The iGaming industry is one of the most lucrative niches to fill nowadays. Unlike other businesses it is weatherproof from any fluctuations of the global market, bringing nothing but revenue. The reason is simple – there are always people who want to try their hand at gaming, and platforms to satisfy this demand. However, with more businesses trying to get involved in iGaming, it becomes difficult to reach the client, creating fierce competition for a place in the top lists of searches. Considering the fact that gaming, in general, has a rather notorious image, and Google algorithms are quite nitpicking, link building for iGaming sites differs from the conventional approaches.
When it comes down to iGaming websites, there are a few major ways of obtaining the backlinks.
1. Getting links from trusted domains
New igaming websites, which keep springing up on a regular basis, struggle to reach the top positions in the search results, as they are not seen as reputable enough and have low-to-none rankings. With that in mind, it is important to establish a stable online presence, and a level of authority, seeking endorsement from the related websites. In order to build a legitimate (in Google’s eyes’) profile with a high level of reputability, it is crucial to get the backlinks to your site from trusted domains related to the iGaming niche.
Such collaboration can be started by building relationships within the industry. It is recommended to go white hat SEO, although, it will typically lead to a paid promotion unless you have high ranking and authority to offer in exchange.
Getting backlinks in the gaming industry is rather a challenge, due to cutthroat competition among the providers of the games. Therefore it is important to have a team of professionals on board, as a link-building agency knows better all the ins and outs of the process, and has a well-established workable strategy.
Among the most common options to use are guest posts, niche edits, and barter.
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Guest posts in iGaming
Can iGaming benefit from guest blogging? Despite being quite a traditional SEO tactic, it constantly shows great results. Guest posts are a laborious yet rewarding tool to use, especially from a long-term perspective. By writing articles for accepting websites, you insert an anchor to your website, enhancing the chances for higher audience outreach. It is important to collaborate with high-ranking websites, as otherwise, the outcome will not be as successful as expected.
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Niche edits in iGaming
Niche edit linking is an efficient way of setting the online authority and is typically performed by link building agencies for the iGaming industry. The anchor to the website is inserted into an article or a post as well, however, instead of creating new content, the link is placed into already-existing articles. Such a cut-short approach saves time and wins more link juice. The trick is in the ‘age’ of content. With niche edits the articles are already indexed and authorized by Google algorithms, thus, it ranks better in the search engine, bringing you more organic traffic.
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Barter
Barter is a link-building strategy used by websites with a relatively high authority level, benefiting each other’s performance online. However, it is not a viable option for the fresh starters.
2. Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
This is a Black hat SEO, and should only be used if all the risks and rewards are weighted and backed up.
A PBN in the iGaming industry is a network of websites created specifically to build links to the main website under question and manipulate search engine rankings. This scheme functions like a link pyramid, where different websites link to the central one.
This method is riskier than setting up a partnership between gaming-related websites. Unless you have a well-developed system of PBNs related to iGaming, you will risk money, time, and reputation for nothing.
3. Tiered link-building strategy
Tiered link building in iGaming helps to increase the amount of link juice from the backlink to the website. The idea is about creating a backlink to an already existing backlink.
For instance, there is a tier 1 backlink that directs to your platform; then there are several tier 2 backlinks leading to the tier 1 backlink; then there are a few tier 3 backlinks that lead to tier 2, that point to tier 1.
This strategy is quite a good deal regarding time and money spent, and results.
High-quality backlinks are expensive, and often times the platforms that are just beginning to evolve cannot afford more than a few a month, besides, writing a guest post is also time-consuming. However, low-quality backlinks are significantly cheaper, and thus, you can build the tiers using a bunch of them and improve the effectiveness of the original backlink.
Besides, this strategy offers a good chance for latent self-promotion without being too annoying for the search engine algorithms, as you don’t link to the original website, but to a tier 2 page, for example, and only then to tier 1.
What types of websites are suitable for iGaming outreach?
Link building strategy requires a well-planned approach to choosing the websites for linking. Considering the fact that gaming niches are always at risk, it is worth opting for other niches, with lower chances of being penalized. The most suitable industries to contact:
1. Sport
Receiving iGaming backlinks from sports and esports websites is a lateral play and a viable option. Sport is as competitive as gaming in general. Besides, many iGaming platforms have integrated sports betting platforms or feature sports bars. Thus, such cooperation will not be at risk, as it is quite a natural combination.
2. Technology
iGaming platforms are known to use cutting-edge technologies for providing the best user experience and set the highest level of security. Thus, linking them together will just be natural.
3. Business
iGaming and business niche are both about money, thus, they are definitely related. It is possible to tie them together by mentioning investments and trading, which are both gaming-related options, to some extent.
4.3 Travel
Traveling often includes gaming, as many hotels feature them as an element of entertainment. It is possible to make the connection between brick-and-mortar gaming sites and their presence in the web space. Besides, when people are on a long-distance bus trip, they may need some kind of entertainment, which can easily be a few games on your iGaming platform.
Final thoughts on improving a link-building strategy for an iGaming platform
iGaming niche is a lucrative business that thrills everyone who is involved – the game providers and the players. Aiming for better audience outreach, it is crucial to implement SEO linking strategies. Backlinking in the gaming industry is much more laborious compared to other niches, due to its rather negative reputation in society and scrutinizing algorithms of Google. For the best results, it’s highly recommended to secure cooperation with a link-building agency, as they can anticipate all the possible pitfalls and have a well-established network of external contacts.
