Case Study: How We Boosted Fishing App Downloads Through Website Optimization

Introduction

Our client is the owner of a comprehensive fishing app designed to enhance anglers’ experiences by providing personalized fishing forecasts, detailed weather updates, and interactive maps of over 1.2 million fishing spots worldwide. Developed in collaboration with ichthyologists and professional anglers, this app analyzes 41 weather parameters to predict optimal fishing times, helping users plan successful trips.

The goal of this project was to significantly increase the app’s visibility, optimize its search engine ranking, and drive a substantial rise in application downloads through internal optimization, external promotion, and website enhancements.

Key Actions Taken

1. Internal Optimization

Regular content updates with a structured content plan.
Creation and publication of over 100 blog articles.
Optimization of on-page SEO elements such as meta tags, headers, and descriptions.
Collaboration with copywriters and industry experts to develop high-quality content.
Implementation of image and preview optimization.
Conducting competitor analysis to improve keyword strategy.
Indexation management via Google Indexing API.

2. External Promotion

Development and execution of a backlink strategy.
Registration of the website in over 150 directories for free backlinks.
Rejection of low-quality backlinks via Disavow service.
Continuous research for new platforms for link placements.
Preparation of guest post guidelines and collaboration with external content creators.
Acquisition of over 70 paid backlinks from PR platforms.

3. Website Improvements

Creation of prototypes for key pages, including the homepage, fishing spot pages, fish species pages, and the blog section.
Goal setting in Google Tag Manager for performance tracking.
Providing feedback and recommendations on design, layout, and functionality.
Development of new website features and enhancements based on Next.js technology.
Extensive pre-launch testing on a staging environment.

4. Expert Collaborations

Regular communication with industry experts for expert-driven content.
Verification and publication of expert-authored articles and comments.
Development of expert-specific pages to enhance credibility.

Results Achieved

App Download Growth

Thanks to the extensive optimization and promotion efforts, the number of app downloads saw a remarkable increase. By improving search visibility, enhancing content, and refining the user experience, more anglers discovered and installed the app, significantly boosting its adoption rate.

Traffic Growth

Based on our agreements with the client, we cannot show real data.

However, we can present publicly available data from Ahrefs and Semrush, which indicate site traffic trends.

In October 2023,
site traffic, according to these services, was as follows:

Ahrefs: 66

Semrush: 234

During the same period, the site had approximately 150 monthly users.

In December 2024,
site traffic, according to these services, was:

Ahrefs: 11,063

Semrush: 35,509

By this time, the site had approximately 23,000 monthly users.

Ahrefs:

Avg. organic trafficAhrefs

Semrush:

OrganicTrafficSemrush

Contentand SEO Impact

Over 100 blogarticlespublished.
Improved search engine ranking through targeted keyword optimization.
More than 70 high-quality paid backlinks and 150 directory registrations boosting domain authority.

Technical and Structural Enhancements

Successfully launched a new version of the website, improving user experience and expanding content significantly.
Added 1,700,000 new pages covering spots, regulations, and fish species.
Optimized meta tags, descriptions, and structured data for better indexing.

Conclusion

The SEO and promotional campaign for this fishing app significantly improved its online presence, user engagement, and search engine rankings. Most importantly, these efforts led to a substantial increase in app downloads, reinforcing its position as a go-to resource for anglers. While the seasonality of fishing impacted trial subscriptions, continuous content improvement, link-building, and expert collaborations have laid a strong foundation for sustained growth. Future strategies will focus on further content refinement, UX enhancements, and advanced indexing techniques to maintain and improve traffic and downloads.