Jump To:
Greschner Foot & Ankle Specialists Case Study
New Practice Branding, Website Development, SEO / AI Engine Optimization, Social Media, Public Relations, Event and Launch Support
The Challenge
Launching a New Medical Practice
Dr. Joseph Greschner engaged GrassRoots Medical Marketing when working to open a new foot and ankle treatment and surgical practice in West Virginia. Previously, with a well-known orthopedic practice serving patients for nearly 50 years, opening a new practice would need introduction, education, communication, and earning the extended trust of the community. While Dr. Greschner is a well-respected foot and ankle surgeon, it was important to reach and engage everyone. We listened, conducted research, and formulated a strategy to overcome:
- New name and brand
- No digital foundation
- Personal name tied to former practice, now competitor
Our Solution
Build a Solid Brand, Marketing Foundation, and Competitive
Digital Communications
Our team was engaged and thrilled to work with Dr. Greschner and experience first-hand his affability, his approachability, and the personal, patient-first way he practices medicine.
Professional, Yet Personable Brand Identity
This was a brand built from scratch. We worked with Dr. Greschner to name the practice, design an award-winning logo and visual identity, and develop the tagline “Get Going Again”. We ultimately incorporated the tagline for optional use depending on the need, with the various logo versions, including a unique embroidery logo for uniforms and scrubs.
Inspired by a culture steeped in the love of mountain life and rugged terrain, the geographic features of Morgantown, WV, and the reverse G for Greschner, the logo and brand as a whole is a true representation of not only his patient-centered services, but the whole community.
Easy-to-Navigate Website Development
As potential patients are of all ages, it was vital to build a website that was not only modern, responsive, mobile-friendly, and optimized, but also user-friendly and easy for all patients to use and convert into patients. Messaging was also prioritized, ensuring that the same warm and trusting service focus was communicated on the website, and with testimonials featured to support that feeling.
- User-friendly
- Optimized
- Patient-centered and trust messaging
SEO & AI-Driven Visibility Strategy
A structured, phased approach was used to establish and grow the practice’s digital presence, beginning prior to launch and continuing through early expansion.
1. Pre-Launch: Establishing Entity & Local Presence
Before the website launched, we focused on building a consistent and credible digital footprint across key platforms.
We also worked closely with Dr. Greschner to understand both his experience and what matters most to his patients — aligning his background, services, and areas of focus with how patients search for care. This ensured that the practice’s online presence reflected not only his expertise, but also the real concerns and priorities of the patients he serves.
The process began with gathering and standardizing detailed provider information, including credentials, specialties, accepted insurance, and background, to ensure accuracy and completeness across all listings.
From there, we established and optimized profiles across:
- Core local platforms
- Healthcare-specific directories
- General business listings
Where applicable, we incorporated additional provider details and positioning to ensure a consistent representation of the practice across platforms.
This early groundwork ensured that search engines and emerging AI-driven systems could clearly identify and trust the practice as a legitimate local provider prior to launch, allowing it to enter the market with an established and consistent digital presence rather than starting from zero.
2. Google Business Profile Strategy: Clinic + Provider Alignment
In addition to the primary clinic profile, we also optimized Dr. Greschner’s personal Google Business Profile to work in tandem with the practice listing.
Depending on the search query, Google may surface the clinic profile, the provider profile, or both. By aligning and optimizing both, we increased the practice’s ability to appear across a broader range of relevant searches.
The dual-profile approach expands overall visibility and allows the practice to capture both general and more specialized patient queries, resulting in stronger positioning across high-intent searches.
It works in tandem with broader SEO and content efforts, reinforcing visibility across a wide range of patient searches.
3. Competitive & Search Landscape Analysis
With this foundation in place, we then analyzed the local competitive landscape to understand how established providers were positioned across key digital touchpoints relevant to patient discovery.
We used these insights to help inform initial keyword targeting, content structure, and positioning across both the website and external listings.
4. Launch: Building a Local-First Website Foundation
At launch, we structured the website to support both search visibility and patient usability.
We developed core pages — including Home, Services, About, Contact, and Patient Resources — with a focus on:
- Local search relevance, with messaging tailored to patients in the Morgantown area
- Clear, intuitive site navigation to help patients quickly find the information they need
- Comprehensive provider, practice, and appointment information
This ensured the site was immediately aligned with how patients search for care in the local market.
5. Post-Launch: Expanding Topical Authority
After establishing initial visibility at launch, we expanded the strategy to build depth and authority around key services. We developed targeted content aligned with how patients search for care, ensuring the practice was positioned across a broader range of relevant, high-intent queries.
