GPWA Times Magaine - Issue 23 - February 2013

How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social net- working in order to drive more traffic to your sites? With every post and page I work to keep it unique and use the right keywords, meta descriptions and all. And also I repost my new posts on Twitter and Facebook. How important is it to you for people to “like” your sites on Facebook? What if anything are you doing to incentiv- ize people to like your sites? I think it is very important to get more likes. The more likes my Facebook page has, the more traffic it will drive to my websites, and I also think Google likes websites that have a lot of likers on Facebook. Which skills did you need as an affiliate that were the most difficult to acquire?Which skills did you already have when you entered the business? I am still learning a lot every day about being a gambling affiliate. But what I learned the most is to constantly adjust and tweak my websites and use the right keywords and content to get the traffic I want. Don’t be very general, be specific. I have always been very organized and ef- ficient – I can do a lot of work in a very small amount of time. If you had to pick five keys to success as an affiliate, what would they be? I only can think of one and that’s patience. It takes a long while to really know what to do and how to build a good website that generates a lot of traffic and gets good con- versions. But I have to say the communities on GPWA and oth- er affiliate forums have been and still are amazing. So don’t be afraid to ask for help – you will get a lot of help when you ask for it. Maybe that’s my second key. Oh, and I also have a third (wow, I have more than I thought): You have to have a feeling for gambling, either love it or play it, because people will see right away if you are not sincere or honest and will stay away. What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you? I joined the GPWA because I needed help and advice on my websites. I Googled gambling webmaster forums and the GPWA came up. And I have to say it helped me a lot. I was able to get some really good advice, a lot of tips, and was able to get rid of some really bad programs after reading some reviews on the GPWA. I still use it today to trade links or help other web- masters when possible. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be? It would be to make sure webmasters are no lon- ger ripped off by bad affiliate programs. I think when a web- master puts his or her time into promoting a brand and they are able to bring some good, real-money players, they should be paid for it, ALWAYS. And an affiliate program should also never steal players away to other brands they promote. I know this happens more often lately and I think this is just wrong. What surprised you most about the industry? What surprised me themost, and I know I amsounding like a broken record, is the fact that other webmasters are very, very helpful and will help you with almost anything. Before I started in this industry I assumed it would be much more about every guy for himself. But this is not the case at all. It’s really a great community to be a part of. What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate? Well, my mother doesn’t really understand it; she thinks I play at online casinos all day or that I have my own online casino, so I stopped explaining it. But my friends love it. A lot of them work in land-based casinos and can only play online. They were doubtful about online gambling, but now I always advise them where to play and which casinos have new games. My best friend, who also had a lot of doubt, is one of my most regular players now. How long do you give yourself for answering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer? I try to answer any e-mail within one or two days. But sometimes I am so busy that it can take longer. Always be clear and short in an e-mail. There is nothing more annoying than having to read pages of text and finding out that two sentences would have been enough. How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any spe- cial software to help you out? I never use to-do-lists. I just do. What’s the hardest thing about operating your sites, and what annoys or distracts you the most when you’re trying to get some work done? The hardest thing still is to get the traffic I want and to convert more players. I am still learning and working on that. And I get distracted pretty fast, but I don’t mind it too much. If someone were visiting you, what’s one place you’d defi- nitely take them to see? Besides the obvious, Amsterdam (I do live in Holland), I would let them see my hometown, Nijmegen, the oldest city in Holland. It has a lot of great sightseeing spots, if you like some history, and also a nice dock with great terraces. What’s your favorite vacation spot? I am not the vacation type. I like spending my free days in Holland. I did go to Barce- lona and I loved it, and also London, which is a great city. I hope to visit California next year, to see my boyfriend. You’re producing, directing and starring in a movie. You need a costar, and your significant other is either unable or unwilling to participate. Who should share top billing with you? I would have to say Madonna. Not the best actor out there, so the movie would probably flop, but she is my idol. If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? First I would invite my father. He died when I was pretty young, so it would be nice if he could see me now. Second, if I would invite my father I would also invite my mother. She never remarried and I know she would love to see him one more time. Third, I would again invite Madonna. If you have the option to meet your idol, take every chance, right? Fourth, I would invite my best friend, André, also a huge Ma- donna fan, because he would be pissed if I did not invite him to this dinner. And last I would invite my boyfriend. He lives an 11- hour flight away, so it would be nice to see him no matter when. If you could be any superhero, who would it be? I think I’d want to be a rogue superhero, Gamblingman. My power would be to persuade everybody to gamble online. In the end I would be stopped by Governmentman, but that’s OK, because then I would retire with my fortune. What are three things that nobody knows about you? I am very open, so I don’t have that many secrets, but I do wear cloth- ing labeled M, although I probably should start looking to wear L. 43 GPWA Affiliate Interview Series