Case Study
Carolina Foot and Ankle Specialists
About This Project
Carolina Foot and Ankle Specialists partnered with Charlotte Content Marketing to launch a comprehensive digital presence for their Gastonia-based practice from the ground up.
Starting with a zero-footprint baseline, the project involved the development of a high-authority website, a custom brand identity centered on innovation, and a bespoke, HIPAA-compliant patient intake system.
By integrating high-end video production, educational content marketing, and aggressive local SEO, CCM successfully positioned the practice as a regional leader in regenerative medicine and minimally invasive surgery, driving significant patient volume within weeks of launch.
The Challenge:
Building a Brand from Near "Zero"
In October 2025, Carolina Foot and Ankle Specialists offered world-class podiatric care, including stem cell therapy, minimally invasive surgery, and custom orthotics, but they were virtually invisible to the digital world.
Despite being in business for many years, the practice had:
No website
No online authority
An unmanaged Google Business Profile with unanswered reviews
No secure way for digital patients to book appointments
The need to compete in the crowded Gastonia/Belmont, NC corridor
STRATEGY
1. High-Trust Digital Identity
We built a custom website and filmed original video content for Facebook and Instagram, including patient testimonials. We worked with principals at CFAS to develop brand standards to ensure consistency across all digital assets.
Our content simplified complex regenerative medicine concepts and other podiatric topics, positioning the practice as the innovative leader in the region. Ongoing blogging allows us to introduce valuable content to educate patients and support the authority CFAS has built in the Gastonia region.
Every aspect of the website’s content was strategically developed to support local SEO and train modern search engine algorithms and AI on core and supplemental concepts surrounding the practice and Gastonia community.
2. The Lean HIPAA Tech Stack
To solve the lead-capture problem without the six-figure cost of a legacy EMR integration, we engineered a custom, secure solution for patient contact and email marketing:
Created a HIPAA-compliant lead capture form system that integrated into the new website
Developed a HIPAA-compliant email solution for patient form intake as well as general patient communication.
3. Aggressive Local SEO & Reputation Management
We "reclaimed" the Google Business Profile (GBP) by:
Responding to all legacy reviews to signal engagement to Google’s algorithm.
Posting monthly updates to build trust and authority.
Publishing high-intent blog content utilizing E-E-A-T best practices to capture "middle-of-funnel" search queries and improve online visibility.
Reviewed and revitalized citations across the web to ensure up-to-date NAP (name, address, phone number) data with the new site information.
Result:
The speed of growth exceeded all expectations. Within the first 4 weeks, the form and email system alone generated over 40 online appointment requests, causing the practice to briefly pause the intake system to manage the surge.
Total Impressions: 38,000+
Total Organic Clicks: 1,140+
Average Position: 6.9 (Across the entire site).
#1 Rankings: Achieved the top spot for critical terms including:
"Same day ingrown toenail removal near me"
"Foot doctor near me now"
"Podiatrist Gastonia NC"
"Stem cell treatment Gastonia"
From over the course of the first 4 months of our engagement with Carolina Foot and Ankle Specialists, the practice’s Google Business Profile became a primary driver of physical traffic:
Total Interactions: 1,548
Direct Phone Calls: 585
Direction Requests: 336
Website Clicks from GBP: 627
ROI & Business Impact: High-Efficiency Growth in a Few Months
Charlotte Content Marketing’s strategy was designed to maximize patient acquisition while maintaining a lean operational overhead. By focusing on organic authority rather than expensive paid advertising, the practice achieved a dominant market position with a highly favorable return on investment.
Market-Leading Lead Acquisition: While the average "Cost Per Lead" in the medical industry can often exceed $200 through paid search, CCM’s organic strategy generated 585 calls and 40+ formal web requests at a fraction of that cost.
High-Value Patient Pipeline: Based on 2026 podiatry benchmarks where the average first-year patient value is $450, the volume of inquiries generated represents a potential revenue pipeline of over $280,000.
Competitive Advantage: For the cost of a standard monthly retainer, the practice secured the #1 ranking for over 100 high-intent keywords, effectively owning the local search market for podiatry and regenerative medicine.
Operational Savings: The implementation of the lean HIPAA stack (including personalized HIPAAtizer + Protonmail for Business setups) saved the practice thousands in upfront development costs and ongoing portal licensing fees typically associated with legacy EMR systems.
The Impact: The campaign's efficiency was so high that the practice reached a state of "Full Capacity" within its first 35 days, proving that strategic content is the most effective driver of sustainable medical growth.
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sTRATEGY
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