Keith Nallawalla
One of my long-term B2B SEO clients has recently come to WebOracle (where I work) after losing a contract with a major Australian sporting retailer for their sunglasses brand, which has been in operation for approximately 20 years.
Not typically a B2C brand, this company now has to pivot into SEO. My research into this space has been quite interesting, as sunglasses are not something I think about too often, since I wear prescription lenses and don’t normally buy new sunglasses unless someone steals my genuine prescription Ray-Bans from my car, which only happens occasionally.
How People Search for Sunglasses
Eyewear is a very personal thing. It can become a significant part of your look and personality. People like John Lennon, Mahatma Gandhi, and Ozzy Osbourne are famous for their round-framed glasses. Wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage was known for wearing oversized reflective sports sunglasses. Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) had their curly glasses. Of course, all the individuals listed are now deceased, but that’s probably a coincidence.
Whilst those particular designs are quite distinctive, they definitely do not suit everyone, and it’s safe to say that most people will like to try eyewear on before buying. People choose their frames as much for self‑expression as for function. That individualism explains why many of us still like to try sunglasses on before buying; there is a tactile element to the process, and one size rarely fits all. However, it turns out that people will buy anything online.
The keyword for “men’s sunglasses” ranks in the top 13 under the search term “men” in Australia. Maybe that’s because we men already know what style we want, or perhaps need a new pair that feels the same and isn’t broken from forgetting they were in our pocket. Either way, who would have thought men’s sunglasses would rank so high for SEO? I guess we really are in the age of online shopping.
E-commerce and glasses
Why do people trust buying something as personal as shoes or glasses online?
One answer is the way early e‑commerce pioneers removed risk for the customer. Zappos launched in 1999 at a time when most people believed you couldn’t sell footwear without a fitting. The company offered free shipping and a 365‑day return police and built a reputation for exceptional customer service. Its founders believed that if customers could send shoes back at no cost, they would be willing to order them sight unseen. The bet paid off; the brand grew rapidly and was eventually acquired by Amazon in 2009 in a deal worth approximately $1.2 billion.
The trustworthiness of online brands has skyrocketed in recent years, with more people now than ever getting smart about who to trust while doing their online shopping and being able to spot a scam site from a mile away. With this extra confidence in the consumer, all the brand needs to do is live up to expectations, provide A-grade customer service, and, for bonus points, offer a try-on/return policy. A recent example of this within the glasses space is Meta’s Ray-Ban free 30-day returns.
Gendered sunglasses: why the distinction matters
One of the more surprising things I discovered during keyword research is just how much weight the words “men’s” and “women’s” carry when people search for sunglasses online.
The men’s eyewear industry has consistently been a large market in recent years, with the US market forecast to reach USD 285.44 billion by 2032. Even in Australia, where total sunglasses revenue is projected to grow steadily through 2030, searches for “men’s sunglasses” (top 13 for “men”) and “women’s sunglasses” (top 100 for “women”) remain highly competitive SEO battlegrounds.
Why? Eyewear is one of those categories where self-identity and practicality overlap. While some fashion brands now experiment with gender-neutral marketing, consumers themselves still overwhelmingly filter their shopping by gender.
This isn’t just a habit; it also reflects differences in preferred shapes, frame widths, and even marketing imagery. A customer looking for “men’s sunglasses” may expect chunkier frames and darker colour palettes, while “women’s sunglasses” results often lean toward oversized or fashion-forward styles. From a retailer’s perspective, ignoring these distinctions risks missing out on organic search traffic that is very much alive and well.
Interestingly, the persistence of gendered searches in eyewear mirrors what happened in the shoe industry when Zappos first proved people would confidently buy fashion items online. Their success relied on making customers feel safe, offering free returns, generous try-on policies, and clear product categories.
Sunglasses brands today face a similar challenge: shoppers want both self-expression and reassurance that the product will “fit” who they are. Gender labels, for better or worse, remain one of the simplest signposts in that journey.