These efforts were supported by a structured approach to site organization and content alignment, reinforcing the practice’s relevance across an expanding set of patient searches.
This work was not isolated to content alone, but reinforced through consistent signals across the practice’s broader digital presence.
This not only supports traditional search rankings, but also strengthens how modern AI-driven systems interpret and recommend providers — contributing to visibility across both search results and AI-generated recommendations.
Social Media
To support online brand visibility and practice reach, a new social page was launched with posts supporting introductions to Dr. Greschner, services provided, and topics of community interest.
Practice Launch Public Relations and Event Support
A press release was developed and distributed to local, industry, and wire outlets to communicate his opening and the services offered locally and for increased online visibility.
The team also developed outreach letters and write-ups for organization posts about the practice opening.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held with the local chamber. Planning and support included:
- Chamber connection and event initiation
- Total event guide and timeline
- Press release development and online distribution with images and backlinks with approximately 500 digital “reprints” and 300 additional distribution channels
- Press release, logo, and images sent individually with invitation to custom media list, communication with contacts regarding attendance/coverage
- Media talking points developed for interview preparation
- Social media promotion of event and coverage post
The Results
From Zero Visibility to Measurable Patient Engagement in Under 90 Days
The practice opened with a new, strong brand and easy-to-navigate website to ensure trust and credibility as a new practice.
While December represents the first full month of measurable performance, strategic groundwork in November — including Google Business Profile setup and key directory placements — established early visibility and allowed the practice to quickly gain traction following the official launch on December 1, 2025.
Within the first few months of launch, Greschner Foot & Ankle Specialists established a strong and growing presence across Google Search and local results — despite starting with no prior digital footprint.
Organic Search Growth (Google Search Console)
- 9,300+ total impressions in Google Search
- 800+ clicks from organic search
- 8.8% average click-through rate (CTR), indicating strong alignment with patient search intent
- Continued expansion in keyword visibility and search presence
Search performance continued to grow as Google recognized the site across an increasing number of relevant patient searches.
High-Intent Patient Actions from Google (Google Business Profile)
As the Google Business Profile was established and optimized, patient engagement increased rapidly, particularly among high-intent actions such as phone calls and directions to the office.
- Total actions increased 39% (from 805 to 1,122 per month)
- Phone calls increased 52% (from 46 to 70 per month)
- Website visits from Google increased 79% (from 61 to 109 per month)
- Profile views increased 55% (from 579 to 895 per month)
- Directions (patients navigating to the office) surged during the December launch — driven by new patient discovery — and remained steady thereafter as awareness was established
These metrics reflect meaningful patient engagement across the full patient journey, from initial discovery and navigation to direct calls and website interactions.
Top Local Rankings for High-Intent Searches
The practice now ranks in top 3 positions for numerous key local-intent searches, including:
- Foot surgeon Morgantown
- Podiatrist near me
- Ankle arthritis treatment Morgantown
These rankings position the practice directly in front of patients actively searching for care at the moment they are ready to seek treatment.
AI Recommendation Visibility Across Platforms
Dr. Greschner is not only appearing in Google AI Overviews, but is also consistently recommended across multiple other AI-driven platforms, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude.
Across a range of patient-intent searches, from general podiatry to advanced surgical care, Dr. Greschner is frequently positioned as a leading or first-listed provider.
- Featured in Google AI Overviews for high-value medical queries
- Recommended in AI-generated provider lists across multiple platforms
- Frequently appears as a top or first-listed provider
- Positioned alongside major regional healthcare systems and established practices
AI-driven search is rapidly changing how patients discover and evaluate providers. These systems don’t simply return ranked results. They synthesize information and recommend specific doctors based on perceived authority and relevance.
This positions the practice not just in search results, but within AI-generated recommendations across platforms — an emerging layer of visibility that is expected to play a growing role in patient decision-making.
From Launch to Market Presence
In under 90 days, the practice progressed from zero digital presence to a measurable and growing patient pipeline:
- Page one rankings across multiple service areas
- A rapidly expanding footprint across relevant search queries
- Consistent patient engagement through both Google search and local map results
What This Means for the Practice
This early momentum translates directly into real-world impact:
- Increased patient awareness in the Morgantown, WV market
- More inbound calls and appointment opportunities
- Strong positioning against long-established competitors
Greschner Foot & Ankle Specialists is now firmly positioned as a leading option for foot and ankle care in the region, just months after opening.
Gardner Orthopedics Case Study
SEO / AI Engine Optimization, Referral Bridge Program, Review and Reputation Management Program, Social Media and Google Business Profile Management, Public Relations, and Individual Physician Promotion
The Challenge
A long‑established orthopedic practice with growth opportunities across visibility, referrals, and physician capacity
Gardner Orthopedics is a well‑known orthopedic practice in Fort Myers, Florida, operating out of a building that previously served as a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic — complete with a long‑standing patriotic mural.
