How to Get More Customers as a Bar in Perth

Introduction

Running a bar in Perth is competitive. Between Northbridge, the CBD, Fremantle, and suburban pockets popping up with craft cocktail spots, standing out takes more than a good drinks menu and a Friday night DJ.

Most bar owners still rely on word of mouth and Instagram posts. That worked a decade ago. Today, 97% of customers search online before choosing where to spend their Friday night. They Google "best bars near me," scroll through reviews, check your menu, and make a decision in under 60 seconds.

If your bar doesn't show up in that window, you lose. Not because your venue isn't great — because nobody found it.

This guide breaks down exactly how to get more customers as a bar in Perth, step by step. We're not talking about gimmicks or expensive ad campaigns that drain your cash flow. We're talking about the foundational digital presence that puts your bar in front of people already looking for what you offer.

Whether you run a cocktail lounge in Subiaco, a sports bar in Joondalup, or a rooftop venue in the CBD, these strategies apply. The average customer spend at a Perth bar ranges from $50 to $200 per visit — so every new customer you attract through search has real, measurable value.

Let's get into it.

TL;DR

This is a step-by-step guide to getting more customers as a bar in Perth using digital marketing fundamentals.
Covers Google Maps optimization, reviews, website SEO, content strategy, AI search, and tracking results.
Average bar customer value: $50–$200 per visit, making even a handful of new weekly customers worth thousands per month.
Written by MoneyNearMe, a Perth-based agency that specialises in local search for hospitality businesses.

Step 1: Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most powerful free tool available to any bar in Perth. When someone searches "bars near me" or "cocktail bar Northbridge," Google pulls results from GBP listings — not websites. If your profile is incomplete, outdated, or unclaimed, you're invisible in the exact moment customers are deciding where to go.

Here's how to set it up properly:

Claim your listing. Go to business.google.com and search for your bar. If it exists, claim it. If it doesn't, create it. Google will verify you via postcard, phone, or email.

Complete every field. This means your business name (no keyword stuffing), address, phone number, website URL, hours of operation, and business category. For bars, your primary category should be "Bar" with secondary categories like "Cocktail Bar," "Wine Bar," or "Sports Bar" depending on what you are.

Add photos weekly. Google rewards active listings. Upload photos of your venue, drinks, food, events, and staff. Bars with more than 100 photos get 520% more calls than those with fewer than 10, according to BrightLocal data.

Write a compelling business description. Use natural language that includes what you offer, where you're located, and what makes you different. Mention Perth and your suburb. "We're a craft cocktail bar in Mount Lawley serving seasonal drinks, local beers, and late-night bites" works far better than a generic paragraph.

Post updates regularly. GBP has a "Posts" feature that most bars ignore. Use it to promote events, new menu items, happy hour specials, and seasonal offers. These posts appear directly in search results and signal to Google that your business is active and relevant.

Enable messaging and booking. Let customers contact you directly through your listing. The fewer barriers between search and action, the more customers walk through your door.

We've seen Perth bars double their monthly call volume within 90 days just by optimising their Google Business Profile. It costs nothing but time.

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. Together, they dominate the search results page — and that's where you want to be.

Most bar websites in Perth are either non-existent, a single page with a menu PDF, or a template site that hasn't been updated since opening night. That's a missed opportunity.

Target the right keywords. Start with the obvious ones: "bar in Perth," "best bars in Perth," "cocktail bar Perth CBD." Then get specific. "Rooftop bar Perth," "late night bar Northbridge," "wine bar Fremantle," "sports bar Joondalup." Each of these keywords represents a customer actively looking for what you offer.

Create suburb-specific pages. If you serve customers from multiple areas, build dedicated pages. A page titled "Best Cocktail Bar in Mount Lawley" that describes your venue, location, parking, and what you offer gives Google a clear signal about where you are and what you do. These pages rank for long-tail local searches that your competitors aren't targeting.

Nail the technical basics. Your site needs to load in under three seconds, work perfectly on mobile (over 70% of bar searches happen on phones), and have clear calls to action — a phone number in the header, a "Book a Table" button, and your address with a Google Maps embed.

Build location authority. Include your full name, address, and phone number (NAP) on every page footer. Embed a Google Map. Link to your GBP listing. These signals tell Google exactly where you are and reinforce your local relevance.

For a deeper dive into ranking strategies, check out our guide on SEO for bars in Perth, where we break down keyword research and on-page optimisation specifically for hospitality venues.

Step 3: Build a Review Generation System

Reviews are the digital version of word of mouth — except they scale. A bar with 200 five-star Google reviews will outperform a bar with 15 reviews every single time, both in rankings and in customer trust.

The problem isn't that your customers don't want to leave reviews. It's that nobody asks them.

Ask at the right moment. The best time to ask for a review is when a customer is happiest. That's after they've complimented a drink, thanked your staff, or told you they had a great night. Train your bartenders and floor staff to say: "That means a lot — would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It really helps us out."

Make it ridiculously easy. Create a short URL or QR code that links directly to your Google review page. Print it on table cards, receipts, or coasters. Put it in the bathroom (seriously — people are on their phones anyway). The fewer taps between "I should leave a review" and actually doing it, the higher your conversion rate.

Use a follow-up system. If you collect email addresses or phone numbers for bookings, send a friendly follow-up the next day: "Thanks for coming in last night! If you had a great time, we'd love a quick Google review — [link]. It takes 30 seconds and helps other people find us."

