Slow and steady wins the race

James Ashton, Head of Content at online casino comparison site FindMyUKCasino.com, says that affiliates should focus on brand building rather than link building.

The online casino affiliate space is one of the most competitive for performance marketers to enter and fight for the spoils. There are thousands of sites all targeting the same players with the same offers from the same casinos.

The majority take the same approach to drive players to their sites, identifying key search terms and then creating ranking content around those words and phrases. This is then supported with link building activity where a volume of value approach is considered the best.

But with so many sites targeting the same keywords with the same content and same approach to link building, it is tough to stand out and deliver potential players the information, tools, and services they need to make an informed decision about where to play.

It could be argued that online casino affiliates are so focused on ranking and link building that the product they offer those that do land on their sites is not up to the standard that it should be. With FindMyUKCasino.com, we have prioritized product and brand over ranking and link building.

So how, and why, have we done this?

Design for the user first and foremost:

The majority of online casino comparison sites use the same design and layout, with the online casino brands they work with listed on the homepage followed by reams of content based around the keywords they want that page to rank for.

With FindMyUKCasino.com, we have designed our homepage so that it looks more like a news or magazine website, allowing us to showcase the great content that we have invested a lot of time and effort into creating.

We have sections for news, features, and must-read guides and interviews that split the homepage into various sections. This makes it really easy for readers to navigate and explore; they can access all this information for free without having to scroll through reams of online casino listings.

Sure, we have split this up with casino cards that we use to push our casino partners, but we have achieved this in a way that looks authentic and does not impose on the user experience. We want them to access our content first and then if they wish, sign up to our casino partners second.

Content that delivers genuine value:

When it comes to the content we create, we focus on genuine, authentic features, explainers, guides and interviews that online casino players want to read. We work with our operator partners to create this content, as well as game developers, regulators, and other stakeholders.

Of course, we are mindful of the need to create some content around key ranking phrases as search remains a big driver of traffic for online casino affiliates. But even when we do, we ensure the content provides the value our readers are looking for.

There really is no point in ranking for a keyword or phrase and have a reader click through to your site only to find the page they have landed on does not provide the information or answers they are looking for. They will simply click off and never come back.

This means writing content that is clear and easy to read and not packed full of terms and phrases designed to assist with ranking. For example, we would never write “the best online casinos the UK will offer…” – a visitor reading this will assume we have made a typo or our writers are not that great.

For online casino comparison sites looking to deliver the best possible experience to visitors, creating top-quality content must be an absolute priority.

Active on social media:

Social media can be a bit of a minefield for online casino affiliates, but we believe it is a powerful way to engage and communicate with our readers. No matter the size of your following – we have a little over 60 followers but growing steadily – its shows you are real and helps to build trust.

The great thing about social media is that affiliates can experiment and have fun; we are working on all sorts of ideas for videos, competitions, interviews, that we believe will really drive engagement and loyalty with our readers and followers.

Build a brand for long term success:

The approach we are taking with Find My UK Casino is that of building a brand as we believe this will ensure we not only acquire readers and potential players but that we are able to retain them over time. Sure, this is a long process to undertake but slow and steady often wins the race.

The ultimate goal is that people Google “Find My Uk Casino” as they know we are the best destination for everything they need to know about playing at online casinos in the UK. We know that is a long way off, but by taking the above approach is a goal we are certain we will achieve.

This approach will not be for all online casino affiliates, but we are happy to be swimming against the tide as we believe this is what will ultimately allow us to stand out from the crowd.