How to Get More Customers as a Bakery in Perth

Most bakeries in Perth still rely on foot traffic and word of mouth. A loyal local following, regulars who pop in every Saturday morning for sourdough, neighbours who recommend you to friends. That approach built your business, and it still matters.

But it's not 2015 anymore.

In 2026, 97% of customers search online before choosing a local business — even for something as simple as a birthday cake or a box of pastries for the office. They pull out their phone, type "bakery near me," and call whoever shows up first. If that's not you, it's your competitor three blocks away.

The good news? Getting found online as a Perth bakery isn't complicated. It doesn't require a massive budget or a marketing degree. It requires the right steps, done in the right order, with consistency.

This guide walks you through exactly how to get more customers as a bakery in Perth — from claiming your Google listing to showing up in AI-powered search results. Whether you run a single shopfront in Fremantle or a wholesale operation in Malaga, these steps apply.

Average bakery transaction values range from $20 for a coffee-and-pastry visit to $500+ for custom cakes and catering orders. Even a handful of extra customers per week adds up fast.

Let's get into it.

TL;DR

Step-by-step guide to getting more customers as a bakery in Perth
Covers Google Maps, reviews, website optimisation, content, and AI search
Average bakery job value: $20–$500+
Practical advice you can start implementing today
Includes when to DIY and when to bring in professionals

Step 1: Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important free tool for driving phone calls and foot traffic to your bakery. When someone searches "bakery near me" or "best sourdough Perth," Google pulls results from GBP listings — not websites.

If you haven't claimed yours, do it today at business.google.com. If you claimed it two years ago and haven't touched it since, that's almost as bad as not having one.

Here's how to optimise it properly:

Complete every field. Business name, address, phone number, hours, website URL, business description. Google rewards completeness. Leave nothing blank.

Choose the right categories. Your primary category should be "Bakery." Add secondary categories that match your services — "Cake Shop," "Wedding Cake Shop," "Coffee Shop," "Catering Food and Drink Supplier." Be specific and accurate.

Add photos weekly. Not stock images. Real photos of your bread coming out of the oven, your display cabinet, your team at work, your shopfront. Businesses with more than 100 photos get 520% more calls than average, according to Google's own data. Set a phone reminder every Monday morning: take three photos and upload them.

Write a keyword-rich description. Don't stuff it, but naturally include terms like "Perth bakery," "artisan bread," "custom cakes in Perth," and the suburbs you serve. You get 750 characters. Use them.

Enable messaging and booking. Let customers contact you directly through your listing. The fewer barriers between a search and a sale, the better.

Post updates regularly. Google Business Profile has a "Posts" feature most bakeries ignore completely. Use it to share weekly specials, new menu items, holiday hours, or behind-the-scenes content. It signals to Google that your listing is active and current.

Your GBP listing is often the first impression a potential customer gets. Treat it like your digital shopfront — because that's exactly what it is.

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 search results below it. You want both.

The primary keyword you need to rank for is obvious: "bakery in Perth." But the real opportunity lies in long-tail and suburb-specific keywords that your competitors aren't targeting.

Think about how people actually search:

"best sourdough bakery in Subiaco"
"custom birthday cakes Joondalup"
"gluten free bakery Perth CBD"
"wholesale bread supplier Perth"
"wedding cake bakery Fremantle"

Each of these represents a customer with a specific need and intent to buy. Your website should have dedicated pages targeting these terms.

Create service pages. One page for custom cakes. One for bread and pastries. One for catering. One for wholesale. Each page should include the service name, the suburbs you deliver to or serve, pricing guidance, and a clear call to action.

Create suburb pages. If you deliver across Perth or serve multiple areas, build individual pages for key suburbs. A page titled "Bakery Delivery in Nedlands" with locally relevant content will outrank a generic "we deliver everywhere" statement every time.

Nail the technical basics. Your site needs to load in under three seconds on mobile. It needs to be mobile-responsive (more than 60% of local searches happen on phones). Every page needs a unique title tag and meta description containing your target keyword.

Include your NAP everywhere. Name, Address, Phone number — consistent across your website footer, contact page, and every other online listing. Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your rankings.

For a deeper dive into ranking strategies specific to your industry, check out our guide on SEO for bakeries in Perth.

Step 3: Build a Review Generation System

Reviews are the digital version of word of mouth, and they directly impact whether a customer chooses your bakery or the one down the road. A bakery with 47 five-star reviews will beat a bakery with 6 reviews every single time, even if the second bakery makes better croissants.

The problem isn't that your customers don't love you. It's that you're not asking them consistently.

When to ask: Immediately after a positive interaction. Someone picks up a custom cake and says "this is gorgeous"? That's the moment. A catering client emails to say the office loved the pastries? Reply with a review link within the hour.

How to ask: Make it effortless. Create a direct link to your Google review page and save it in your phone. Print it as a QR code on your counter. Include it in your email signature.

Use a simple template. Here's one that works:

"Hi [Name], thanks so much for your order! If you have 30 seconds, we'd really appreciate a Google review — it helps other Perth locals find us. Here's the link: [direct link]. Thanks again!"

Respond to every review. Good ones, bad ones, mediocre ones. A thoughtful response to a negative review often impresses potential customers more than the five-star ones. It shows you care and you're paying attention.

Set a target. If you're currently getting one review per month, aim for four. If you're getting four, aim for ten. Consistency matters more than perfection.

Build this into your weekly routine. Put someone on your team in charge of it. The bakeries winning on Google Maps in Perth aren't necessarily the best bakers — they're the ones with the most (and most recent) reviews.