Respond to every review. Good or bad. Thank people for positive reviews. Address negative ones calmly, professionally, and with a genuine willingness to fix the issue. Google watches response rates, and potential customers read your replies to judge your character.

Aim for consistency. Five reviews in one week then nothing for three months looks suspicious. A steady stream of two to three reviews per week signals a healthy, active business. Build the habit into your operations and it becomes automatic.

Step 4: Create Content That Attracts Customers

Content marketing for a bar sounds odd until you realise what it actually does: it puts your website in front of people who aren't searching for your bar specifically but are searching for something your bar can answer.

Blog posts that rank. Think about what your potential customers are Googling: "best date night bars in Perth," "where to watch the AFL Grand Final in Perth," "rooftop bars with a view in Perth," "what to drink if you don't like beer." These are all blog post ideas. Write them, optimise them for search, and link back to your venue pages.

Event guides. Perth has a packed events calendar — Fringe World, Perth Festival, cricket at Optus Stadium, concerts at RAC Arena. Create content around what's happening nearby: "Where to Drink Before a Concert at RAC Arena" or "Best Pre-Game Bars Near Optus Stadium." These posts attract high-intent local traffic during peak periods.

FAQ pages. Answer the questions people actually ask: "Do you need to book?" "Is there a dress code?" "Do you have parking?" "Are you dog-friendly?" Each answer is a chance to rank for a long-tail search query while removing friction from the customer journey.

Guides and listicles. A guide like "The Ultimate Perth Bar Crawl: Northbridge Edition" positions your bar as the authority while naturally including your venue. These get shared on social media and linked to by local publications.

Content compounds over time. A blog post you write today can drive traffic for years. That's the difference between content and advertising — one is an asset, the other is a rental.

For more on building a content strategy tied to local search, see our local SEO guide for bars in Perth.

Step 5: Optimise for AI Search (GEO)

Here's what's changing fast: customers aren't just using Google anymore. They're asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, and Siri for recommendations. "What's the best cocktail bar in Perth?" typed into an AI tool will return a short list of venues — and if you're not on it, you're losing a growing segment of customers.

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

How AI tools decide what to recommend. They pull from structured data, reviews, authoritative content, and mentions across the web. Bars that have strong Google profiles, consistent NAP data across directories, high review volumes, and quality website content are more likely to appear in AI-generated recommendations.

What you can do now. Make sure your bar is listed on major directories (TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zomato, Broadsheet, Urban List). Publish expert-level content on your website. Get mentioned in local media and blogs. Use structured data markup (schema) on your website so AI tools can easily parse your information.

This is still early. Most bars in Perth aren't thinking about GEO yet, which means there's a window to gain a significant advantage. We cover this in detail in our GEO guide for bars in Perth.

Step 6: Track Your Results

You can't improve what you don't measure. Once you've implemented these steps, you need to know what's working and what isn't.

Track calls. Use a call tracking number on your website and GBP to see exactly how many calls come from search. Google Business Profile Insights shows you call volume, direction requests, and website clicks directly.

Monitor form submissions and bookings. If you use an online booking tool, track where those bookings originate. Google Analytics 4 can show you which pages drive conversions and which traffic sources deliver the most customers.

Watch your rankings. Use a free tool like Google Search Console to see which keywords your website ranks for and how your positions change over time. Track your Google Maps ranking for key terms like "bar in Perth" and "cocktail bar [your suburb]."

Review your reviews. Track your total review count, average rating, and response rate monthly. Set targets — for example, 10 new reviews per month with an average rating above 4.5.

Calculate your ROI. If your average customer spends $100 per visit and your digital marketing efforts bring in 20 new customers per month, that's $2,000 in additional revenue. Compare that against your marketing spend and you'll see clearly whether your investment is paying off.

When to Hire a Professional

Every step in this guide is something you can do yourself. But let's be honest: you're running a bar. Your nights are spent behind the bar or managing staff, not writing blog posts and optimising schema markup.

DIY works if you have the time, patience, and willingness to learn. But most bar owners we work with tried DIY for six months, saw slow results, and came to us frustrated.

That's where we come in. At MoneyNearMe, we specialise in local search for Perth hospitality businesses. Our packages range from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on what you need — from GBP optimisation and review management to full SEO, content creation, and GEO strategy.

We handle the digital side so you can focus on pouring drinks and creating experiences. Every strategy in this guide is something we implement daily for bars across Perth.

Want to see what we can do for your bar? Get in touch for a free audit of your online presence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can bars get more customers online?

Optimise your Google Business Profile, build a website that ranks for local keywords, generate consistent reviews, and create content that attracts search traffic.

What's the fastest way to get more calls as a bar?

Claim and fully optimise your Google Business Profile. Most bars see increased calls within 30 to 90 days of proper setup.

How much should I spend on marketing as a bar?

Most Perth bars benefit from investing $500 to $2,000 per month in local SEO and digital marketing, depending on competition and goals.

Is Google Ads or SEO better for bars?

SEO delivers better long-term ROI. Google Ads can work for short-term promotions or events, but organic search builds sustainable visibility without ongoing ad spend.

Ready to stop relying on word of mouth and start showing up where your customers are actually searching? Talk to MoneyNearMe today.