SEO case study
How 37signals grew organic traffic 592% after consolidating its pages
37signals makes Basecamp, HEY and ONCE. The team merged overlapping pages, accepted an early dip in visibility, then built new pages and links as visibility recovered.
Business productivity software
37signals.com
+592%
Organic traffic
+1,188%
First-page visibility
+114%
Keyword visibility
Overview
The business behind the search.
37signals was founded in 1999 by Jason Fried and team, and it created Ruby on Rails. It sells Basecamp for project management, HEY for email and ONCE, its single-purchase software, and it has grown without venture capital.
The need
The gap to close.
The company sells simple software to businesses that want to organize work without the chaos, and its site had to carry that message into search.
- Reach small and medium businesses searching for a simpler way to organize work.
- Stand apart in search from feature-heavy, subscription-first software.
What we did
What changed on the site.
The team consolidated overlapping pages first, then built new content and authority on the simpler structure.
- Redirected overlapping URLs and reorganized navigation.
- Accepted an early dip in visibility during the consolidation.
- Improved technical fundamentals.
- Created distinct pages for industries, roles and software.
- Built relevant links, starting with the most promising segments before expanding.
- Continued content and authority work through the recovery.
The results
What the search data shows.
Visibility dipped while overlapping pages were consolidated, then recovered as new content and links went live.
The program’s records show organic traffic up 592%, first-page visibility up 1,188% and keyword visibility up 114%.
How we measured it.
Percentage changes as reported in the program’s records. The reporting period and starting values were not recorded.
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