Updated thyroiddoctornc seo action report 10/12/26

Wilmington and surrounding-area patient acquisition. Complete old-plan review, current V2 evidence and a decision-led path to qualified discovery calls.

View current V2 sitemap View original plan Download HTML report

The patient-acquisition decision

Stop treating more thyroid pages as the strategy. The structure is largely built. The next gains depend on matching the right patient to the right kind of care, making the call process clear, and measuring a confirmed appointment rather than a form submission.

42Current canonical URLs

18Articles: 13 retained + 5 new

44Old checklist items reviewed

0Website changes in this report

What to double down on

Wilmington functional-medicine thyroid support, a useful normal-labs pathway, accurate Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism education, and a transparent introduction to the practice. Preserve the approved look, every original article URL and existing media.

What to stop assuming

“Thyroid doctor” does not mean “functional medicine.” The sampled local results often favor medical endocrinologists and diagnosis/treatment providers. “Root cause” is also used by a direct functional-medicine competitor. Neither a keyword domain nor more schema establishes a competitive moat.

Recommended order: patient fit → booking reliability → credible local service information → focused content → measured expansion. Rankings, broad traffic and AI mentions support this goal. They are not the goal.

Research and page captures: October 13, 2026, Pacific time. The requested title retains 10/12/26 exactly. This is a new report, not an update to the old public plan or either website.

[21][1]

What the actual baseline says

Evidence	Returned result	Decision
Connected Search Console, live https://thyroiddoctornc.com/, July 9–October 9, 2026	7 page rows. 1 click; 83 page-level impressions. No more rows reported.	A sparse starting point. These are live-domain measurements, not V2 results.
Same dates, query + page	0 rows; no more rows reported.	Anonymized query omissions mean this is not proof of zero demand, deindexing or zero impressions.
Same dates, date dimension	25 returned dates, 1 click and 21 property-level impressions.	Page impression aggregates differ from property-level totals. Do not equate them or sum them together.
Google Analytics property 536211516, September 12–October 9; compared with August 15–September 11	2 organic sessions, 1 active user, 1 engaged session, 0 recorded key events. Previous organic sessions: 2.	No verified booking-specific attribution. Zero recorded key events does not prove zero real appointments.
Earlier saved annual baseline, October 9, 2025–October 9, 2026	Sparse hyperthyroidism cause variants and one practice query.	Do not turn a historical “4 organic keywords” claim into a current ranking baseline.
OpenSEO research credits	Insufficient-credit blocker already established. Free connected reads still worked.	Use direct DataForSEO and primary pages. Do not retry paid OpenSEO endpoints or manufacture scores.

Read-only evidence retained locally: raw-research-tool-messages.json, parsed-research-tools.json and the earlier first-party-baseline.json. Exact project: 54bf8fc6-6850-4e1c-858e-97d282722b44. Search Console requests used 1,000-row limits, no filters and no remaining pages. Analytics property timezone is America/New_York; Search Console dates are Pacific. Small averages such as position 4.5 for the homepage do not demonstrate nonbrand Wilmington rankings.

Keep, change or drop the old plan

Old-plan section	Verdict	Updated decision
Executive diagnosis and expected impact	Change	Keep the separate microsite model. Drop “dominates,” “moat,” 20–30 keywords in 4–6 weeks and AI citations in 3–6 months. The old four-keyword headline was not a current evidence base.
Current site inventory	Change	Old inventory listed 10 articles while stating 13, and used /our-story/. This audit captures all 42 current canonical URLs and all 18 articles. V2 uses /about/ and preserves the original /blog/ URLs.
Technical foundation and stack	Change	V2 is Astro, not an instruction to buy Rank Math Pro or edit Divi in WordPress. Review noindex is deliberate. Titles, descriptions, relationships, breadcrumbs and sitemap work already exist. Check real performance separately.
Hub-and-spoke architecture	Keep	Retain the useful condition/testing hubs and genuine bios. Separate symptom exploration, local practice fit and testing purchase intent. Hubs do not by themselves guarantee authority.
Navigation and footer	Change	Keep compact dropdowns and call CTA. Preserve phone-free V2 and identical visual conventions. Add an entry for symptoms only after substantive routes are approved.
Titles and descriptions	Change	Use accurate care/support language and clear credentials. Avoid “thyroid specialist” implying endocrinology and “we find what is actually causing” promising diagnostic certainty. National education does not need Wilmington in every title.
Local targeting and parent links	Change	Keep parent identity and relevant reciprocal links. A microsite does not need its own Google Business Profile, but patients still need accurate office and care-logistics information. Do not imply offices in every town.
AEO answer paragraphs	Change	Keep direct answers, readable headings and cited limitations. Drop rigid 40–80-word rules, forced certainty and invented percentages.
GEO external promotion	Defer	Use genuine, disclosed expertise and existing video transcripts. No forum seeding, fake recommendations or assumed training-data weights. Prioritize call quality before a new publishing channel.
robots.txt prescriptions	Change	Use effective crawl/index/snippet controls, a real sitemap and approved search access. Training crawlers and search discovery are different purposes. Explicit Allow is not a citation switch.
MedicalCondition / MedicalTest schema	Change	Optional accurate semantics, not condition/test rich-result promises. Never use Endocrinology in provider identity for these chiropractic practitioners.
FAQ / HowTo rich-result promises	Drop	FAQ rich results stopped May 7, 2026; documentation removed June 15. HowTo rich results were deprecated in 2023. Visible useful questions still matter.
Article authors and “last updated”	Change	Preserve approved practice publisher and no personal bylines. Named review only after real review. Dates reflect actual editorial work, not rebuild time.
Content gaps and article depth	Change	The old gaps are largely built. Improve local fit and overlap before another bulk batch. No 1,500/2,000-word quota or city × condition permutations.
Conversion and testimonials	Change	Keep an accessible call path. Explain the GHL intake → separate scheduling/request stages. Do not promise a clinician-led 15-minute appointment without verification. Retain genuine, permissioned testimonials without outcome guarantees.
Checklist, owners and roadmap	Change	Replace historical API/manual WordPress assignments with Astro editor, practice, operations and analytics owners. Add approval, privacy and acceptance gates.
September 18 activity log and manual instructions	Change	Treat recorded WordPress actions as historical, not reverified today or instructions to repeat. Rows 12–19 are old actions; rows 20–25 are old manual tasks. Row 16 says 10 posts, inconsistent with 13 elsewhere. Do not reassign AI writing to a doctor.

[1][11]

The complete 44-item implementation checklist is reconciled individually in the final appendix. No old plan, site page, branch, DNS or launch state was edited for this evaluation.

What real searches return

DataForSEO Google live advanced snapshots captured October 13, 2026. Depth requested: 10. Organic positions below use rank_group, not absolute positions that include other features. Leland, Hampstead and Jacksonville are query modifiers searched from Wilmington, not rank grids inside those towns.

Exact query	Geography and device	First five organic results	Coverage
functional medicine thyroid wilmington nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. wilmingtonfunctionalmedicine.com 2. breakthroughfunctional.com 3. www.upcurrentfm.com 4. alignedmodernhealth.com 5. tidalwellness.com	9 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.
hashimotos doctor wilmington nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. wilmingtonendo.com 2. www.wilmingtonadultmed.com 3. health.usnews.com 4. www.wilmingtonhealth.com 5. wilmingtonfunctionalmedicine.com	9 returned organic results; 3 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.
thyroid testing wilmington nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. www.anylabtestnow.com 2. wilmingtonendo.com 3. www.afcurgentcare.com 4. requestatest.com 5. www.wilmingtonhealth.com	9 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.
thyroid doctor leland nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. www.facebook.com 2. m.yelp.com 3. www.mapquest.com 4. wilmingtonendo.com 5. www.facebook.com	9 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.
thyroid doctor hampstead nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. wilmington-health-family-medicine-hampstead-1.wheree.com 2. www.facebook.com 3. www.mapquest.com 4. m.yelp.com 5. doctor.webmd.com	9 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.
fatigue and hair loss	United States	1. www.mayoclinic.org 2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 3. valleyhealth.org 4. www.youtube.com 5. www.health.harvard.edu	8 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI answer/references returned.
thyroid doctor wilmington nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. www.wilmingtonhealth.com 2. www.novanthealth.org 3. www.facebook.com 4. wilmingtonendo.com 5. www.doximity.com	8 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.
thyroid doctor jacksonville nc	Wilmington city, mobile	1. www.practo.com 2. biote.com 3. www.unchealth.org 4. missionwellnessnc.com 5. www.healthgrades.com	9 returned organic results; 0 map listings. AI shell only; no answer/citations.

