TRAFFIC
MAKE SURE YOUR
SITE SUCCEEDS
Competition is fierce and the days when sites could get away with providing mediocre content and an
average user experience are long gone. Martin Calvert highlights some of the more crucial areas to take
into account to ensure business continues to thrive post launch
IT’S NO WONDER that so many affiliates
are so full of hope when they launch.
Operators and platform providers are happy
to wine and dine potential partners and at
glitzy shows – such as the London Affiliate
Conference – it’s easy to get caught up in
the dream.
But not every affiliate makes it big – and
there are some key challenges that, if not
overcome, can cause affiliate sites to hit a
ceiling in their growth.
Even so, there are clear opportunities in
business operations where affiliates can,
and should, take more control of their own
destiny – and they can achieve this if they
can overcome some crucial hurdles.
While gaming remains full of
opportunities, it’s worth noting that it
is precisely because there are so many
partners and platforms that make it
comparatively easy to get an affiliate site up
and running, that competition is so fierce.
“By its very nature, an affiliate brand depends on
relationships to succeed. A collaborative approach
must be cemented with operator partners, as well as
within your team”
We all need to accept some truths. The
regulatory framework is not going to get
any easier, operators are unlikely to become
more collaborative, customers are not going
to become less discerning and Google is
not going to be less able at spotting, and
penalising, dodgy tactics.
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iGB Affiliate Issue 68 APR/MAY 2018
Quite simply there are too many
indistinguishable affiliate brands – as
gaming affiliates are competing with
operators, news outlets, bloggers, team
websites and each other for useful traffic,
it’s not enough to just provide an ok user
experience or mediocre content.
The quality of your content and the
user experience around the content can
be a critical differentiator not only in the
moment that people are betting, but also
for search engine rankings.
Discerning punters
Punters are of course more discerning
about the sites they choose to use.
A horrifying site design, poor user and
mobile performance and offers and content
that are indistinguishable from other
affiliates give punters no reason to stick
around or make a first time deposit (FTD).
It’s not easy to build a great affiliate
brand, and neither should it be. As in
other industries, mature audiences are
expecting more – and not every affiliate
will invest in content, design and
differentiated experiences to justify
a leading position.
By its very nature, an affiliate brand
depends on relationships to succeed.
A collaborative approach must be
cemented with operator partners, as well