- SEO
Fast-growing affiliate site casts an expert eye on the industry
Affiliate site www.777casino.co.uk is enjoying its most successful year since its launch in 2017. Conceived by a small group of gaming, SEO and content marketing experts and enthusiasts, the independently operated site has increased its traffic by over 400% over the last 12 months and further growth is very much on the agenda.
The 777 Casino team recently redesigned some of their best-performing pages to ensure that visitors can find the latest casino bonuses and best casino experiences quickly and easily. With further improvements planned and a growing number of casino partnerships secured, these are exciting times for www.777casino.co.uk (which is not to be confused with the online casino of the same name).
Ben, the site’s founder, tells us more about 777 Casino’s story to date and what the team has planned for the next 12 months.
So, Ben, it has been a strange year. How has www.777casino.co.uk been affected by the pandemic?
We have grown our traffic over the last six months so that is very positive for us. But we have been working hard to improve the site, attract more players and ensure they have a great user experience, so it is difficult to say how much of the growth we can attribute to the pandemic. We can try and analyse the affect of Covid all we like but the simple truth is that the more quality traffic we attract, the better our performance. It sounds obvious but that is the way it always works.
The site has been up and running for a few years now, but what are the biggest challenges you have faced since you launched?
Well, we are operating in a hyper-competitive industry, of course. When you are a small business trying to compete with other sites which have huge budgets and networks behind them, you expect it to be tough going. Many of us have other jobs or projects in addition to 777 Casino so it is very much a labour of love.
We also operate predominantly in the UK gambling market and that keeps us on our toes. Regulatory changes never seem too far around the corner, and we have seen good converting casinos leave our core market. But the job is never boring and if we didn’t enjoy these challenges, we’d all be doing something else.
What would you pinpoint as the most important factor contributing to a successful affiliate site?
It is hard to narrow an answer down to one single factor because there are a lot of considerations. But a clear SEO strategy is critical to everything we do. Given how competitive it is in this market, you need to identify clear objectives and formulate a plan to achieve them.
Having said that, we made plenty of mistakes along the way. Just as an example, we started another site before www.777casino.co.uk which didn’t work out. But we learned a hell of a lot and John, our head of SEO, has developed a sustainable growth strategy for 777 Casino that is really starting to pay dividends for us now. I am very happy with how things are developing.
So, I would say that a consistent, comprehensive SEO strategy combined with a dedicated team of talented individuals and close relationships with great casinos are all equally critical to our success.
Talking of relationships with casino partners, what would you say makes a great casino for an affiliate site?
It is funny because what works for us does not necessarily work for others. We have had success with all kinds of online casino but tend to find that some of the lesser known, new sites can perform very well – perhaps more so than the biggest name brands. We also have two very similar casinos from the same brand with virtually identical welcome bonuses, yet one converts a lot better than the other.
Ultimately, a key component of our strategy is to test all new casinos and analyse their performance against our top-performing partner sites. This involves rotating each casino bonus across different landing pages and positions within the page. By repeating this process, we have uncovered some great converting casinos against our initial expectations.
And how much do traditional welcome bonuses matter?
Great bonuses do matter, regardless of whether they should be one of the most important factors for a player or not. They attract the players in. But it is the user experience and great player engagement, combined with integrity and other factors which keeps them coming back.
We want the players we attract to become long-term users of our partner sites, not just ‘hit and run’ bonus hunters. We design our site with that in mind and promote casinos which have a good record for conversion and retention.
So, what does the next 12 months hold for 777 Casino?
More of the same, but better! I am really pleased with our growth curve. You always want to move quicker but I am confident that our progress thus far is sustainable. If we can continue along our current path, we will achieve our objectives.
We will keep investing all our profits back into the business and plan to roll out new sites focused on Canada, Latin America and Asia while continuing to build our presence in the UK.
It is very important that we keep building upon existing relationships with our casino partners too. We have a good idea of what does and doesn’t work on our site now and that gives us a great chance to foster the sort relationships that will benefit both us and our valued partners.
This article is sponsored by 777 Casino and does not represent the views of iGB Affiliate.