Case study · 75-day engagement

Insurance shoppers were ghosting. Now 41% book.

A St. Louis optometry practice was running $4,200 a month on Google Ads and getting plenty of traffic from "VSP accepting optometrist," "EyeMed near me," and "Davis Vision provider st louis" type searches. Almost none of that traffic was booking exams. The reason: the website said "we accept most insurance" without ever specifying which ones, and customers had to call the office during business hours to find out if they were covered.

The challenge

"My ads target insurance keywords. The visitors leave."

Insurance is the #1 unspoken determinant of where someone gets an eye exam. Roughly 78% of US adults with vision benefits will only book with an in-network provider because the out-of-pocket gap can be 4x or more. The previous agency was bidding on insurance-keyword searches, which was correct, but routing those visitors to a generic homepage that said "most insurance accepted" without naming a single plan.

Audit findings:

  • VSP, EyeMed, Davis Vision, Spectera, Humana Vision keyword searches were running Average CPC $4.80, conversion rate 0.7%, way under benchmark for the category.
  • No page on the website listed which insurance plans the practice actually accepts A visitor had to call to find out. About 91% did not call.
  • Online booking was tied to a generic form Asked for date preference, did not ask for insurance, did not pre-screen eligibility.
  • Contact lens revenue was 18% of total Industry benchmark for an optometry practice in this size range is 35-40%. They were leaving the upsell on the table.

The plan

Make insurance acceptance the first thing every visitor sees.

Step 1: Plan-specific landing pages (week 1-2)

Built six dedicated landing pages, one per major insurance plan: VSP, EyeMed, Davis Vision, Spectera, Humana Vision, and out-of-network. Each page has the practice\u2019s in-network status, what is covered (exam, frames, lenses, contact lens fitting), the typical out-of-pocket, and a "verify my benefits in 30 seconds" check.

Step 2: Eligibility checker (week 2-3)

3-field form that takes plan name + member ID + DOB and returns coverage status in real time via the practice\u2019s clearinghouse API. Customers get an immediate "yes, you are in-network and your exam will cost approximately $20 out-of-pocket" before booking.

Step 3: Insurance-aware booking flow (week 3)

Calendar embed now asks insurance plan + verifies eligibility before showing slots. About 41% of insurance-shopper visitors now book.

Step 4: Contact lens upsell at booking (week 4)

Booking flow asks "do you wear contacts or want to start?" If yes, customer is offered a contact-lens fitting at the same appointment for $30 (covered by most plans). Attach rate jumped from 18% to 67%.

Step 5: Google Ads keyword expansion (week 5)

47 new insurance-aware keyword variations added: "VSP doctor st louis," "in-network EyeMed clayton," "Davis Vision provider chesterfield," etc. Each routes to the right plan-specific landing page.

AI tools we used

The internal stack that did the heavy lifting.

We do not pretend the work happens by hand. Three of our internal tools are the reason this engagement moved as fast as it did. Each of them replaces what used to be days of human time.

Tool 01Insurance plan-specific page generator

Spins up plan-specific landing pages from a content template + the practice\u2019s actual coverage details. Built 6 pages in 4 days.

Tool 02Real-time eligibility checker

Connects to the practice\u2019s clearinghouse API, returns coverage status in 5-15 seconds. About 41% of users complete a booking after eligibility verification.

Tool 03Contact-lens upsell flow

Embedded in the booking calendar, surfaces same-visit fitting offer with insurance-aware pricing. Attach rate 67%.

The execution

Week-by-week timeline.

WeekWhat we shippedWhat moved
Week 1-26 plan-specific landing pages shippedQuality score climbs 4 to 8 on insurance keywords
Week 2-3Eligibility checker integrated and testedBooking conversion rate 0.7% → 12% on insurance traffic
Week 3Insurance-aware booking flow liveInsurance shoppers booking at 38%
Week 4Contact lens upsell activeAttach rate from 18% to 51%
Week 547 insurance keyword variations + ad copy refreshCPC drops 22%, CTR climbs to 5.4%
Week 8Mid-engagement reviewInsurance shoppers booking at 41%, contacts attach 67%
Week 10Quarterly check-in, retainer continuesRun rate stable, exam bookings 2.6× baseline

The numbers

What changed in the data.

2.6×
Exam bookings per month
41%
Insurance shoppers booking
67%
Contact lens attach rate

The 2.6× lift in exam bookings came from:

The practice did not need more ad budget. They needed to actually answer the question every insurance customer was asking before they would book. Once that question got answered on the page, the booking rate took care of itself.

Every insurance customer wants the same answer before they book. We were making them call to get it. Now they get it in 30 seconds on the page. The only mystery is why I did not do this five years ago.

Owner / OD·Optometry practice · St. Louis, MO

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