Solo-built a free app to 1,000+ downloads — what worked?

Hey everyone 👋

I'm a solo developer and just crossed 1,000+ downloads on an app I built entirely on my own (Qibla Compass & Prayer Streak — a free Qibla direction, prayer times, and Quran reader app for Muslims). No ad spend, no team, just building and shipping features based on what I'd want myself.

Now I'm at the "figure out growth" stage, and curious what's genuinely worked for other solo/indie makers here, especially for niche, non-SaaS products:

- Did ASO (App Store Optimization) actually move your numbers, or was it mostly organic community sharing?

- For apps with ads + an optional paid tier, when did monetization actually start to matter vs. just focusing on retention?

- Any lessons on backlinks/directories that were worth the time vs. ones that weren't?

Would love to hear real experiences, especially from anyone who's grown a niche/vertical-specific app rather than a broad consumer one.