Provider intent is not one market

General thyroid and Hashimoto’s searches surfaced endocrinology, internal medicine, directories and medical-system providers. The Hashimoto’s sample map pack contained Wilmington Endocrinology, Michael Favorito, MD, ECNU, and Liudmila Yesaulava, MD. Functional-medicine intent instead returned the parent practice first and Breakthrough second.

Testing intent is different again

The testing sample led with Any Lab Test Now, followed by endocrinology and urgent care. Cost and where to obtain testing appeared in People Also Ask. A visitor buying a lab test is not automatically a visitor seeking ongoing functional-medicine support.

The microsite did not appear among the organic items returned in these samples. That is a snapshot finding, not proof of no rankings. The parent practice appeared first for functional-medicine thyroid intent and fifth for Hashimoto’s doctor intent. Keep that existing parent foothold and clarify the microsite’s complementary role.

Surrounding-town samples returned mixed and sometimes weakly relevant directory/social results. They justify testing relevant local information, not a claim that those cities are easy to dominate. People Also Ask included off-target geography and unrelated questions; these were not blindly converted into content briefs. The national symptom sample included Mayo Clinic, NIH, Valley Health, YouTube and Harvard Health plus an actual AI answer with references. We analyze its format, not endorse the AI answer as clinical evidence.

Keyword priorities with honest metrics

Keyword / cluster	Market and source	Returned monthly search estimate	Difficulty / limitation	Priority decision
thyroid testing wilmington nc	Wilmington city, Google Ads through DataForSEO	10	No organic difficulty returned. Monthly details only September and November 2025. Sparse record.	High service-fit page. Use 10 as a limited provider estimate, not a reliable October 2026 demand forecast.
thyroid doctor wilmington nc	Wilmington Google Ads + United States Labs	Unavailable	Labs returned intent metadata, not volume or organic difficulty.	Provider-shopping query; clarify credentials and scope rather than impersonate an endocrinologist.
functional medicine wilmington nc	Wilmington Google Ads / United States Labs	Unavailable	Labs organic difficulty 23; database updated June 14, 2026. This is not Wilmington-specific difficulty.	Broad practice query belongs primarily to the parent. Microsite targets thyroid-specific support.
hashimotos doctor wilmington nc; normal thyroid labs but symptoms	United States Labs; retried smaller omitted batch	Unavailable	No rows on retry. This is unavailable data, not zero searches.	Prioritize based on patient fit and observed local/provider intent.
fatigue and hair loss	United States Google Ads and Labs	880	No difficulty returned. August 2026 monthly row 3,600; July 1,900. Close-variant clustering and unstable trend require caution.	Symptom-aware education, not local market size. Cross-site overlap with Fatigue needs ownership review.
brain fog and fatigue	United States Labs	Unavailable	Organic difficulty 11; volume absent; metadata updated July 15, 2026.	Potential symptom guide after primary-care differential and internal-link plan.
hypothyroidism symptoms	United States Labs	Unavailable	Organic difficulty 36; volume absent; metadata updated July 12, 2026.	Use existing hypothyroidism education. National institutions are strong competitors.
hashimotos	United States Google Ads	201,000	Ads competition LOW, index 9. Ads competition is not organic difficulty.	Demonstrates national information demand, not Wilmington patient opportunity. Do not chase this term alone.
hypothyroidism	United States Google Ads	Unavailable	Keyword/location only.	Do not substitute a guessed volume.

Requested Labs overview: eight keywords, five returned. A smaller retry of the three omitted terms returned none. Local Ads request: three keywords, all returned, but only one included a volume. National Ads retry: three keywords, two included usable volumes. Missing metrics remain unavailable. No volumes are summed into a market estimate. No national number is presented as Wilmington demand.

Two focused research groups, one thyroid acquisition system

Group	Seed language	How it is used
Qualified local care	functional medicine thyroid wilmington nc; hashimotos doctor wilmington nc; hypothyroidism treatment wilmington nc; thyroid testing wilmington nc; thyroid doctor near me	Prioritize the care/testing/fit pages. Treatment wording requires scope confirmation. Near-me coverage requires real business proximity, not adding the phrase to every page.
Symptoms and uncertainty	fatigue and hair loss; brain fog and fatigue; normal thyroid labs but symptoms; always tired despite sleeping; unexplained weight gain; cold all the time	Answer the visitor’s actual symptom question first. Only route to thyroid content when relevant. Untested phrases are editorial hypotheses, not measured demand.

Competitor lessons that matter

Competitor	Primary-page evidence	Acquisition advantage	Our response
Wilmington Endocrinology	Board-certified endocrinology/metabolism identity; thyroid-nodule and cancer expertise; imaging, publications, patient forms and portal.[5]	A clear specialist proposition and substantial evidence of medical expertise.	Do not pursue cancer/surgery traffic with a discovery-call pitch. Explain when specialty assessment is appropriate.
Wilmington Health endocrinology	Adult care; ultrasound/FNA; referral instructions; new-patient packet; actual Wilmington and Leland provider locations.[6]	Care logistics and clinician/service/location relationships are explicit.	Explain WFM’s real office, who conducts the introduction and how ongoing medical care is coordinated. No fictional town offices.
Wilmington Adult Medicine	Named MD, a dedicated thyroid Q&A/service page and Request Appointment path; page describes prescribing.[7]	Matches local thyroid diagnosis/treatment intent directly.	Differentiate supportive care and consultation fit. Do not claim the same prescribing capability.
Breakthrough Functional Medicine	Named nurse practitioner; discovery call is optional; no direct medical advice on call; separate foundational assessment and ongoing membership.[8]	“Root cause” is already occupied. The next steps after the call are unusually clear.	Compete on transparency, evidence, care coordination and actual patient process, not a renamed “root cause protocol.”
Any Lab Test Now	Dedicated Wilmington test result first in sampled testing SERP. Provider result exposed a $162 price. Body retrieval captured mostly cookie UI.[10]	Testing buyers look for access and price.	Treat price as a dated snippet, not a verified current quote. Publish approved WFM test-cost process and interpretation value, without claiming lower cost.
UpCurrent	Third organic result for functional-medicine thyroid search; snippet invites a 20-minute consultation. Primary extraction was incomplete.	Visible direct consultation proposition in the search sample.	Do not copy duration or services. Body-level offering and availability were not verified.

Positioning recommendation: “A practical next step for people with persistent symptoms or diagnosed thyroid conditions who want to understand Wilmington Functional Medicine’s approach, testing options and how support can fit alongside their medical care.” This is proposed copy, not a verified promise of diagnosis, prescribing or symptom resolution.

Current V2: every canonical page

Fresh sitemap and HTML capture reconciles 42 canonical URLs, including 18 articles. Earlier build verification separately records 62 served route documents, because archives, continuity paths and query-dependent documents are not all canonical pages. Do not call this 62 distinct SEO landing pages.

Already implemented

Condition and testing hubs, six condition spokes, four testing spokes, genuine practitioner biographies, parent relationship, improved titles/descriptions, breadcrumbs, article cross-links, call CTA, original forms, five new articles and a complete human-readable site map. Public office numbers and click-to-call were deliberately removed from V2.

Not established by this audit

Clinical signoff, booked-call attribution, production indexability, local rank-grid coverage, current backlink quality or field Core Web Vitals. A good build or embedded iframe does not establish these outcomes.