Despite its strong community presence, the practice faced several challenges:
- Some physicians had open patient capacity, and newer providers were working on building name recognition.
- The practice’s digital footprint was under-optimized, with missing, limited, or outdated information across platforms.
- Review volume lagged significantly behind major competitors, impacting local rankings.
- Physician referral systems were inconsistent across the team.
The practice needed a modern, strategic, and cohesive digital strategy to strengthen visibility, increase patient volume, improve patient engagement, and support long‑term growth of the practice.
Our Solution
A comprehensive, multi‑pillar digital and traditional (in-person/relationship) marketing strategy designed to elevate visibility, credibility, and patient acquisition
Our team first conducted a full digital and SEO audit, reviewed and analyzed profiles and reviews, and provided questionnaires aligned with interviews for all physicians. We identified opportunities and gaps, as well as highest margin services to refine our focus and develop a custom strategy.
1. Full SEO & Website Optimization
We conducted a complete SEO audit and implemented improvements across:
- Internal linking to boost pages
- Removal of outdated SEO keyword‑stuffing sections
- Content optimization aligned with online standards
- Strategic content creation targeting high‑intent orthopedic searches
These changes led to measurable improvements, including a 27% increase in impressions across key internally linked pages.
2. Google Business Profile Optimization
We performed a thorough GBP audit to identify gaps and opportunities. Improvements included:
- Adding relevant secondary categories
- Adding relevant services
- Developing custom service descriptions
However, review volume remained a limiting factor — a gap addressed through our review and reputation management system.
3. Review & Reputation Management Program
Competitors were earning 10–20x more reviews per month, giving them a ranking advantage. Many reviews did not have a needed response, leading to missed opportunities to both acknowledge and address experiences. We:
- Prepared the practice for automated review outreach pending authorization
- Set up review monitoring and request system, which provides an opportunity to address potentially negative reviews before they appear online
- Flagged negative reviews for internal follow‑up
- Responded to reviews in a HIPAA‑compliant manner
4. Referral Bridge Program
To start and grow individual physician referral relationships in the community, we implemented a program to lead and support physicians through all outreach efforts. The program included:
- Systematic physician referral outreach plan with referral identification support
- Provided coaching, talking points, and scripts
- Physician referral event planning support
- Customized Event‑in‑a‑Box manual, including timelines and invitation
- Monthly newsletter introducing physicians, what they can be referred for, and other office or industry news
- Quarterly press release highlighting a featured service, distributed to ~500 outlets, generating online buzz and strengthening topical authority
5. Social Media & Physician Promotion
Social media was utilized to support online brand visibility, introduce physicians, educate the community, and increase practice reach. Monthly themes include Meet the Doctor physician-focused professional and personal overviews to connect to audiences, education about conditions and treatment options, and seasonal health and wellness tips.
The Results
Meaningful visibility gains and stronger patient engagement across search, social, and local discovery
Following are examples of monthly results for Gardner Orthopedics.
Organic Search Growth (MoM)
- Total impressions grew +5.9% to 331,609
- Clicks to the website grew +1.6% to 3,546
- Shockwave Therapy page:
- 133% increase in clicks
- 65% increase in impressions
- Ranking for primary keyword improved from 14.8 → 7.3
Google Business Profile Engagement (MoM)
- Total interactions grew +6.1% to 3,788
- Direction requests surged +18.8% to 600
- Calls increased +2% to 355
Local Search Rankings
Gardner Orthopedics ranks competitively across Fort Myers for foundational industry terms such as:
- Orthopedic specialists Fort Myers
- Orthopedic surgeons Fort Myers
- Orthopedic doctors near me
Gardner has achieved these results despite a review volume gap. Review count remains the primary differentiator between Gardner and top competitors.
Additionally, a number of service pages we updated and optimized saw significant improvement over the previous three-month average ranking
Social Media Impact
- 16,107 impressions
- 3,358 reach (unique users)
- 926 engagements
Content reached unique users and generated engagements, supporting:
- Physician introductions
- Condition/treatment education
- Community‑focused messaging
What This Means for the Practice
Gardner Orthopedics is strengthening its digital footprint, improving search visibility, and increasing patient engagement across multiple channels. With continued focus on reviews, content, and physician promotion, the practice is positioned to compete more aggressively with top orthopedic groups in Southwest Florida.
Take the Medical Practice Health Quiz
Assess your practice’s growth, efficiency, and patient engagement with our quick, insightful health quiz.
