank positive reviewers by name. Address negative reviews calmly, professionally, and offer to resolve the issue offline. How you respond to a bad review tells potential patients more about your practice than the complaint itself.

Aim for consistency, not bursts. Five reviews per month every month beats 30 reviews in one week followed by silence. Google values a steady stream because it looks organic. A sudden spike can actually trigger a review filter.

Don't buy reviews. Don't incentivise them with discounts. Google's detection is sophisticated, and the penalty — having all your reviews stripped — is devastating.

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Step 4: Create Content That Attracts Customers

Content marketing for optometrists isn't about writing academic papers. It's about answering the questions your potential patients are already typing into Google.

Start with FAQs. What questions do patients ask most often? "How often should I get an eye test?" "Are eye tests bulk billed in Perth?" "What's the difference between an optometrist and ophthalmologist?" "Can screen time damage my child's eyes?" Each of these is a blog post waiting to be written. Each one can rank in Google and bring a potential patient to your website.

Write suburb-focused guides. "The Complete Guide to Finding an Optometrist in Joondalup" or "Eye Care Options in Fremantle: What You Need to Know." These pages serve double duty — they rank for local searches and they demonstrate your connection to the community.

Create service-based educational content. A detailed post on "What to Expect During a Contact Lens Fitting" or "Understanding Myopia Management Options for Kids in Perth" positions your practice as the expert. Patients want to feel confident in their choice. Education builds that confidence.

Use real experience. Reference your years in practice, the types of patients you see, and the specific equipment you use. This is what Google calls E-E-A-T — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It matters for health-related content especially.

Publish consistently. Two to four quality posts per month is plenty. Consistency matters more than volume. Each piece of content is a long-term asset that compounds over time, driving traffic for months and years after publication.

Want to get ahead of the competition? Reach out to our team at Searchmaxxed and we'll build a content strategy tailored to your practice and suburbs.

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Step 5: Optimise for AI Search (GEO)

Here's what most marketing agencies won't tell you: the way people search is changing again. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, and Siri are becoming primary search tools. When someone asks, "Who's the best optometrist in Perth for kids?" these AI systems pull from websites, reviews, directories, and structured data to form their recommendations.

This is called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), and it's the next frontier.

How to get recommended by AI search tools:

• Ensure your practice is listed accurately across major directories (Healthdirect, HotDoc, Yellow Pages, True Local)
• Build a strong review profile with detailed, keyword-rich patient reviews
• Publish authoritative content that directly answers common questions
• Use structured data on your website so AI tools can easily parse your information
• Get mentioned on third-party sites — local blogs, news articles, community pages

AI tools favour businesses with strong, consistent online footprints. The practices doing Steps 1 through 4 properly are already positioned for GEO. The rest are invisible.

We've written an entire resource on GEO for optometrists in Perth if you want to go deeper.

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Step 6: Track Your Results

Marketing without measurement is guessing. You need to know what's working, what's not, and where to double down.

Track phone calls. Use call tracking software or Google's built-in call reporting in GBP. Know how many calls come from your Google listing versus your website versus paid ads.

Monitor form submissions and online bookings. Set up conversion tracking in Google Analytics 4. Every completed booking form is a data point. If you're using HotDoc or a similar platform, track those referral sources too.

Watch your keyword rankings. Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or even free tools like Google Search Console to see where you rank for target keywords. Track movement monthly. Rankings don't jump overnight — look for steady upward trends.

Review your Google Business Profile insights. GBP tells you how many people viewed your profile, what searches triggered it, how many requested directions, and how many called. Check this monthly at minimum.

Calculate your cost per lead. Divide your total marketing spend by the number of new patient enquiries. If you're spending $1,000 per month and getting 20 new patient calls, that's $50 per lead. With an average patient value of $300 to $800 (and recurring annual visits), that return on investment speaks for itself.

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When to Hire a Professional

Everything in this guide is actionable. You can absolutely do it yourself if you have 10 to 15 hours per month to spare. Many practice owners start that way, handling the basics and getting some early wins.

But here's the reality: most optometrists are busy running their practice, seeing patients, managing staff, and dealing with suppliers. Marketing falls to the bottom of the list. Weeks turn into months, and the Google Business Profile sits half-finished. The blog never gets written. The reviews don't get requested.

That's where we come in. At Searchmaxxed, we specialise in local digital marketing for service businesses across Perth. Our packages run from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on your goals, competition level, and the number of locations you operate.

What you get: a fully optimised Google Business Profile, local SEO, content creation, review strategy, GEO optimisation, and monthly reporting that actually makes sense. No lock-in contracts. No vanity metrics. Just more patients walking through your door.

Book a free strategy call with Searchmaxxed today and find out exactly what it would take to dominate local search in your area.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can optometrists get more customers online? Optimise your Google Business Profile, build a review system, rank your website for local keywords, and create helpful content that answers patient questions.

What's the fastest way to get more calls as a optometrist? Fully optimise your Google Business Profile. Most practices see an increase in calls within 30 days of proper setup and regular posting.

How much should I spend on marketing as a optometrist? Allocate 5-10% of revenue. For most Perth practices, that's $500 to $2,000 per month for meaningful, measurable results.

Is Google Ads or SEO better for optometrists? SEO delivers better long-term ROI. Google Ads works for immediate visibility. The best strategy uses both, with SEO as the foundation.