[21]

Current path	Actual title	Role / provenance	Description	H1 count	Observed schema types
/	Thyroid Care & Testing in Wilmington, NC \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage WebSite
/blog/	Thyroid Health Blog \| Wilmington, NC \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/blog/adrenal-stress-thyroid-function/	Stress, Sleep and Thyroid Function \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/can-hormonal-imbalances-especially-shifts-in-estrogen-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Hormones and Hypothyroidism: What to Discuss \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/can-my-excess-stress-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Stress and Hypothyroidism: Evidence and Next Steps \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/can-vitamin-mineral-deficiencies-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Nutrients and Thyroid Health: Avoid Guesswork \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/could-my-diet-food-sensitivities-poor-diet-toxins-etc-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Diet, Food Reactions and Thyroid Symptoms \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/diet-thyroid-health/	Thyroid Diet: Food Choices and Testing Limits \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/do-you-not-feel-right-but-your-doctor-says-your-lab-results-look-normal/	Normal Thyroid Labs but Persistent Symptoms \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/is-my-thyroid-issue-caused-by-old-infections/	Infections and Thyroid Concerns: What Tests Mean \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/is-my-thyroid-problem-hashimotos/	Is It Hashimoto’s? Signs, Testing and Next Steps \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/root-cause-thyroid-testing/	Root-Cause Thyroid Testing: Utility and Limits \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalTest Organization Question WebPage
/blog/what-is-hashimotos-hypothyroidism/	Hashimoto’s Disease: Symptoms and Thyroid Testing \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/what-is-hyperthyroidism-and-what-causes-it/	Hyperthyroidism: Causes, Tests and Specialist Care \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/why-do-i-have-thyroid-symptoms-but-normal-labs/	Thyroid Symptoms with Normal Labs: A Careful Review \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Retained original article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/book-call/	Book a Free Thyroid Discovery Call \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/contact/	Contact Thyroid Doctor NC \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/disclaimer/	Medical Disclaimer \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/faq/	Thyroid Questions and Answers \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/privacy-policy/	Privacy Policy \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/terms/	Terms and Conditions \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/about/	About Wilmington Functional Medicine \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Practice or genuine biography	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/testing/	Thyroid Testing in Wilmington, NC \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Testing information / fit	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/conditions/	Thyroid Conditions \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage
/conditions/hashimotos-disease/	Hashimoto’s Disease \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalCondition Organization Question WebPage
/conditions/hypothyroidism/	Hypothyroidism \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalCondition Organization Question WebPage
/conditions/hyperthyroidism/	Hyperthyroidism \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalCondition Organization Question WebPage
/conditions/graves-disease/	Graves’ Disease \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalCondition Organization Question WebPage
/conditions/thyroid-nodules/	Thyroid Nodules \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalCondition Organization Question WebPage
/conditions/thyroid-symptoms-normal-labs/	Thyroid Symptoms with Normal Labs \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Condition education / support fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalCondition Organization Question WebPage
/testing/thyroid-panel/	Thyroid Panel \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Testing information / fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalTest Organization Question WebPage
/testing/adrenal-hormone-testing/	Adrenal & Hormone Testing \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Testing information / fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalTest Organization Question WebPage
/testing/gut-health-testing/	Gut Health Testing \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Testing information / fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalTest Organization Question WebPage
/testing/food-sensitivity-testing/	Food Sensitivity Testing \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Testing information / fit	Present	1	Answer BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem MedicalTest Organization Question WebPage
/about/dr-hilary-rutledge/	Dr. Hilary Rutledge \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Practice or genuine biography	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization Person WebPage
/about/dr-mathew-bradshaw/	Dr. Mathew Bradshaw \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Practice or genuine biography	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization Person WebPage
/blog/hashimotos-vs-hypothyroidism/	Hashimoto’s vs Hypothyroidism: What’s the Difference? \| Thyroid Doctor NC	New V2 article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/thyroid-medication-guide/	Thyroid Medication Guide: Questions for Your Prescriber \| Thyroid Doctor NC	New V2 article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/thyroid-and-weight-gain/	Thyroid and Weight Gain: A Practical Evaluation Guide \| Thyroid Doctor NC	New V2 article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/thyroid-and-fertility/	Thyroid and Fertility: Planning Care Before Pregnancy \| Thyroid Doctor NC	New V2 article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/blog/functional-medicine-vs-endocrinology/	Functional Medicine vs Endocrinology for Thyroid Concerns \| Thyroid Doctor NC	New V2 article	Present	1	Answer BlogPosting BreadcrumbList FAQPage ListItem Organization Question WebPage
/sitemap/	Complete Site Map \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Existing core / utility	Present	1	BreadcrumbList ListItem Organization WebPage

Schema type presence is not a validation certificate or Google rich-result eligibility. Primary content and metadata were captured for every sitemap URL; the full texts, headings, schemas, iframes and hashes remain in v2-inventory.json. Existing retention evidence records all original content/media preserved. This report does not re-edit or delete inherited content.

Improved architecture without a rebuild

Keep the foundation. Add missing patient decisions, not another condition-page factory. The existing six condition and four testing spokes are enough to begin. Local support and symptoms need clear entry points with one primary owner per intent.

Current canonical architecture

/
/about/ + 2 real biographies
/conditions/ + 6 condition pages
/testing/ + 4 testing pages
/blog/ + 18 articles
/faq/ /book-call/ /contact/
/disclaimer/ /privacy-policy/ /terms/
/sitemap/

The complete route list above is the current contract. No route is removed here.

Proposed additions, subject to approval

/care/thyroid-support-wilmington-nc/
/symptoms/
/symptoms/fatigue-hair-loss/
/symptoms/brain-fog-fatigue/
/how-it-works/
/locations/
/locations/wilmington-nc/
/locations/leland-nc/
/locations/hampstead-nc/
/locations/jacksonville-nc/
/locations/remote-care-north-carolina/

Do not launch all these at once. The care page, how-it-works page and symptom hub come first. Local spokes are conditional on substantive logistics and qualified demand. Remote eligibility/process needs confirmation.

Homepage ownership: the main branded local entry and concise overview. Care page ownership: thyroid-focused functional-medicine support in Wilmington, including fit, limits and next steps. Testing hub ownership: available tests and ordering/interpretation process. Avoid using all three as interchangeable “thyroid doctor Wilmington” pages.

The Wilmington location page, if needed, should own office logistics, directions/accessibility and visit arrangements. If the care page can answer these completely, use an office section rather than a redundant location page. Leland and Hampstead pages should explain travel to the Wilmington practice and verified alternatives for collection/visits. Jacksonville and statewide remote pages stay in a later queue until process and eligibility are confirmed.

Compact navigation using the current look

Symptoms | Conditions | Testing | About | Resources | Book Free Call. Symptoms and Resources can replace, not endlessly add to, top-level items after approval. Put local care/how-it-works links in relevant menus, and keep FAQ, Contact and the full sitemap accessible. Maintain one-row desktop navigation, readable dropdowns and phone-free mobile booking.

Preservation and overlap rules

Keep all 13 original article URLs plus five new article URLs. No mass canonicalization or redirects based only on similar words.
Keep /book-call/ as the conversion owner. A how-it-works page answers process, not a competing calendar page.
Legacy /about-us/, /our-story/ and /thyroid-testing/ retain deliberate continuity/redirect handling. Verify actual source-to-destination behavior before any approved future edit.
No every-town × every-condition pages. Google identifies substantially similar funnel pages as doorway abuse.
Keep substantive inherited content visible. Proposed claim review means evidence-supported annotation or an explicit later approved amendment, not deletion during this report.

[14]

