How to Correctly Scale Partner Networks in the Gaming Niche
Online Casino Market specialists talk about the advertising of entertainment sites with the help of affiliates and ways to bypass blocking.
About the Concept
It can be explained as an ecosystem that unites several gambling offers (casinos, bookmakers) and a large number of webmasters. They attract users to digital betting platforms in exchange for payments according to the selected scheme (CPA or RevShare).
Such cooperation programs include several important components:
- Management. This is continuous interaction with entrepreneurs and their partners.
- Tracking portals. Special software helps brands record Internet traffic and evaluate its quality, where it comes from, etc. Among the popular websites of this kind, we can highlight Keitaro, Binom, and RedTrack.
- Payment system. The stage includes regular and transparent settlements with affiliates, as well as the acquisition of a stable income by casino owners.
- Creatives and landing pages. Such materials help to interest solvent clients, motivating them to follow links, register, and make initial deposits.
How Operators Can Develop Affiliate Systems
Aspects that should be taken into account in the first place:
- Building a partner program. It is possible to use popular platforms (Income Access, Partner Matrix, or Post Affiliate Pro) to register on one of them. After that, business owners need to spell out clear terms of cooperation, select payment models, and install tools to protect their websites against fraud and multi-accounting.
- Engagement of webmasters. They can be found on specialised forums or arbitration conferences, through the recommendations of other webmasters, as well as in thematic Telegram chats.
- Creation of an account management team. Such specialists customise key affiliate tools (postbacks, trackers, or pre-landers), monitor traffic and KPIs, identify fraud, provide forecasts for future periods, etc.
- Content preparation. These are ready-made landing pages, creatives, templates optimised for different geolocations, and solutions that can be integrated with third-party trackers.
- Partner program scaling. It usually occurs in 2 formats. This is entering new markets (for example, Latin America, India, or Eastern Europe) and searching for new traffic sources (TikTok, Telegram, and SEO).
- Quality control. It is essential at all stages of affiliate network development. Entrepreneurs should monitor fraud (bots and bonus hunters), check where clients come from, as well as evaluate retention indicators, LTV, etc.
- Automation of business processes. For example, CRM services simplify the interaction between operators, managers, and affiliates. Payment systems are responsible for fast payments to webmasters, and security services provide protection against fraud.
Why Affiliate Networks Fall Under the Restrictions
This kind of iGaming brand promotion is increasingly associated with search engine filtering. Algorithms of Google, Yahoo, and other international services block partner programs when there are cases of aggressive SEO methods, dishonest advertising tactics, etc.
Let us consider the main reasons for certain limitations.
Unnatural Link Building
One of the most common phenomena is the mass purchase of links on exchanges and in PBN (Private Blog Network). Webmasters use spam anchors, domains without a true history and other dubious tools. As a result, digital platforms lose their rankings on searches, and sometimes can even be completely blocked.
Google Penguin is one of the main browser filters. It is responsible for analysing references and automatically lowering the positions of unnatural portals.
Content Templates
A mistake that is made by many operators is the generation of similar texts with an over-optimisation of keywords. These can be copied or slightly modified reviews of casinos, games, or software vendors that are poorly indexed by search robots.
Thus, in Google, 2 main filters are used:
- Pandora. This algorithm fights low-quality materials.
- Helpful Content Update. Those gaming sites where the content is created only for SEO, not for people, always have lower positions.
Unstable Domains
Frequent changes (due to bans, technical errors, or improvements in the jurisdiction’s legislation) are negatively perceived by search engines. Algorithms always analyse the history of the domain, its subject matter, and behaviour patterns. Any deviations from the norm are immediately recorded.
New hostnames where affiliate traffic predominates, automatically fall under the Google SandBox filter and are ranked worse by the system.
Excessive Monetisation
This is an abundance of partner links that do not bring value to users. An excessive number of automatic transitions and clickbaits are also negatively perceived by algorithms, which is why an iGaming portal can be poorly indexed.
In Google, the Spam Update solution is responsible for combating excessive optimisation. It lowers the digital resource’s position because of aggressive advertising and introduces manual sanctions for violating the rules related to content.
