GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 18 - October 2011

By Paul Reilly I t’s no secret that iGaming SEO has a certain perception, particularly among those who operate outside the iGam- ing sector. SEO within iGaming is often considered one of the three most com- petitive markets. These three markets are often referred to as PPC (Pills, Porn and Casino, not to be confused with Pay Per Click). The very fact that SEOs have given these three notoriously tough markets an acronym has served to reinforce the psy- chological barrier to entry. In order to compete in the iGaming mar- ket, affiliates must overcome this psycho- logical barrier, which I often see influenc- ing the strategic decision-making process of affiliates, not to mention the occasional chief marketing officer (CMO) within ma- jor operators. After all, if CMOs at major operators are getting nervous and it’s not even their own money, small affiliates will be terrified by the prospect of conquering Google’s natural results. My favorite quote to sum up this dynamic was penned by Shakespeare himself: Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt. – Measure for Measure , Act I, Scene 4 This widespread fear to attempt is driven partly by perception and partly by the fees quoted by SEO agencies, which com- pounds this perception. Placement of one keyword can cost in excess of £15K per month with no guarantee of results. The result is that fear prevents affiliates from attempting or steers them toward the long tail, and since so many affiliates are seeking their fortune in the long tail the competition is significantly higher. There is very little action in the long tail, particularly in casino, poker and bingo. Long-tail battles will, at best, lead to a Pyrrhic victory. Affiliates, just like everyone else, are pre- dictable in large numbers. Naturally there are exceptions, leaders and pioneers (you know who you are). The rest of us follow. When we follow with SEO in mind, many of us fall into the trap of believing rumors, hearsay and even pure disinformation. Observe the masses and do the opposite Having finally made the jump from pure SEO consultant to SEO consultant-affili- ate, the need to balance PR with secrecy is even more important. There’s nothing for me to gain in encouraging another 10-20 affiliates to become my direct competitors. It’s actually not in my best interest to be writ- ing this article. This same dynamic actually encourages disinforma- tion and lies designed to protect affiliates’ ex- isting revenue streams. Furthermore, when one applies this dynamic in the context of SEO, where ignorance, rumors, gos- sip, hearsay and false truths are prolific, what we end up with is often diluted to the point of pure fiction. An Internet marketing pioneer and good friend and mentor of mine once said, “If you see a guru in the road, turn and run the other way.” There are no gurus, only seekers of the truth. Rather than hang on to the words of a self-proclaimed guru, you should test, measure, follow your own instincts and do what makes sense to you. I know self-proclaimed gurus who have liter- ally destroyed affiliate businesses and billed hundreds of thousands of pounds for the privilege. So if a so-called guru can ruin a site, what makes you think you’re capable of suc- ceeding in this notoriously competitive market? First, you care about your own success more than any agency or consultant would care. Second, SEO really isn’t rocket sci- ence. Third, by following a few simple rules, SEO can be performed simply, step- by-step, with great results – and far more cost effectively than when outsourced. Everything you need to know on how to succeed in iGaming SEO is freely available, including off-the-shelf tools, links, free open-source content man- agement systems and great value con- tent writers. The barrier to entry has never been lower. Most of the successful affiliates I speak with are initially focused on getting a single-page site up and getting a few links than building perfect content-rich sites. Many hosting platforms support rapid installation of free open-source content management systems. As such you can get indexable content online in minutes. Developing quickly and using a dupli- cable platform or template will enable you to roll out sites cost effectively. This in turn will enable you to mitigate risk by running several sites and having mul- tiple horses in the race, thus spreading the risk. SEO Psychology for Affiliates “SEO can be performed simply, step-by-step, with great results – and far more cost effectively than when outsourced.” 13 SEO Psychology for Affiliates