One search intent, one primary page

Keyword cluster	Primary URL owner	Awareness	Page purpose	Primary next step	Internal flow	Evidence / limit	Priority
functional medicine thyroid wilmington nc	/care/thyroid-support-wilmington-nc/	Solution / provider	Scope, practice fit, process, local access	Book free discovery call	About → How it works → Book call	Local functional SERP + real parent services	High
thyroid doctor wilmington nc; thyroid doctor near me	/	Provider shopping	Clarify actual practitioner credentials and care model	Check whether this approach fits	Care / specialist comparison → Book call	Sample favors endocrinology; not a claim to be one	High
hashimotos doctor wilmington nc; Hashimoto’s support	/conditions/hashimotos-disease/	Problem / solution	Diagnosis education + WFM support boundaries	Explore care options	Existing Hashimoto’s explainer → Care → Book call	Hashimoto’s local sample + primary clinical review	High
hypothyroidism treatment wilmington nc	/conditions/hypothyroidism/	Problem / provider	Treatment education; clarify what practice offers and does not	Discuss whether WFM support fits	Medication guide → Care → Book call	Treatment capability must be confirmed; avoid prescribing inference	High
normal thyroid labs but symptoms	/conditions/thyroid-symptoms-normal-labs/	Uncertainty / solution	Decision hub: what results mean, alternatives and next step	Prepare questions for a clinician	Normal-labs articles → Testing utility → Care fit	Existing overlapping cluster; ATA testing guidance	High
thyroid testing wilmington nc; complete thyroid panel	/testing/thyroid-panel/	Solution	Indication, limits, collection and interpretation; costs process	Ask how testing is selected	Testing hub → How it works → Book call	Local volume estimate 10, sparse; testing SERP	High
fatigue and hair loss	/symptoms/fatigue-hair-loss/	Symptom-aware	Differential and appointment preparation; thyroid one possibility	Read the symptom checklist	Symptoms hub → Relevant condition only if applicable	National volume 880; Mayo/NIH-style competing format	Medium
brain fog and fatigue	/symptoms/brain-fog-fatigue/	Symptom-aware	Everyday description, alternatives, meaningful care-seeking questions	Understand next steps	Symptoms → Normal-labs guide if relevant → Care	National difficulty 11; volume unavailable	Medium
functional medicine vs endocrinologist thyroid	/blog/functional-medicine-vs-endocrinology/	Solution-aware	Complementary roles, credentials, referrals, prescribing and specialist care	Compare care roles	Care → About → Book call	Already built; local SERP specialty mismatch	High
thyroid support Leland / Hampstead	/locations/leland-nc/ and /locations/hampstead-nc/	Provider / ready	Actual Wilmington access and care logistics, not new offices	Check visit arrangements	Wilmington care → How it works → Book call	Town-modified snapshots; confirmation gate	Medium
thyroid support Jacksonville / remote North Carolina	Conditional later local/remote routes	Provider	Eligibility, collection, secure records and care coordination	Check availability	Locations hub → Care fit → Book call	No town offices established; no demand-volume claim	Defer
free thyroid discovery call; Wilmington Functional Medicine call	/book-call/	Most aware	What happens, who answers, process and next step	Continue to schedule date and time	GHL intake → public scheduler → request / staff confirmation	Actual form button and public scheduler inspection	Critical
Graves / hyperthyroidism / thyroid nodules	Existing respective /conditions/ routes	Problem education	Timely appropriate medical/specialist assessment and optional support limits	Understand medical next steps	Relevant existing article → Specialist-role comparison	Do not make urgent/surgical/cancer traffic a call funnel	Medium

This is a content-ownership map, not a claim that every phrase was measured. Preserve useful secondary articles while giving each a different question. Search Console query-to-page data after an approved launch should test whether the intended owner receives the right impressions and leads.

The complete awareness journey

Visitor stage	Real-language example / channel	Destination and opening	Useful next step	Call invitation and measure
Unaware of a thyroid connection	No thyroid query yet. Ordinary daily-life concerns, a helpful clinician video or non-promotional local education.	Symptom hub: “Feeling unlike yourself can have many explanations. Start with what changed and what you want help understanding.”	Learn when persistent symptoms merit medical evaluation. No diagnostic quiz or thyroid-label pressure.	No forced call. Measure helpful-guide engagement and subsequent care-fit visits.
Symptom-aware, cause-unaware	“always tired despite sleeping”; “fatigue and hair loss”; “brain fog and fatigue”	Symptom guide: “These symptoms can occur for several reasons. Thyroid problems are one possibility, not a diagnosis you can make from a checklist.”	Symptom timeline and questions for primary care; relevant thyroid education only when useful.	“If you want to understand our approach, see how the practice works.” Track assisted care-fit progression.
Problem-aware	“Hashimoto’s symptoms”; “why thyroid labs normal but feel bad”	Existing condition hub or normal-labs hub: explain terms, test limits and other explanations.	Understand medical follow-up and what information to bring.	“Learn whether our support approach fits your situation.” Track condition → care / call progression.
Solution-aware	“functional medicine vs endocrinologist thyroid”; “thyroid panel Wilmington”	Comparison or testing page: separate supportive services, diagnosis, prescribing and specialized assessment.	Compare roles, tests and realistic logistics.	“Ask about the process on a free discovery call.” Track unique qualified leads, not tests-page views alone.
Provider-aware / shopping	“functional medicine thyroid Wilmington NC”; practice-name reviews or practitioner-name queries	Care and About pages: show real credentials, office, care process and genuine testimonials.	Resolve who helps, cost process, fit and coordination.	“Book a free discovery call to discuss whether a consultation is appropriate.” Track confirmed scheduling.
Most aware / ready	“Wilmington Functional Medicine discovery call”; direct returning visit	/book-call/: explain the two stages before collecting details.	Submit the minimum intake, choose staff/visit/date/time, understand confirmation.	Match button wording to action. Track attendance, qualified attendance and patient enrollment.

Unaware visitors do not necessarily search “thyroid.” Symptom-aware visitors do not necessarily have thyroid disease. Awareness stages guide page usefulness and tone, not a rule that every visitor must become a thyroid patient.

Empathy without diagnostic certainty

The existing hero, “Your Labs Say Normal. You Know Something Is Wrong,” recognizes frustration. Keep that empathy, but pair it with clear diagnostic limits near the hero instead of relying only on a distant disclaimer. Proposed supporting sentence: “Persistent symptoms deserve attention. Thyroid concerns are one possibility, and the right next step depends on your history, results and other explanations.”

Review “tests most doctors never order” and “discover what’s really causing” claims for accuracy and implied superiority. More tests do not automatically give a better diagnosis. Do not turn a visitor’s feeling of being dismissed into distrust of necessary medical care.

[17][16]

Ready-to-use search and page copy

URL	Proposed title	Proposed description	Opening / CTA focus
/	Thyroid Support in Wilmington, NC \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Explore Wilmington Functional Medicine’s approach to thyroid concerns, testing options and care coordination. See whether a free discovery call fits your needs.	Persistent symptoms deserve attention. Explore care options.
/care/thyroid-support-wilmington-nc/	Functional Medicine Thyroid Support \| Wilmington, NC	Understand thyroid-focused functional-medicine support in Wilmington, including practitioner credentials, testing options and the free discovery-call process.	Clear offer, limitations and next steps. Book free discovery call.
/conditions/hashimotos-disease/	Hashimoto’s: Symptoms, Testing and Support \| Wilmington	Understand Hashimoto’s disease, appropriate medical follow-up and Wilmington Functional Medicine’s support approach. Explore testing questions and next steps.	Condition definition, care roles, support fit.
/conditions/hypothyroidism/	Hypothyroidism: Care Options and Support \| Wilmington	Learn about hypothyroidism, standard medical care and questions to discuss before testing or support. See how Wilmington Functional Medicine’s approach works.	Treatment facts without offering unverified prescribing.
/conditions/thyroid-symptoms-normal-labs/	Normal Thyroid Labs but Symptoms? Questions to Ask	Persistent symptoms with normal thyroid labs can have several explanations. Understand testing limits, other possibilities and questions for your clinician.	Prepare for an informed medical discussion.
/testing/thyroid-panel/	Thyroid Testing in Wilmington, NC: Options and Limits	Learn what thyroid tests can show, how they are selected and what to ask about collection, interpretation and costs at Wilmington Functional Medicine.	Ask how a test will change care, not order everything.
/blog/functional-medicine-vs-endocrinology/	Functional Medicine vs Endocrinology for Thyroid Care	Compare credentials, services and care roles for thyroid concerns. Understand when specialist assessment matters and how supportive care may fit alongside it.	Explain complementary roles.
/symptoms/fatigue-hair-loss/	Fatigue and Hair Loss: Causes and Questions to Ask	Fatigue and hair loss can have several causes. Learn what to record, when to seek medical evaluation and where thyroid testing may fit into the discussion.	No thyroid diagnosis from symptoms.
/about/	Meet Wilmington Functional Medicine \| Thyroid Doctor NC	Meet the practitioners behind Thyroid Doctor NC. Read their actual credentials, approach and how the practice introduces prospective patients to care.	Genuine bios, no invented author credentials.
/book-call/	Free Thyroid Discovery Call \| Wilmington Functional Medicine	Learn what the free discovery call covers and how to request a time. Start with contact details, then continue to scheduling with the practice’s team.	Describe intake versus request/confirmation accurately.

These are proposed copy assets. They have not been installed. Title display depends on screen width and Google’s rewriting; a fixed character count is not a ranking rule. Keep one useful visible H1 and meaningful headings, not a question format for every heading.

Health trust without fake attribution

Preserve the approved attribution policy

Keep Wilmington Functional Medicine as the real publisher. Keep genuine practitioner bios. Do not restore personal article bylines merely to imitate a ranking signal. AI assistance is not inherently a reason for exclusion; unhelpful scaled content and false medical expertise are the risks.

Be honest about the tradeoff

Health readers need to know who takes responsibility for accuracy. Without named clinical review, source citations, clear limits, current service facts and an accountable editorial process become even more important. None of these substitutes for review when a page makes high-stakes care claims.

