“No-brainer”: what online success means for Optiek Lammerant

Looking for stylish glasses or trendy designer sunglasses? At Optiek Lammerant in Deinze, you’ll discover more than forty different eyewear brands under one roof. But in 2026, that roof is more than a physical, modern optician’s shop. This Combell customer also stands strong online. Let's talk!

With targeted marketing, the team ensures that their (sun)glasses catch the eye both in search engines and on social media.

Everything naturally starts with a solid website and webshop. For this, Optiek Lammerant has relied on Combell’s services for many years. So it’s time for owner Lieven De Clercq to take us along in his successful entrepreneurial story!

Our optician’s shop was once the victim of website attacks from abroad. Even before I had discovered it myself, Combell had already called me to say it was solved. That’s the kind of service you pay for!

Lieven De Clercq, manager Optiek Lammerant

One of the first with its own website

As an entrepreneur, Lieven De Clercq has always kept his eyes on the future. Going online with his business was therefore never an obstacle. Within the optical sector, he was one of the first opticians with his own website.

"Why it’s important for a company to be present online? Well, why wouldn’t it be important? It’s an absolute no-brainer", Lieven says right away.

"You have to invest in online, period. Because of AI, this will only become more important. Just because you rank number one in Google doesn’t mean you automatically become number one in ChatGPT.

Without a website, you have a problem - then you won’t be easily findable in ChatGPT."

Fewer flyers, more social media and email marketing

Lieven has been at the helm of Optiek Lammerant for more than thirty years. During that time, he has seen entrepreneurship in terms of advertising change enormously.

"In the very beginning, there was less business to be done via the internet; today it’s a world of difference", Lieven emphasises.

"In the past we combined promotion through magazines and flyers with our website. Now it evolves the other way around. That’s exactly why one of our employees, Josfien, works full time on our marketing.

I specifically hired her to keep the website up to date and stay active across all channels. In the meantime, we already have two marketers working here."

"Offline and online are connected"

"Customers walk into the optician’s shop after seeing a specific frame on our website or on Instagram. Online, customers - including new ones - discover our range much faster", Lieven continues.

"Offline and online are connected. I see some entrepreneurs releasing a flyer to show they have something new.

That’s all well and good, but if you then surf to their website, there is nothing about it to be found. Then that flyer, and the site as well, brings you nothing."

"Customers beyond national borders"

These investments in online success are paying off. Lieven says: "In the past you needed word-of-mouth advertising, now online marketing and our social media posts do the job."

By investing online, you can do business across national borders.

Lieven De Clercq, manager Optiek Lammerant

As a result, the customer base of Optiek Lammerant received a huge boost.

"We now have customers from a broader region: Ypres, Oostkamp, Antwerp, Overijse… Without a website or social media, those ‘distant customers’ would never come to us", Lieven explains.

"Although our webshop mainly serves as an online showcase, we also have a nice direct sale of sunglasses. Seventy percent of those go to the Netherlands. By investing online, you can do business across national borders."

Focus on credibility and visibility

Lieven and his team are convinced that social media play a major role in online marketing. They work according to a well-thought-out content planning. The optician mainly wants to create visibility and radiate credibility.

"It’s only when you put everything into a plan, including your social media, that channels reinforce each other", Lieven explains.

"We want to post something at least every two days", he emphasises. "On Instagram you have to show what you offer, who you really are.

You will regularly see me - or our team memebers - appear in the picture ourselves. We turn those photoshoots into a fun teambuilding." (laughs)

"By showing ourselves with our glasses, we want to tell customers: what we wear, you can wear too. Of course, models look good with everything." (laughs)

"Blog and newsletter very important"

Precisely because online success is so important for Optiek Lammerant, blog posts regularly appear on their website. These are also sent out in a newsletter.

"Our blogs and newsletters are very important to us", Lieven says. "With those blog posts we work on our SEO, the right keywords have to be in there."

But visibility is not the only factor. Lieven wants to inform his customers, share expertise and highlight the optician’s personal approach.

Lieven: "Optiek Lammerant is known for service and advice. Through our posts we want to emphasise that we listen to our customers: what do you need your glasses for, what do you personally like? It’s up to us to guide the customer as well as possible."

First the site, then the shop

At Optiek Lammerant everything started with a website, which was later expanded with a webshop. Combell provides the hosting for both the WordPress website and the WooCommerce webshop.

"In the past quite a few platforms have passed by here", Lieven recalls.

"At one point we were completely dependent on the system of our website builder at the time. We couldn’t change anything ourselves, we had to email everything. No way I ever want to experience that again."

I don’t want my data to end up in American or Chinese hands. I find it very important that thanks to Combell my data is located in Belgium.

Lieven De Clercq, manager Optiek Lammerant

WordPress: control over your own website

Because Lieven does not want to start coding himself to get something online, he found WordPress to be an ideal solution. "WordPress is very efficient to work with yourself", he adds.

"Everything has to be easy to adjust. New photos, blog posts, promotions we launch… That must appear online smoothly and immediately.

For the more complex technical matters we work together with an excellent developer. For several years I did everything myself, but that was impossible. My work-life balance was - how do you say it - completely out of balance." (grins)

Stable and reliable hosting in Europe

According to Lieven De Clercq, anyone with a website must be able to rely on fast, stable and reliable hosting in Europe. He explains:

"Because of all recent events abroad, I’ve become more chauvinistic. I don’t want my data to end up in American or Chinese hands. That’s why it’s very important to me that thanks to Combell my data is located in Belgium.

Hosting abroad is usually cheaper, but you can only reach them through a ticket and it takes three weeks before you receive an answer.

Whereas if I call Combell right at this moment, I will immediately get someone on the line. In Dutch - - try finding that somewhere else!

We once had website attacks from abroad. Even before I had discovered it myself, Combell had already called me to say it was solved. That’s the kind of service you pay for!"

If you want your online data to be hosted safely, Combell is the place to be.

Lieven De Clercq, manager Optiek Lammerant

"Combell stands for reliability"

The collaboration between Combell and Optiek Lammerant can be called more than a successful partnership. Lieven has trusted Combell’s support for many years.

"Combell stands for reliability", Lieven emphasises. "Other entrepreneurs know that all too well. I’m on the board of Unizo Deinze and everyone knows the name Combell. If you want your online data to be hosted safely, Combell is the place to be."

What does Lieven value so much as a loyal customer? "Your service, quality and advice", he adds. "What we as opticians offer to our customers, Combell in turn offers to its customers.

As an entrepreneur, you are usually a layperson in hosting and IT. So you need a partner you trust one hundred percent. Combell Support is extremely good. I find it very valuable that I can call you 24/7 free of charge. When necessary, things can move very quickly."

"Time to optimise further"

When we tell Lieven that Optiek Lammerant is doing very well online, he waves away the compliments. "It can always be better", he says.

"We still need to optimise more. Segmenting target groups so we can send our newsletters more specifically. If you bought sunglasses here today, you shouldn’t receive an email tomorrow about our new sunglasses.

On Instagram, Reels have become very important, but we are still further developing our video content. When it comes to socials, we also need to extract more analyses from our statistics: when is our reach the highest, at what hours should we better not post?", he concludes.

Let Combell be part of your online success

Whether Lieven wants to believe it or not, he is strongly building the online success story of Optiek Lammerant.

Are you planning to do the same? Or do you want to sharpen your plans further? Whether it’s about stable and local hosting, better email marketing or user-friendly social media tools…

Discover Combell’s offering and start building the online success of your business.