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Industry Guide

Optometrists

Optometry marketing sits at the intersection of healthcare and retail. You need patients to book exams, but you also want them buying frames and lenses from your optical shop instead of ordering online. Practices that market both the clinical expertise and the eyewear experience outperform those that treat marketing as an afterthought.
By A.J. Whitfield · Updated Sep 30, 2026
optometrists eye doctors vision centers eye exam clinics

What to do first

The highest-impact steps for optometrists, in order of priority.

  1. Optimize your Google Business Profile with exam services, insurance accepted, frame brands carried, and photos of your optical showroom
  2. Set up online appointment scheduling that works on mobile since most patients book outside of office hours
  3. Create landing pages targeting 'eye doctor near me,' 'eye exam [city],' and specific conditions like dry eye, pediatric eye exams, and contact lens fittings
  4. Launch a recall system that emails and texts patients when their annual exam is due, since most patients need a reminder to rebook
  5. Run Google Ads targeting 'eye exam near me' and 'optometrist [city]' with a landing page that makes booking instant
Common Challenges

Where owners get stuck

Pain points grouped by marketing area for optometrists.

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Competing against online retailers like Warby Parker and Zenni that dominate search results for eyewear and undercut your frame prices

Digital Marketing

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Insurance-driven patients are hard to market to directly since many just pick the first in-network provider on their plan's website

Digital Marketing

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Difficulty ranking for 'eye doctor near me' when large chains like LensCrafters and Pearle Vision have massive SEO budgets

Digital Marketing

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The practice website does not show frame inventory, pushing eyewear shoppers to browse online retailers instead

Website Updates & Maintenance

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No online scheduling means phone tag during business hours, which frustrates working patients who want to book at midnight

Website Updates & Maintenance

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The website is not mobile-optimized, which is critical since most 'eye doctor near me' searches happen on phones

Website Updates & Maintenance

What not to do

Common marketing missteps in optometrists.

  • Not marketing your optical shop separately from your clinical services, missing revenue from patients who buy frames elsewhere
  • Failing to send annual exam reminders, which hands your existing patients to the competitor who does follow up
  • Ignoring the threat of online eyewear retailers instead of competing with try-on experiences, personal styling, and same-day availability
  • Using stock photos of models in glasses instead of real patients (with permission) wearing your actual frame inventory
  • Not leveraging insurance benefit deadlines as marketing events throughout the year

What to focus on

How each marketing area plays out for this industry.

  • Digital Marketing: Optometry digital marketing must drive two outcomes: exam bookings and optical purchases. Targeted Google Ads for exam-related searches paired with retargeting campaigns for frame shoppers creates a funnel that captures both clinical and retail revenue.
  • Social Media Management: Social media for optometrists should blend eye health education with eyewear fashion content. Frame styling posts, 'new arrivals' showcases, and myth-busting eye care content build an audience that sees your practice as both expert and stylish.
  • Website Updates & Maintenance: An optometry website needs online scheduling, frame brand galleries, insurance plan listings, and condition-specific pages. The site should make it easy for a patient to book an exam and get excited about browsing frames in your office.

Timing windows

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
New Insurance BenefitsBack to School Eye ExamsFSA/HSA Spending SeasonYear-End Benefit Deadline
New Insurance Benefits

Jan, Feb

Vision insurance benefits reset in January. Run 'use your new benefits' campaigns in January and February to capture patients eager to use their fresh coverage. Email your entire patient list with a reminder.

Back to School Eye Exams

Jul, Aug

Parents schedule kids' eye exams before school starts. Promote pediatric exams and first-time glasses fittings. Partner with local schools to distribute vision screening reminders.

FSA/HSA Spending Season

Sep, Oct

Patients start thinking about using remaining FSA/HSA dollars before year-end. Begin promoting 'use it or lose it' messaging in September to get ahead of the Q4 rush.

Year-End Benefit Deadline

Nov, Dec

The final push for patients to use expiring vision benefits. Run urgent campaigns and consider extended hours. Promote premium frame brands as holiday gifts for themselves.

Key metrics

The numbers worth tracking for optometrists.

  • New patient appointments booked per month by source (organic, paid, referral, insurance directory)
  • Optical capture rate (percentage of exam patients who buy frames and lenses from your shop)
  • Patient recall compliance rate (percentage who rebook within 13 months)
  • Revenue per patient visit including exam, frames, lenses, and contact lenses
  • Google Business Profile actions (calls, bookings, direction requests) per month

How much to spend

Optometry practices should spend 4-8% of gross revenue on marketing, which for a practice collecting $500K-1M annually translates to $1,500-5,000 per month. Allocate 30% to Google Ads and local search, 25% to patient recall and email marketing systems, 20% to SEO and website maintenance, 15% to social media content focused on eyewear fashion, and 10% to community outreach and school partnerships.

Keep reading

Setting Up Google Business ProfileHow to Get More Customer ReviewsWebsite Audit: 10 Things to Check This Week

Where optometrists are most concentrated

Estimated number of optometrists by city, from U.S. Census County Business Patterns. More local competitors usually means reviews, photos and a complete Google profile matter more. Click a city for its full local picture.

New York City, NY410Houston, TX313Los Angeles, CA277Chicago, IL168San Antonio, TX129Phoenix, AZ122San Diego, CA105San Jose, CA100Fort Worth, TX87Austin, TX87Dallas, TX86San Francisco, CA81Columbus, OH78Las Vegas, NV73Charlotte, NC70

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