[15][12]

Topic	Required factual treatment	Acceptance gate
Practitioner identity	V2 bios use Hilary Rutledge, DC, DABCI and Mathew Bradshaw, DC, AFMCP. Current parent bio spells Matthew and includes older studying-for-certification language. Do not normalize spelling or treat a bio as current license verification.	Practice confirms preferred display spelling and credential currency. Preserve exact existing route /about/dr-mathew-bradshaw/. No endocrinologist/MD claim.
Normal labs	Symptoms deserve evaluation but do not prove a thyroid diagnosis. Explain timing, context and other causes.	Reviewed against ATA/NIDDK; no “normal labs always miss disease” pitch.
Thyroid panels	Describe offered tests from approved original client-written copy. Separate availability from clinical utility. ATA notes reverse T3 is not useful for determining hypothyroidism in healthy non-hospitalized people.	Clinician reviews indications, limits and result interpretation. No universal “complete panel for everyone” recommendation.
Food sensitivity	If offered panels include IgG, AAAAI advises against using IgG to diagnose food allergy or intolerance/sensitivity. Do not present such panels as established causes of thyroid disease.	Specify actual methodology and evidence limits; approve truthful context around inherited descriptions.
Medication, fertility, Graves and nodules	Explain standard care and when appropriate medical/specialist evaluation matters. Discovery calls are not medication management, urgent care or pregnancy assessment.	No changing prescriptions, cancer-treatment marketing, or promises that WFM manages all conditions.
Named review	Add “Reviewed by” only after the real person reviews the page and agrees to attribution.	Record reviewer, credential, date, scope, sources and changes. No retroactive review label on untouched AI drafts.
Testimonials and outcomes	Keep genuine testimonials with permission and context. A testimonial is not average patient outcome data.	Never invent percentages, before/after claims, scarcity or a named protocol’s efficacy.

[3][16][18][17]

A usable review workflow

Editor records intended reader, clinical claims, source dates and offered-service facts.
Practice validates scope and operational information.
A suitable clinician reviews diagnosis/testing/treatment passages and records changes.
Publish only approved attribution. If named review is not used, disclose the publisher and editorial responsibility honestly.
Recheck after meaningful evidence or service changes. Set updated dates to real work, never automatically on each build.

Keep all original content in the preservation contract. Where inherited claims need context, propose a visible annotation or an approved future correction, not a silent content purge.

Refresh before writing another batch

Article URL	Status	Distinct editorial job
/blog/adrenal-stress-thyroid-function/	Original retained	Sleep/stress and symptoms context; distinguish from the personal stress-question article. Review adrenal claims.
/blog/can-hormonal-imbalances-especially-shifts-in-estrogen-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Original retained	Hormonal context and care-coordination questions. Do not imply broad hormone replacement capability.
/blog/can-my-excess-stress-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Original retained	Stress as a discussion topic, not proof of a thyroid cause. Link to sleep/stress overview and medical evaluation.
/blog/can-vitamin-mineral-deficiencies-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Original retained	Nutrient evidence and excess/supplement cautions. No symptom-based deficiency diagnosis.
/blog/could-my-diet-food-sensitivities-poor-diet-toxins-etc-be-causing-my-hypothyroidism/	Original retained	Narrower food-reaction/testing-evidence discussion. Preserve original text; add verified test-method limits.
/blog/diet-thyroid-health/	Original retained	Diet overview. Avoid unnecessary universal restrictions and link to the narrower food-reactions article.
/blog/do-you-not-feel-right-but-your-doctor-says-your-lab-results-look-normal/	Original retained	Patient preparation and persistent-symptom discussion. Do not duplicate the full testing explanation.
/blog/is-my-thyroid-issue-caused-by-old-infections/	Original retained	Association versus causation and when a test would change care. Avoid routine infection-panel pitch.
/blog/is-my-thyroid-problem-hashimotos/	Original retained	“Could this be Hashimoto’s?” question page, not a diagnosis. Link to primary evaluation and the condition hub.
/blog/root-cause-thyroid-testing/	Original retained	Testing utility and limits. Link to panel/service logistics rather than another broad normal-labs pitch.
/blog/what-is-hashimotos-hypothyroidism/	Original retained	Main evergreen explanation. Link to the Hashimoto’s condition support page; make medication/standard-care context clear.
/blog/what-is-hyperthyroidism-and-what-causes-it/	Original retained	Medical and specialist education. No general discovery-call pitch before appropriate care guidance.
/blog/why-do-i-have-thyroid-symptoms-but-normal-labs/	Original retained	Testing interpretation and other explanations. Link to the normal-labs hub as the main next-step owner.
/blog/hashimotos-vs-hypothyroidism/	New V2	Keep precise condition-versus-function distinction. Link to both condition pages without repeating full guides.
/blog/thyroid-medication-guide/	New V2	Questions for the prescriber, interactions/process and medical follow-up. No personalized dosing.
/blog/thyroid-and-weight-gain/	New V2	Realistic expectations and other causes. Route symptom-aware visitors appropriately; no weight-loss guarantee.
/blog/thyroid-and-fertility/	New V2	Pregnancy planning with appropriate medical care. Lower acquisition priority than local fit/process; clinician review first.
/blog/functional-medicine-vs-endocrinology/	New V2	High-priority solution fit page. Add clear credentials, prescribing/referral boundaries and who conducts the call.

The most important overlap fix

The condition normal-labs page plus two original normal-labs articles and the testing article cover closely related questions. Keep the condition page as the decision hub; the “do you not feel right” article as visit preparation; the “why symptoms but normal labs” article as interpretation; and testing as test selection/utility. Do not delete or canonicalize them simply because they share language. Use query/page evidence after publication to decide whether a stronger consolidation is actually needed.

Prioritized briefs

Brief / priority	Required sections	Conversion and acceptance
Wilmington thyroid-support care page, High	Who this is for; actual credentials; offered support versus medical treatment; office/care logistics; how testing decisions work; cost process; coordination; next step.	Primary CTA to /book-call/. Practice confirms all service claims; no specialist impersonation.
How it works, High	Intake stage; actual call staff; what call covers; scheduling/request semantics; appointment confirmation; consultation next steps; costs/insurance questions; secure records.	One clear flow diagram. Operations approves, staff test the complete path without patient data.
Normal-labs cluster refresh, High	What results do/do not mean; other causes; when repeat/other evaluation is appropriate; questions for clinician; care fit.	Review overlapping roles and links, no thyroid diagnosis by checklist.
Thyroid-panel refresh, High	Test indication and limits; approved offered descriptions; collection options; turnaround only if confirmed; interpretation; how costs are disclosed.	No universal expanded panel claim. Separate lab-only intent from ongoing support.
Fatigue and hair loss, Medium	Symptom timeline; primary-care differential; thyroid possibility; questions/records; when medical attention matters.	Coordinate with Fatigue site so the fleet does not publish near-duplicate symptom pages.
Leland then Hampstead practical access, Medium	Real office in Wilmington; travel/visit arrangements without guessed journey times; available collection options; who can be seen; genuine local questions.	Unique useful local information or remain a section in the hub. No invented office/reviews.
Brain fog/fatigue and remote arrangements, Later	Differential guide or verified remote eligibility/process.	Only after early local funnel performance and clinical/operational approval.

Working editorial cadence: finish the two decision/process pages, refresh three priority clusters, then add one or two new useful guides per month as review capacity allows. This is a capacity proposal, not an SEO requirement. No generic AI padding, word-count quota or promise that a year in the title improves rankings.

Wilmington first, surrounding areas honestly

Area / layer	Recommended treatment	Proof before publication
Wilmington	Primary practice/care market. Clearly identify parent Wilmington Functional Medicine and real office at 5046 Wrightsville Ave., Suite 200, Wilmington, NC 28403.	Parent page matches; practice reconfirms current hours, access, clinician availability and office logistics.
Leland	Next practical area. Explain care at the Wilmington practice and actual collection/visit arrangements.	Wilmington Health has a real Leland service location, so do not falsely claim local-office parity.
Hampstead	Next practical area if confirmed patient process supports it. Useful access and how-to-start information.	Town-modified sample is mixed. Need real logistics, not city-name substitutions.
Jacksonville	Later geographic test, not a default expansion target.	Confirm fit, travel/remote options and qualified leads. Do not infer an office or convenient distance.
Statewide North Carolina	A separate remote-care proposition only where eligible and operationally supported.	Confirm licensing/service scope, who can use local labs or mailed kits, who interprets results, secure records and exclusions.
Parent Google Business Profile	Keep the real practice profile, legitimate name/categories, current business details and approved appointment destination.	Do not create a second microsite business profile or keyword-stuff business names. Owner approval before off-site edits.
Citations and links	Audit parent identity on relevant legitimate directories and professional/local organizations; request one useful parent thyroid-resource link.	No mass directory packages or artificial link swaps. Distinguish local pack identity from organic microsite content.
Reviews	Neutral, permission-sensitive requests for genuine reviews; professional responses without confirming patient/condition details.	No incentives, review gating or fabricated outcomes. Public replies must not disclose health details.

