The Visibility Gap This Charlotte-based clinic had everything it needed to thrive: a skilled medical team, glowing patient reviews, and efficient in-office operations. Yet when local residents searched for care, the clinic wasn’t showing up anywhere; not in Google Maps, not in local directories, and not in AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT.It wasn’t that they had a bad reputation, it’s that they had no digital visibility at all. Without an online presence, potential patients didn’t even know they existed, let alone consider booking an appointment. For clinics, being discoverable is just as important as delivering excellent care. By making their online presence complete, consistent, and AI-friendly, we ensured the clinic was part of the conversation wherever patients were looking for healthcare options.
What was going wrong?
This Charlotte clinic had the expertise to serve patients but was practically invisible online. Competing practices showed up first, leaving them overlooked in searches that mattered most. The lack of a strong digital footprint meant fewer patient inquiries and lost trust. Here’s what was holding them back:
- Google Maps absence: Missing from the 3-Pack for core healthcare terms in Charlotte.
- Directory invisibility: Little to no presence in major local and healthcare-specific directories.
- No AI footprint: Absent from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI-powered recommendation engines.
- Inconsistent information: Old and conflicting listings that confused search engines and reduced credibility.
Droved’s Action Plan
We set out to rebuild their local search presence from the ground up, making sure they could be discovered by patients searching in channels such as Google, directories, or AI tools.
- Step 1: Google Business Profile Optimization Added accurate categories, services, and hours. Wrote keyword-rich service descriptions tailored to local searches. Uploaded professional images of the clinic, staff, and facilities to boost engagement.
- Step 2: Citation Cleanup and Expansion Found and corrected outdated NAP details across healthcare directories and general business listings. Removed duplicates that were splitting search authority. Added missing listings on high-trust healthcare-specific platforms.
- Step 3: AI & Content Optimization Created locally targeted, AI-optimized content using the same language patients use when searching online. Implemented structured schema to clearly define the clinic’s services, location, and reviews for search engines and AI tools. Added service-area targeting to ensure they appeared for relevant nearby searches.
The Turnaround
After Droved stepped in, the difference was immediate. With a stronger local presence and AI-focused optimization, the clinic finally became visible where patients were searching. It didn’t take long for the improvements to show:
- Google Maps Rankings Restored: Back in the local 3-Pack for top healthcare keywords.
- AI Recommendations Secured: Appearing in ChatGPT responses for relevant Charlotte healthcare queries.
- Patient Growth: A noticeable increase in appointment bookings from people who found them online for the first time.
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