IndoorClimbingGym.com
A US-focused directory of indoor climbing gyms
Performance snapshot (as of Feb 24, 2026)
Founder note
“Coverage only works when the template is genuinely useful. Better UI and stronger structure changed this from a page factory into a real asset.”
The Challenge
Climbing is exploding in popularity, but finding a climbing gym while traveling or moving to a new city is surprisingly difficult. Most existing directories were outdated, incomplete, or buried in forum threads. I saw an opportunity to build something comprehensive, fast, and SEO-optimized from day one.
The Approach
Data-First Strategy
Instead of building a skeleton and hoping content would come, I started with data. I compiled a comprehensive US dataset of climbing gyms—locations, contact info, facility details, and equipment. This gave me a solid foundation of thousands of pages ready to go at launch.
SEO-Optimized Structure
Every page was built with search intent in mind. City pages target "climbing gyms in [city]" queries. Individual gym pages capture "[gym name]" branded searches. The URL structure follows a logical hierarchy: /country/state/city/gym-name.
Performance First
Built with Astro for static generation, the site loads in under a second. Core Web Vitals are consistently in the green. Fast load times aren't just good for users—they're a ranking factor.
Content That Ranks
Beyond the directory listings, I created informational content around climbing—guides for beginners, equipment recommendations, and city-specific climbing scenes. This topical authority helps the commercial pages rank.
The Results
Four months in, the numbers tell the story:
- 7.5K URLs generated programmatically from structured data
- 1.78K pages indexed by Google
- 4.1K organic keywords ranking in Google
- ~997 organic visitors per month and growing
- 531 AI-cited pages showing up in ChatGPT and Perplexity
- 463K impressions in the last 30 days
What I Learned
Data quality matters more than quantity. Having 7,500 pages means nothing if they're thin or duplicate. I spent more time cleaning and structuring the data than building the site itself.
Internal linking is underrated. Connecting city pages to country pages, nearby gyms to each other—this web of connections helps Google discover and understand the site's structure.
AI search is the next frontier. Getting cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity isn't accidental—it comes from having clear, factual, well-structured content that AI systems can easily parse and reference.
The Tech Stack
What's Next
The site continues to grow. I'm adding user-generated features—reviews, photos, gym updates submitted by the community. The goal is to make it not just the biggest climbing gym directory, but the most useful one.