[2][6][19]

The phone-free policy stays. No microsite phone header, footer or click-to-call recommendation. The genuine parent business may keep its real phone on its own business profile and parent site. Identity accuracy does not require undoing the approved microsite user experience.

Local pages earn their place by resolving a local patient’s access questions. A city mention, local landmark or stock map is not enough. Keep surrounding-area wording as “for residents of” or “serving patients from” only where true, not “our Leland office.” Measure organic queries and qualified leads by useful landing page; use a controlled rank grid later if actual geographic coverage needs assessment.

The real call funnel and its friction

The current page is not itself a completed calendar booking. The embedded GHL form asks for Full Name and Email, then says “Continue To Schedule Date & Time.” Its public configuration redirects to a separate MD-HQ/Cerbo scheduling page. Rendering or submitting this first form is not a confirmed appointment.

[22][23]

Observed stage	What was verified	Action recommendation
V2 /book-call/	Iframe vnB0FcYvY29IwbIHRVap renders at mobile width with two visible required fields. No patient data entered.	Tell visitors there are two stages: contact details, then scheduling. Keep required intake minimal.
GHL configuration	Rendered configuration actionType 1 points to https://wfmpatientportal.md-hq.com/embedded/schedule.php.	Verify redirect and operational lead handoff with a practice-approved staff test later. Configuration alone is not a successful redirect test.
Public scheduler, provider stage	Selectable labels: “Dr. Ass’t Mackenzie Myrick” and “Dr. Ass’t Debra Yaw.”	Explain who actually handles introduction calls. Do not promise the call is with Dr. Rutledge or Dr. Bradshaw. Confirm readable public staff labels.
Mackenzie selection	Visit types include Discovery Call and Discovery Call - Thyroid, alongside other condition choices.	Prefer a verified thyroid-specific deep link or guided selection if provider supports it. Do not invent an unsupported URL parameter.
Debra selection	Message: online appointments cannot currently be scheduled with this provider.	Remove the dead-end choice if operationally appropriate, or provide an approved non-phone follow-up route. This is a recommendation, not a change made.
Date/time and final request form	Thyroid visit type 49, Mackenzie selected, October 15, 2026: 09:30 AM EDT was the single slot marked available/enough-time in this snapshot. Other displayed grid labels were unavailable. Opening that slot exposed the final Request Appointment form. No values entered or request submitted.	Show timezone and request-versus-confirmation clearly. Reverify actual slots and duration operationally; a 30-minute available block does not prove a 30-minute call.
Second intake and privacy friction	The final form asks again for first/last name and email, plus date of birth, ZIP, timezone, sex, phone, preferred contact method and top three health priorities.	Review which fields are required and necessary for an introductory call. Explain why data is collected and protect it. Do not assume GHL contact details automatically transfer. Avoid capturing health priorities in analytics.
Contact form	Separate iframe egNX5rJbP5Fhy1S072l0. Completion behavior not established by merely rendering it.	Define contact messages separately from call requests and confirmed calls.

Conversion brief for /book-call/

Answer before the form

Who conducts the introductory call and what it can/cannot cover.
What happens after contact details are submitted.
Whether scheduling is a request or immediate confirmation.
How the practice explains consultation/testing costs and payment/insurance questions.
What to prepare and how records are shared securely.

Confirm rather than fabricate

The parent site advertises a free 15-minute phone consultation, but this thyroid flow does not independently establish duration or a named clinician appointment.
Do not claim insurance coverage, same-week slots or “no obligation” without practice approval.
Do not collect detailed symptoms in analytics or add urgency/scarcity claims.
Offer a useful process guide for visitors not ready to share their email.

Suggested pre-form text: “Start by sharing your contact details. You will then continue to the practice’s scheduling page to choose the appropriate introductory call and an available time. The call explains how the practice works; it is not a diagnosis or urgent medical visit.” Final wording depends on operations confirming request/confirmation semantics.

Measure attendance and patient enrollment

Stage	Proposed event / record	Source of truth and deduplication
Visitor → call CTA	discovery_cta_click	Privacy-approved analytics. page_path and cta_location only; exclude form text and patient identifiers.
Intake starts	discovery_intake_start	Verified supported iframe signal or first-party integration. A page view cannot substitute for start.
Valid unique lead	discovery_lead_received	GHL server-side receipt with an internal idempotency key; deduplicate repeated submissions privately. No email/phone/diagnosis to Analytics.
Scheduler / appointment request	discovery_schedule_open; discovery_appointment_requested	Only fire when the real supported action occurs. If tracking cannot bridge systems safely, report this stage from operational records.
Actually scheduled	discovery_call_confirmed	Confirmed scheduler/EHR appointment record, not request button, thank-you or iframe render. One appointment identity; reschedules not new acquisitions.
Call attended	discovery_call_attended	Staff attendance record. Cancellation/no-show separately classified.
Qualified attended call	discovery_call_qualified	Practice-defined fit: eligible geography/process, relevant support need and informed interest in next step. No health details in public analytics.
New patient	discovery_patient_enrolled	Practice’s agreed enrollment milestone, such as completed first paid consultation. Do not count a lead as a patient.

Primary scorecard: unique confirmed calls, attended calls, qualified attended calls and new patients. Secondary ratios: valid leads / CTA visitors; confirmed calls / valid leads; attended / confirmed; qualified / attended; enrolled / qualified. Compute from deduplicated records, with a documented attribution window and separate counts for new versus returning patients. Targets come from capacity and an actual baseline, not invented industry averages.

Privacy gate before more tagging

The earlier admin baseline listed custom dimension names tel_number, email_address and wp_user_id. These are review flags, not proof those values were transmitted. Audit actual payloads, page/query strings, enhanced form interactions and destination URLs before activating new events. Never put patient information, diagnoses, form values or medical intake in Google Analytics.

Keep identifiers in the appropriate system

Existing measurement ID: G-G0583KVWMT. Keep contact and appointment identifiers within approved GHL/EHR records. Only aggregate attribution and permitted non-sensitive events move to analytics after privacy review. No appointment-level identifier is automatically “safe” because it is hashed or random.

Operations should approve success semantics using a controlled staff test account and reconcile the first test lead, request, confirmation and reminder in each system. No real patient submission was made in this research. Events above are proposals, not installed tracking.

Technical priorities and the launch gate

Item	Current finding / distinction	Next acceptance test	Owner
Review index protection	V2 remains a noindex preview by design. Canonicals point to intended live identities; not proof the preview ranks.	Keep noindex until separate launch approval. At future cutover check effective headers and generated worker, not only _headers.	Site developer + owner
Sitemap and redirects	Fresh XML has 42 URLs, browsable /sitemap/ exists. Old plan used stale sitemap_index.xml.	At approved production launch verify robots sitemap URL, final host, canonical/redirects, Search Console submission and coverage.	Developer + SEO
Content/URLs/media	Current work preserves original articles and embeds. More served documents than canonical pages is expected.	Before any approved edit rerun full retention and route contract; no original-host assets required.	Developer
Performance	Astro HTML does not prove lightweight Divi CSS/JS, image loading or iframe impact. No field speed score obtained in this report.	PageSpeed/field vitals for home, testing, article and call page; desktop/mobile; preserve visual fidelity while improving supported bottlenecks.	Developer
Rendering and accessible forms	GHL intake rendered at 390 pixels. Read-only scheduler has an unavailable-provider path.	Test keyboard/focus/errors, mobile overflow, scrolling/sticky CTA, iframe height, successful staff-only handoff and no-slot fallback.	Developer + operations
Schema truthfulness	Organization/practice relationship, article and condition/test semantics observed.	Validate syntax, visible-content match and supported attributes. No fake physician specialty, reviewer, rating or treatment claims.	Developer + clinical reviewer
Search reporting	Connected live GSC and GA data retrieved. Preview visibility is a separate issue.	Use property URL inspection, query/page reporting and post-launch checks; do not change Search Console settings as part of this report.	SEO owner

No site deploy, branch edit, DNS action, production release or indexability change is authorized by this report. Implementation and launch require separate explicit scope approval.