How to Avoid Filters
Implementation and scaling of an affiliate project in the casino niche require a competent approach to search engine optimisation, products, and traffic.
SEO and Risk Minimisation
Proper tools will perform several tasks:
- protect the platform from blocking by the algorithms;
- improve the indexing of the site and its final position in search results.
SEO always has a multiplier effect. The solution allows business owners not only to protect their portals from various risks but also to attract high-quality organic (most interested) traffic.
Content and Structure of the Platform
To avoid filters, virtual casinos should look like a full-fledged information resource:
- Useful content. It is best to post interesting guides and current betting strategies, game reviews, and industry news. You can add analytics, statistics, or other unique features and focus on expertise based on real cases. Excellent results are achieved by posting videos, infographics, and interactive elements.
- No direct advertising integrations. Affiliate links should be inserted at the end of the article. Another option is to add redirects, which will make the promotion more organic.
- The use of LSI and hidden keywords. A good effect is provided by such neutral expressions as “online entertainment”, “popular sites”, or “best offers”.
- Dynamic content. The technique’s essence is the generation of different titles and descriptions for the same page.
Link Building Without the Risk of Sanctions
This step is an important part of the overall SEO strategy of gaming platforms.
Aspects that operators should take into account:
- The use of natural transitions. Diluted anchors, crowd links, and guest posts work best. It is essential to ensure a smooth growth of the reference mass, without sharp and unnatural rises.
- Site grids. If a company uses a PBN network, it should be as natural as possible and have different IP addresses.
- Dilution of the link mass. To do this, marketers add references from thematic forums, social media, and news portals.
Masking
This is one of the most effective tools for bypassing filters. However, it is associated with certain risks. Therefore, it is worth “hiding” entertainment sites with caution so that they do not get banned for life.
The main options in this case are:
- Cloaking. It can be described as the demonstration of the portal’s different versions depending on whether it is a real player or a bot.
- User-agent redirects. For instance, search engines will see a news site and gamblers or B2B partners — a landing page with an affiliate program.
- Geotargeting. This means showing different pages depending on a country, so as not to fall under the sanctions of local regulators.
Other Traffic Sources
Their use increases the overall visibility and clickability indicators.
Let us consider where else entrepreneurs can look for new customers:
- Social networks. Good results are achieved by advertising services on Instagram and Facebook Ads. Thanks to teasers, promos, and chatbots, it is possible to attract bettors and not fall under filters. Operators can also invite clients to closed groups or pre-lander communities.
- Video hosting portals. TikTok provides the largest audience reach, especially when it comes to collaborations with authoritative bloggers and streamers. For legal marketing through YouTube channels, project owners can record reviews, live streams, or strategies.
- Messengers. The most popular platform is Telegram, which is largely due to the loyal attitude of the administration toward the casino sector. The product uses gamified mechanics with bonuses, email newsletters, and VIP groups for loyal customers. These tools not only attract new visitors but also help to bypass various filters.
Automation
To quickly scale affiliate networks, it is necessary to simplify and speed up several key business processes:
- Content generation. One of the trends is the use of artificial intelligence. AI helps create unique articles, but revising them remains the responsibility of full-time employees. By the same principle, operators can generate keywords and website pages using the casino API or ready-made Python scripts.
- Automation of advertising campaigns. Marketers are increasingly focusing on tracking systems (RedTrack, Binom, and Keitaro), which help them quickly and effectively test various partner programs. Another option is to optimise the selected campaigns through artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.
- Mass launch of satellites. This is the creation of several interconnected sites with various domains and content.
The Main Things about the Development of Partner Networks
Such solutions can be described as ecosystems that unite many gambling offers to help entrepreneurs drive traffic.
Key aspects that should be considered:
- Partner program scaling includes several stages. Operators need to attract experienced webmasters, put together a team of account managers, provide high-quality products, and set up end-to-end control of results.
- Affiliate networks in gambling may fall under filters if casino owners use low-quality link building, often change domains, or create similar sites. Common mistakes also include posting over-optimised content and the abuse of advertising.
- It is possible to circumvent the restrictions by focusing on various traffic sources. Businessmen should offer interesting entertainment, automate management processes, and avoid direct advertising.
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