Optometry SEO that puts your practice in front of people who need an eye exam or new glasses

In November 2026 we looked at the homepages of 1,921 optometry practices across Canada, the US, the UK and Australia. The full method and tables are in our optometry website study.

1. 51% had no online booking link or software we could find

Canada was at 52% across 1,665 sites, and the US at 41% across 236. Where we found a way in, it was often just a phone number or an email address.

2. 80% showed no review feed or star rating

For a patient choosing between two practices that look alike, there may be little on the page to tell them apart.

3. 382 sites ran on Shopify

That is about one in five of the practices we looked at, which suggests many sell eyewear online. For local search, that raises a question: is the site a shop that happens to have a clinic, or a clinic that happens to have a shop?

4. 1% carried an offer for new patients, and 44% showed an email address

A contact form turned up on 27% of sites. Our detector’s labels for booking software don’t fit eye care well, so we aren’t publishing a ranking of tools.

We looked at homepages only. A booking page one click deeper isn’t counted.

We have no optometry keyword volumes in our research data, so here is the behaviour in plain terms. Optometry searches tend to fall into two groups that need different pages.

Exam searches. “Eye exam near me”, “optometrist near me” and “eye doctor” come from people who need a test: for a new prescription, for a child, for a driver’s licence or because something feels wrong. They compare hours, whether a new patient can book and whether the visit will be covered. Coverage differs by province, state, age and plan, so patients often ask.

Eyewear searches. “Glasses near me”, “contact lenses” and searches for frames or brands come from people who already know what they want, or who want to try things on. Local stock, brands carried and help with fitting matter here.

Urgent searches. Red, painful or sudden changes in vision lead to “urgent eye care near me” and similar. A practice that can see these patients should say so plainly. One that can’t should point them to the right place, without pretending otherwise.

Seasonal searches. Back-to-school is a natural time for children’s exams, and patients with plan benefits that renew on a set date may book as that date nears. We plan content around the peaks you actually see in your appointment book, not a calendar of generic posts.

An eye care practice has two businesses on one street. The exam is a health service with a booking and a prescription. The eyewear is retail, with stock, brands and fitting. Patients move between the two, and Google sees them as one listing.

That creates choices other clinics don’t face. Which category should lead on the profile? Should the site rank for “glasses” or for “eye exam”? When a patient searches for a frame brand, do they arrive at a page that explains how to see you, or at a product listing with no clinic in sight?

We answer these with you, not for you. A practice that earns more of its revenue from exams may lead with the exam. One with a strong eyewear reputation may do the opposite. Either works, as long as the other half is easy to find and the details agree everywhere.

1. A Google profile for two jobs

We check the primary category, services, hours, photos and booking link, and make sure both the exam and the eyewear side are described. We ask for invited access, never your password.

2. Exam pages by reason for visit

One page each for adult eye exams, children’s exams, contact lens fittings and assessments, and urgent concerns you can see. Each explains what happens, how long it takes and how to book.

3. Eyewear and brand pages

If you carry specific frame brands or lens types, a page for each helps the patient who is searching by name. We write what you stock and how fitting works, not a catalogue copied from a supplier.

4. Location pages for each practice

Address, parking, transit, hours, accessibility and the team at each location. A multi-location group gets a page per site, with different content on each, not a swapped-word template.

5. Shop and clinic that don’t compete

If your site sells online, we make sure product pages don’t drown the clinic pages, and that the “book an exam” route is as easy as “add to cart”. Where the two sit on one domain, we keep the structure clear for Google and for patients.

6. Consistency and tracking

We match your name, address and phone across directories and your site, and track calls, direction requests and bookings. Google ended Business Profile call history in July 2024, so we use the Call button count and your own call tracking where you want it.

Optometry advertising is regulated by your province’s college or your state’s board, and eyewear and contact lenses add consumer rules on top. We don’t give legal advice.

1. Your college or board

Rules on advertising, claims, fees and the use of titles differ between provinces and states. We could not verify a single national standard, so we read the published guidance for yours and show you what we found. You decide what to publish.

2. US contact lens prescriptions

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s Contact Lens Rule requires prescribers to give the patient a copy of the contact lens prescription at the end of the fitting, even if they don’t ask. It also says prescribers cannot require patients to buy lenses, pay extra fees or sign a waiver in exchange for the prescription. Our pages for US practices don’t suggest otherwise. Source: FTC, Contact Lens Rule guide for prescribers and sellers.

3. Coverage statements

Whether an exam is covered by a public plan or insurance depends on the province, state, age and plan. We keep this general on location pages and point patients to the plan or the practice for details.

1. A shop with no clinic

Product pages are everywhere, but nothing explains how to book an exam. The map listing says “optometrist” while the site says “store”.

2. Two sites, two sets of details

A separate shop and clinic site can show different hours and phone numbers, which confuses patients and Google.

3. No reason to choose you

With 80% showing no reviews or stars and 1% any offer for new patients, many sites look alike. A clear note on who you see, how you work and who the team is separates you.

4. Hours that ignore real life

Lunch closures, late evenings and Saturdays often aren’t reflected on the profile, which costs walk-ins and calls.

5. Children’s exams buried

Parents search for them by name and often decide on whether the page speaks to their child, not to adults.

6. Duplicate or stale listings

A move, a rename after a sale or a former associate’s listing can leave old pages competing with the current one.