AI visibility and structured data: realistic scope

Useful answers first

Use clear definitions, comparison tables and self-contained explanations with clinical limitations. Google’s current guide says there is no required special AI markup, llms.txt or ideal page length. It also requires inclusion in Search generative AI features in Search Console alongside technical eligibility. Read that setting with the owner; do not silently change it.

Access is not endorsement

OAI-SearchBot relates to OpenAI search discovery; GPTBot relates to training. Do not blanket-allow training crawlers as a booking tactic. The local AI Overview elements were shells without answer/reference data. No WFM citation or recommendation is established by those shells.

[13][20]

Markup / tactic	Recommended role	Promise to remove
Organization / WebSite / WebPage	Stable, truthful practice and site identity. Keep approved phone-free microsite details.	No schema-only ranking boost or invented standalone clinic.
Person on real biographies	Actual identity/credentials; confirm current spelling and credential facts.	No automatic author/reviewer assignment to every article.
BlogPosting / Article	Practice publisher, actual dates and genuine article content.	No fabricated doctor authorship or daily refreshed update dates.
BreadcrumbList	Real navigation hierarchy.	No guarantee of a particular SERP display.
MedicalCondition / MedicalTest	Optional descriptions consistent with visible evidence and limits.	No condition/test-specific rich-result promise or Endocrinology provider claim.
FAQPage / HowTo	Keep useful visible Q&A/process content. Optional semantics where accurate.	No FAQ or HowTo rich-result opportunity to justify prioritization.
Testimonials / reviews	Genuine visible stories with permission and context.	No self-serving star-rich-result claim or fabricated aggregate rating.
Video / off-site content	Caption/transcribe existing genuine videos; real local/clinical education and approved profiles.	No assumed training influence, forum manipulation or “expert quote” invented under clinician identity.

[11]

Monthly test set, after eligibility and approval: local functional-medicine thyroid support; Hashimoto’s care-role comparison; thyroid tests and their limits; normal labs with symptoms; who conducts the discovery call. Record engine, date, location, prompt, retrieval mode, full answer and exact cited URLs. Count real citations separately from mentions and separately from qualified traffic/calls. Current Search Console generative-AI reports should be reviewed in the actual property when available; this integration’s supported endpoints do not establish the absence of those reports.

A gated 60–90-day execution plan

Window	Work	Owner / dependency	Acceptance
Days 1–14, before implementation	Confirm scope/credential spelling, actual call staff/duration, request-confirmation behavior, costs/insurance language and privacy policy. Staff-only funnel test.	Practice lead + operations + analytics. No site changes before approval.	One documented process; lead/request/confirmed/attended stages reconciled. No clinical or appointment promise invented.
Days 15–30	Approve local care/process briefs; refresh normal-labs roles, panel utility and comparison page. Confirm source/review process.	Editor + practice + clinician reviewer + developer only after implementation approval.	Copy and URL ownership accepted; all original content/URLs/media conserved; same visual design.
Days 31–60	Implement approved content and privacy-safe measurement; validate routes, accessibility, performance and noindex protection. Pilot Wilmington plus one surrounding-area section/page.	Developer, operations and SEO. Launch requires separate explicit approval.	Desktop/mobile and forms pass; actual service facts/CTA semantics match; no fabricated local office or duplicate city funnel.
Days 61–90, after authorized launch if granted	Read GSC query/page changes, confirmed/attended/qualified outcomes; refine pages and decide whether Leland/Hampstead/one symptom guide earns expansion.	SEO + practice capacity. Without launch approval, continue preview review only.	Use measured patient fit and conversion friction to choose the next brief. No guaranteed position/traffic timeline.

Working capacity and cost envelope

Planning assumption, not a quote: reserve 2–4 hours for operational/privacy validation, 4–6 hours per substantial care/process brief plus clinician review, and developer time based on approved scope and tests. Start with two decision/process briefs and three focused refreshes rather than committing to a large article count. Owner should set a research/tool-credit ceiling and reviewer capacity before expansion. No paid tool, plugin, sponsorship or mass content purchase is required by this report.

Decision rules

If visitors start intake but do not request/confirm a call, fix the handoff and availability before more traffic.
If calls attend but are not a fit, correct page positioning, scope and financial expectations.
If local pages get impressions but no useful visits, review intent/title/offer before multiplying cities.
If content is not reviewed or service facts are unknown, hold that brief rather than pad it.
If production is not authorized, retain the review gate and do not use noindex previews as a ranking experiment.

Every old checklist item reconciled

Old item	Original task	Verdict	Current state or replacement
1.1	Fix author attribution: create WP users for Dr. Rutledge and Dr. Bradshaw, reassign all content	Drop	No WordPress user reassignment or fictional doctor authorship. Practice publisher/no personal bylines is approved.
1.2	Rewrite all title tags (keyword-first format, see title tag table)	Change	Titles already improved in Astro. Proposed factual refinements appear in the copy table.
1.3	Add meta descriptions to all 7 core pages	Keep	Descriptions present on all captured canonical pages; continue unique intent-based review.
1.4	Add MedicalCondition schema to condition pages, MedicalTest schema to testing pages	Change	Condition/test semantics observed. No rich-result or ranking promise; review medical accuracy.
1.5	Add Organization schema site-wide (with parentOrganization linking to Wilmington Functional Medicine)	Keep	Parent practice relationship already represented; ensure real identity, not a fictional clinic.
1.6	Add FAQPage schema to /faq/ page	Change	Useful FAQ retained. FAQ rich results retired; optional accurate semantics only.
1.7	Update robots.txt with AI bot allowances	Change	Effective eligibility/search crawler checks, not a training-bot allow list as a magic switch.
1.8	Fix Person schema: replace email with real practitioner names and credentials	Change	Remove misleading attribution; genuine Person biographies only. Credential currency needs confirmation.
1.9	Add cross-links to parent business (wilmingtonfunctionalmedicine.com) on homepage, about, contact, and footer	Keep	Microsite parent relationships already visible. External reciprocal parent work needs approval.
1.10	Verify sitemap is complete and submitted to Google Search Console	Change	42-URL sitemap verified. Submission and production indexing are separate approved launch tasks.
1.11	Run PageSpeed Insights on homepage and blog	Keep	Performance testing still needed; no new PSI score claimed.
2.1	Create /conditions/ hub and individual condition pages (Hashimoto's, Hypothyroidism, Graves', Thyroid Nodules)	Keep	Existing condition hub and spokes built. Scope/referral clarity matters more than creating them again.
2.2	Rename /our-story/ to /about/, create practitioner sub-pages	Change	Current /about/ and bios built; old source actually included /about-us/. Keep deliberate continuity.
2.3	Restructure navigation with dropdowns (Conditions, Testing, About)	Keep	Dropdown structure built; preserve design and compact navigation.
2.4	Add "Book Free Call" button to nav	Keep	Call CTA already present. Measure its actual downstream effect.
2.5	Rebuild footer with condition links, testing links, and "Part of Wilmington Functional Medicine" link	Change	Footer relationships and links built; keep phone-free policy and sitemap link.
2.6	Expand /book-call/ page with content and embedded scheduler	Change	Page expanded, but embed is lead intake leading to separate scheduler. Confirm outcome semantics.
2.7	Create /testing/ hub with sub-pages (thyroid panel, adrenal/hormones, gut health)	Keep	Testing hub/four spokes built. Review availability versus utility and local process.
2.8	Add new blog posts: Hashimoto's vs Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Medication Guide	Keep	Both proposed articles exist. Refresh care-role accuracy; do not rewrite by word quota.
3.1	Restructure H2 headings on all blog posts (questions where possible)	Keep	Useful article headings already improved; review intent and structure, not every heading as a question.
3.2	Add author bylines with credentials to all blog posts	Drop	Do not attach personal doctor bylines to AI articles without genuine authorship/review approval.
3.3	Add "Last updated" dates to all blog posts	Change	Dates tied to actual editorial work and review, not automatic rebuild freshness.
3.4	Add internal links: every blog post to 2 other posts + 1 testing/condition page	Change	Contextual links built. Select the useful next step rather than a mechanical link count.
3.5	Add mid-article and end-of-article CTAs to every blog post	Change	Use stage-appropriate next steps; symptoms/urgent education need care guidance before a call.
3.6	Add FAQ schema to blog posts with Q&A content	Change	Visible Q&A can stay; no Google FAQ rich-result return.
3.7	Expand top 3 blog posts to pillar content (2000+ words)	Drop	No 2,000-word target. Fill real information gaps and consolidate editorial roles.
3.8	Add comparison tables to blog posts (AI-citation-worthy structured data)	Keep	Comparisons only when evidence and care limits make them useful. No invented data.
3.9	Add "What to Read Next" section to every blog post	Keep	Related next-step links already built; align them to primary URL ownership.
4.1	Add Graves' disease and thyroid nodules condition pages	Change	Graves/nodule pages exist. Appropriate medical/specialist guidance, not acquisition-first treatment claims.
4.2	Add new blog posts: Thyroid & Weight Gain, Thyroid & Fertility	Keep	Weight/fertility articles exist. Fertility requires clinical review, not broad traffic chasing.
4.3	Expand all blog posts to 1500+ words with structured data	Drop	No 1,500-word expansion quota or generic AI padding.
4.4	Create pillar content pages for each condition cluster	Change	Condition hubs built. Avoid duplicating existing articles under a new pillar label.
4.5	Ensure every condition page links to related blog posts, testing pages, and booking CTA	Change	Links already implemented; match the stage and appropriate medical care.
4.6	Ensure parent business site links back to this microsite for thyroid content	Keep	Parent reciprocal editorial link remains an owner-approved external task.
4.7	Add geo-targeted blog content (mentioning Wilmington, Leland, Jacksonville, Hampstead naturally)	Change	Prioritize verified local logistics and service fit. No town × condition blog factory.
4.8	Add "Functional Medicine vs Endocrinology" comparison content for AI citation	Keep	Existing functional-medicine/endocrinology comparison is high-priority refresh material.
5.1	Rewrite blog article opening paragraphs as self-contained answers (40-80 words)	Change	Direct clear answers with nuance. No rigid passage length or clinically unjustified certainty.
5.2	Add named framework ("The Root-Cause Thyroid Protocol")	Drop	Do not create a named medical protocol as an authority shortcut. Explain actual process.
5.3	Publish patient outcome data points	Defer	Only publish outcomes with actual methodology, appropriate permissions and review; none invented.
5.4	Create Reddit presence: answer questions in r/Hashimotos, r/Hypothyroidism	Defer	Only genuine disclosed participation. No forum seeding or training-data assumptions.
5.5	Create YouTube channel with 3-5 educational videos	Change	Existing real videos first: accurate captions/transcripts and relevant placement. New production optional.
5.6	Publish LinkedIn articles from Dr. Rutledge	Defer	Approved genuine expertise only. No automatic clinician-authored LinkedIn output.
5.7	Set up monthly AI visibility testing (search target queries in ChatGPT, Perplexity)	Keep	Dated full-answer/cited-URL testing after eligibility. Secondary to qualified calls.
5.8	Create comparison content (functional medicine vs endocrinology) for AI citation	Keep	Already built comparison. Do not duplicate item 4.8 as another page.

