The 60-Second Version
Fenerbahce Florya Basket operates a leading youth basketball academy in Istanbul. The club needed a structured, performance-driven digital presence to reflect its corporate identity and increase student enrollments. Alien Road built a completely new WordPress website from scratch in 2017, executing end-to-end SEO, Google Ads, and website optimization. By focusing on local search terms, structured data, and seasonal ad campaigns, the agency achieved an 85% increase in organic traffic and a 95% increase in potential student applications while reducing cost per click by up to 40%.
The Numbers That Matter
Measurable progress defined every stage of the engagement for Fenerbahce Florya Basket. Organic traffic grew by 85%, rising from a baseline of 1,150 monthly visits to 2,127 visits. Potential student applications increased by 95%, climbing from 44 monthly form submissions to 85. Through continuous refinement of Google Ads campaigns, the cost per click dropped by up to 40%, moving from 1.85 TRY down to 1.11 TRY. Technical performance also improved, reducing mobile page load times from 4.2 seconds to 1.6 seconds.
The Challenge
Youth sports academies face high competition in dense urban markets like Istanbul. Prior to this engagement, the digital footprint of Fenerbahce Florya Basket relied on fragmented informational pages. The existing structure failed to capture high-intent local search queries from parents seeking basketball training for their children. Furthermore, inefficient ad spend and poorly targeted keywords resulted in high acquisition costs and low form submission rates.
The primary challenge involved building a scalable digital asset from scratch. The website needed to present training groups, age categories, and coaching staff clearly while integrating a smooth online application process. Technical limitations on the old platform prevented search engines from crawling the content effectively, limiting organic reach.
Five Core Goals
- Develop a modern, mobile-responsive WordPress website from the ground up to replace fragmented legacy pages.
- Increase organic search visibility for high-intent local keywords related to youth basketball training in Istanbul.
- Optimize Google Ads campaigns to lower the cost per click and maximize qualified student applications.
- Implement clear structured data and technical SEO protocols to improve search engine crawlability.
- Establish robust tracking via GA4 and Search Console to monitor traffic, user behavior, and conversion metrics.
Three-Layer Strategy
Infrastructure Layer
Alien Road designed the site architecture around training groups, age categories, coaching staff, and an intuitive online application process. Built on WordPress, the new infrastructure utilized Google and Yandex-compatible title structures, meta descriptions, URL hierarchies, and clean content organization to ensure search engines could crawl the platform efficiently.
Demand Layer
Based on thorough keyword analysis, the team developed an organic and paid strategy focusing on local and niche terms such as basketball school, Fenerbahce basketball youth academy, and Florya basketball course. This ensured that marketing efforts reached parents actively searching for sports education in the specific geographic area.
Trust Layer
To build credibility with prospective families, the website highlighted professional coaching credentials, training methodologies, and clear club affiliation details. Transparent communication channels, including WhatsApp integration and structured inquiry forms, reinforced user trust and streamlined communication.
Four-Phase Timeline
Phase one involved technical audits, keyword research, and wireframing the WordPress site architecture. Phase two focused on website development, content population, and on-page SEO implementation. Phase three launched the seasonal Google Ads campaigns alongside tracking setup in GA4 and Search Console. Phase four centered on continuous optimization, negative keyword refinement, and A/B testing ad copy.
The Turning Point
The turning point occurred during the alignment of seasonal registration periods with targeted Google Ads campaigns. By filtering out irrelevant traffic through precise location, device, and time targeting, the campaign quality score improved significantly. This strategic pivot drove down the cost per click while simultaneously doubling the volume of qualified form submissions.
Advertising
Alien Road designed seasonal Google Ads campaigns responsive to peak sports registration windows. The team structured ad groups by specific age categories and training locations in Istanbul. By applying negative keywords and tightening geographic parameters, the agency eliminated wasted ad spend. This precision targeting lowered the cost per click by 40% and improved conversion efficiency across all active ad sets.
SEO
The SEO strategy focused on capturing local search intent across Google and Yandex. Alien Road optimized metadata, internal linking structures, and heading hierarchies for terms parents frequently use when searching for youth sports. Clean XML sitemaps and proper schema markup allowed search engines to index course schedules and academy locations rapidly, securing top positions for critical local keywords.
Website design
Alien Road built a custom WordPress website from scratch, prioritizing mobile usability and fast load times. The layout clearly organized training groups, age brackets, and coaching profiles. An integrated, multi-step application form replaced disjointed inquiry methods, reducing friction for parents and directly increasing the rate of completed student registrations.
Digital marketing management
Comprehensive oversight ensured all digital channels operated cohesively. Alien Road integrated GA4 and Search Console to monitor traffic patterns, form completions, and user journeys. Regular performance reviews allowed the team to adjust budgets dynamically, allocate resources toward high-performing ad groups, and maintain consistent messaging across web assets and paid campaigns.
Why It Worked
The success of the project stemmed from alignment between technical infrastructure and targeted acquisition channels. By replacing a slow, unstructured legacy site with a fast WordPress platform, technical barriers to conversion were eliminated. Simultaneously, precise keyword research ensured that paid and organic traffic consisted of high-intent local users. Continuous performance tracking in GA4 allowed for rapid adjustments, ensuring sustained growth over the 12-month engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did it take to build the new website and launch campaigns?
The initial infrastructure development, technical audit, and site migration took place during the first phase, spanning approximately two months. Google Ads campaigns and SEO optimization launched concurrently in phase three, producing measurable increases in traffic and applications by month three.
Which search engines were targeted during the SEO and advertising phases?
While Google served as the primary channel for both search engine optimization and paid advertising due to its dominant market share in Turkey, the technical infrastructure was also fully optimized for Yandex to capture all relevant local search traffic.
How were student applications tracked after the redesign?
Alien Road implemented event tracking through Google Analytics 4 (GA4) alongside Google Search Console integration. Every form submission, WhatsApp click, and telephone inquiry was tagged as a conversion goal, providing clear attribution data for both organic and paid traffic.
What measures were taken to reduce Google Ads acquisition costs?
The team refined campaign performance by introducing strict geographic filters around Florya and surrounding Istanbul districts. Continuous negative keyword management, ad copy A/B testing, and quality score improvements drove down the average cost per click by up to 40%.
