GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 39 - November 2017

AGE FACT SHEET HOMETOWN LIVING IN FAVORITE FOOD SITE 29 Maasmechelen, Belgium Barcelona, Spain Steak goedgekeurdegoksites.be jeuxdecasinoapprouves.be MUST-READ BOOK David Baldacci books perience in SEO grew, and it became my specialty. Now I also do consultancy for SEO and paid advertising. Do you have employees, or do you run your sites by yourself? I run the sites by myself and make use of freelancers. Sometimes I think about hiring extra peo- ple, but that would also take away part of my freedom. Maybe I will start hiring employees in some time. Your sites target Belgium. Why did you target this particular market? What do you do to localize your sites? My main websites target Belgium. As I am from Belgium, it was an obvious choice to start there. Later there was www.gambling- sider.dk , which focused on Denmark. I chose Denmark because, like Belgium, it was legalized. This website was not going so well, and as I don’t speak Dan- ish, it was very difficult to check the text myself. I stopped putting effort into that website. It is still there, but doesn’t get updated much. To localize my websites, my biggest dif- ference is to only put the casinos that are legal in that market. People that come to Goedgekeurde Goksites or Jeux de Casino Approuvés can be sure that they only get reviews and news for casinos that are legal to play at in Belgium. Do you have plans for additional sites? Why or why not? Last year I moved to Barcelona, in Spain. I am learning Span- ish and started to look into the Spanish market. Some small sites are launched, but these are still tryout projects. Soon I hope to grow in this market. As it is also regulated, like in Belgium, there are many similarities. For the Spanish websites, there are more possibilities. It will target the legal- ized market in Spain, but in the future the South American markets will also be possible. What makes your sites unique? How do you help them stand out from the competition? As mentioned before, my websites focus on the legalized market. The direct translation of “Goedgekeurde Goksites” is “Approved Gambling Sites” – people that come to my website can be sure that all the reviews, news and promotions are for casinos that are legal in Belgium. People can get fines for playing on illegal casinos in Belgium, and it does scare them. I want to help themfind a place where they can gamble knowing they aren’t doing anything against Belgian law. How do you decide what casinos to pro- mote? The legalized market in Belgium is not so big for theA license casinos. Most of them I promote. What is important is, of course, the deal they offer me. But also the affiliatemanagermakes a difference. If they are quickwith givingme answers, delivering banners and sending me news, it is much easier to promote them.Also how they treat me – some are very friendly, while others think they are the king of the world. I hate it when they change affiliate man- agers every six months. It is difficult to get a relationship with your affiliate manager and be able to work well together. Affili- ate managers I work with for a long time knowwhat I want, and I knowwhat I can expect from them. What other traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an af- filiate program? Good communication is important. And they have to be reachable. I don’t like it if it takes a week or longer before they send an answer to my question. The affiliate program should not change affiliate managers every six months. They should also keep their promises and not change their deals. What’s your preferred method of com- munication with affiliate managers? A face-to-face meeting is my preferred meth- od, but that is only possible at conferences or with affiliate managers who live close by. Otherwise, e-mail or Skype. Do you gamble online? What about in brick-and-mortar casinos? From time to time I do play online, just for fun; I don’t expect to make money. It is also helpful for writing articles and to get knowledge about the things you promote. On top of that, I have to play the games to make screenshots. People can get fines for playing on illegal casinos in Belgium, and it does scare them. I want to help them find a place where they can gamble knowing they aren’t doing anything against Belgian law. 57 W W W . G P W A T I M E S . O R G