Step 4: Create Content That Attracts Customers

A blog on a bakery website might sound odd. But content marketing isn't about writing essays — it's about answering the questions your customers are already typing into Google.

When someone searches "how much does a custom cake cost in Perth," they're a potential customer doing research. If your blog post answers that question thoroughly and honestly, you've just earned their trust before they've walked through your door.

Here are content ideas that work for Perth bakeries:

"How Much Does a Wedding Cake Cost in Perth? (2026 Guide)" — Pricing transparency builds trust and qualifies leads before they call.
"The 5 Best Bread Types for Perth's Summer" — Locally relevant, shareable, and positions you as an expert.
"How to Order a Custom Birthday Cake in Perth: What to Know" — Walks customers through your process and reduces friction.
"Sourdough vs. Regular Bread: What's the Difference?" — Educational content that builds authority.

Write FAQs on your service pages. Every question a customer has asked you in person is a question someone else is Googling. Add FAQ sections to your key pages addressing dietary requirements, minimum order sizes, lead times, delivery areas, and ingredients.

Keep it local. Mention Perth suburbs, local events, and seasonal trends. Google's algorithm rewards locally relevant content, and your customers connect with it more than generic baking advice.

Publish one piece of content per month at minimum. Two to four is better. Each piece is a long-term asset that keeps working for you months and years after you hit publish.

For more on local content strategies, see our local SEO guide for bakeries in Perth.

Step 5: Optimise for AI Search (GEO)

This is the step most bakeries — and most marketing agencies — aren't talking about yet. But it's coming fast.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is about getting your bakery recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, and Siri. More and more consumers are asking AI assistants, "What's the best bakery in Perth for sourdough?" instead of typing it into a search bar.

The AI tools that generate these answers pull from structured, authoritative, well-cited content across the web. Here's how to position your bakery to be included:

Be mentioned on third-party sites. Get listed in local directories, food blogs, Perth lifestyle publications, and review platforms beyond Google. AI models weigh third-party mentions heavily.

Structure your content clearly. Use headers, lists, and direct answers to specific questions. AI tools prefer content that's easy to parse and quote.

Build topical authority. A bakery with 20 pages of relevant, helpful content about baking, cakes, bread, and Perth food culture will get cited by AI before a bakery with a three-page brochure website.

Keep information current. AI models prioritise recent, accurate data. Update your website and listings regularly.

GEO is still early, but the bakeries that start now will have a massive advantage over the next two to three years. We've put together a detailed breakdown in our GEO guide for bakeries in Perth.

Step 6: Track Your Results

You can't improve what you don't measure. And if you're investing time (or money) into getting more customers, you need to know what's actually working.

Track phone calls. Use a call tracking number on your website and Google Business Profile. Services like CallRail or even Google's built-in call tracking can show you exactly how many calls come from your online presence each month.

Monitor form submissions. If you take cake orders or catering inquiries through your website, track how many submissions you get monthly. Set up Google Analytics 4 goals or use your form provider's built-in analytics.

Check your Google Business Profile insights. GBP shows you how many people viewed your listing, requested directions, called you, and visited your website. Review this data monthly.

Track keyword rankings. Are you moving up for "bakery in Perth"? "Custom cakes Joondalup"? Free tools like Google Search Console show you which queries your site appears for and how your click-through rates change over time.

Calculate your return. If your average custom cake order is $350 and you gained 8 new cake customers this month from organic search, that's $2,800 in revenue from your online presence. Compare that against your marketing spend to understand your true ROI.

Set a monthly check-in — even 30 minutes — to review these numbers. It keeps you focused on what matters and stops you from wasting effort on tactics that aren't delivering.

When to Hire a Professional

Everything in this guide is something you can do yourself. The question is whether you should.

If you're a bakery owner, your time is best spent baking, managing staff, and serving customers. Spending five hours a week learning SEO, writing blog posts, and optimising your Google listing is five hours you're not spending on the thing that makes you money.

DIY makes sense if: you have a small budget, you enjoy the marketing side of things, and you have a few hours per week to dedicate consistently.

Hiring a professional makes sense if: you want faster results, you've tried DIY without traction, or you'd rather focus on running your bakery while someone else handles the digital side.

At MoneyNearMe, we work specifically with local businesses like bakeries across Perth. Our packages range from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on your goals, competition level, and how aggressively you want to grow. Every engagement starts with a free audit so you know exactly where you stand before spending a cent.

Book a free audit with us today and we'll show you exactly where your bakery is losing customers online — and how to fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can bakeries get more customers online? Optimise your Google Business Profile, build a locally-focused website, generate consistent reviews, and create content targeting the keywords your customers search for.

What's the fastest way to get more calls as a bakery? Fully optimise your Google Business Profile with photos, reviews, and complete information. Most bakeries see increased calls within 30 days.

How much should I spend on marketing as a bakery? Most Perth bakeries invest between $500 and $2,000 per month on digital marketing. Start small, track results, and scale what works.

Is Google Ads or SEO better for bakeries? SEO delivers better long-term ROI. Google Ads can work for immediate results, but costs add up. We recommend SEO as the foundation with Ads as a supplement.

Ready to Get More Customers?

If you're serious about growing your bakery in Perth, the steps above will get you there. Whether you tackle them yourself or bring in a team that does this every day, the key is to start.

Talk to MoneyNearMe about your bakery's growth — we'll give you an honest assessment of where you stand and a clear plan to move forward. No lock-in contracts. No fluff. Just more customers walking through your door.