Historical activity rows 12–19 and manual rows 20–25 are reviewed in the section-level matrix above. They are not fresh implementation claims. The old plan contains internal count/identity inconsistencies and obsolete WordPress directions; repeating them is not an acceptance criterion.

Confirmations needed before implementation

Confirmation	Why it changes the work	Owner
Preferred Bradshaw spelling and current credentials	V2 retains Mathew; parent currently shows Matthew and partly historical credential narrative.	Practice lead
Call staff, exact duration and schedule request/confirmation rules	Public scheduler lists assistants, one unavailable. The parent 15-minute promise may not describe this exact call.	Operations
Consultation/testing costs, payment and insurance/referral arrangements	These are major provider-shopping objections. Do not fill the gap with unsupported promises.	Practice + operations
Surrounding-area/remote eligibility, collection and secure records	Determines which location pages deserve publication and what can be claimed.	Practice + appropriate clinician
Actual clinical-review workflow and attribution preference	Preserve no personal bylines; named review only after real review and approval.	Practice + editor
Analytics/privacy and operational reconciliation	Determines which events can be measured safely and what constitutes a booked/attended/qualified call.	Analytics + privacy owner + operations

These are decision gates, not a request to pause research. The report is complete; implementation should not proceed on guessed answers.

Sources and evidence

Primary pages and official guidance were retrieved on October 13, 2026. Citations point to exact source identities. Local tool snapshots and connected reports are retained as local evidence, not publicly uploaded patient-system data.

[1] thyroiddoctornc.com SEO Action Plan
https://thyroid-nc-seo-plan.pages.dev/

[2] WilmingtonFunctionalMedicine.com – WilmingtonFunctionalMedicine.com
https://wilmingtonfunctionalmedicine.com/

[3] About Us – WilmingtonFunctionalMedicine.com
https://wilmingtonfunctionalmedicine.com/about-us/

[4] Hormone / Thyroid Imbalances – WilmingtonFunctionalMedicine.com
https://wilmingtonfunctionalmedicine.com/hormone-imbalances/

[5] Wilmington Endocrinology
https://wilmingtonendo.com/our-practice/

[6] Endocrinology Specialists in Wilmington, NC - Wilmington Health
https://www.wilmingtonhealth.com/specialties/endocrinology/

[7] Thyroid Specialist - Wilmington, NC: Stephen J Liederbach, MD: Internal Medicine: Wilmington Adult Medicine
https://www.wilmingtonadultmed.com/services/thyroid

[8] Functional Medicine in Wilmington, NC | Breakthrough
https://breakthroughfunctional.com/

[9] UpCurrent Functional Medicine
https://www.upcurrentfm.com/

[10] Thyroid Test In Wilmington | Any Lab Test Now
https://www.anylabtestnow.com/wilmington-28403/tests/comprehensive-thyroid-panel/

[11] Latest Google Search Documentation Updates | Google Search Central | What's new | Google for Developers
https://developers.google.com/search/updates

[12] Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

[13] Google's Guide to Optimizing for Generative AI Features on Google Search | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide

[14] Spam Policies for Google Web Search | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies

[15] Google Search's Guidance on Generative AI Content on Your Website | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/using-gen-ai-content

[16] Thyroid Function Tests | American Thyroid Association
https://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-function-tests/

[17] Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid) - NIDDK
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/endocrine-diseases/hypothyroidism

[18] The myth of IgG food panel testing | AAAAI
https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/igg-food-test

[19] Guidelines for representing your business on Google - Google Business Profile Help
https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177

[20] Overview of OpenAI Crawlers
https://platform.openai.com/docs/bots

[21] Current complete V2 sitemap
https://wfm-thyroid-v2.pages.dev/sitemap/

[22] Current booking page
https://wfm-thyroid-v2.pages.dev/book-call/

[23] Public scheduler
https://wfmpatientportal.md-hq.com/embedded/schedule.php

Evidence limitations

SERP snapshots are not statistical samples or durable rankings. No town-level grid, full backlink audit or exhaustive competitive census was purchased.
Keyword returns were partial and sometimes stale. Missing values are unavailable, not zero.
Any Lab primary extraction was mostly cookie interface. UpCurrent body was incomplete. Their unverified body claims are not used as established facts.
BrowserOS returned no page text twice; a fresh Playwright browser captured the actual intake and scheduler instead. No browser security setting was disabled.
Clinical source guidance informs proposed editorial boundaries, not a medical evaluation of an individual.
Appointments, notifications, payment, patient enrollment and contact completion were not submitted/tested with real patient data.

Report work completed, site work not claimed

Item	Status	What changed / did not change	Research date
Complete old-plan review	Done	All sections and all 44 numbered implementation tasks reevaluated. Original report not overwritten.	October 13, 2026
Current V2 inspection	Done	42 canonical pages captured; all 18 articles and exact current titles included. Site files unchanged.	October 13, 2026
Keyword, SERP and competitor research	Done	Eight new Google snapshots; direct metric retries; primary pages and connected GSC/GA read. Partial data labeled.	October 13, 2026
Public funnel inspection	Done	GHL intake and public scheduler read without patient submission. Confirmation/attendance not falsely certified.	October 13, 2026
New report artifact	Done	New left-sidebar report, distinct project. No old plan or website deployment replaced.	October 13, 2026
Recommended content and measurement	To Do	No website implementation, tracking installation, off-site edit, branch change, DNS or launch performed.	Separate approval required