The gambling and casino industry has reached an unprecedented scale, boasting numerous prominent companies on global stock exchanges.

Major casino brands invest massive sums of money annually in link building, reflecting the intense competition within this field.

Furthermore, the affiliate sector within the industry is vast, with substantial referral fees paid to prominent review websites to drive customers to casinos.

Inside the Link-Building Tactics of Casino & Gambling Industry Giants

Most prominent brands in the industry employ a strategic blend of relevance and extensive link volume.

A substantial budget is crucial for a high ranking in this competitive space. Virtually all significant players invest in paid link acquisition. As we have experienced first-hand while building links for significant casino companies, bloggers and content creators often charge a premium once they realize the nature of the content they are linking to. This highlights the importance of establishing a budget supporting many high-quality links while maintaining a long-term perspective.

One notable example is a smaller casino brand that swiftly emerged and managed to rank for competitive casino keywords.

Top 5 Link-Building Trends Shaping the Gambling Industry

• Cash Rules All: Casino companies spare no expense when paying for links, leveraging their substantial budgets. To avoid detection, they often employ third-party email addresses for link-building activities.
• PR Campaign Tactics: Certain gambling firms implement strategic PR campaigns to secure links from newspapers and press outlets. However, they understand that more than such efforts may be needed for challenging keywords that necessitate targeted links and anchor text.
• Aggressive Anchors: Established larger companies boldly employ compelling anchor text strategies, particularly if they possess a well-recognized brand. They aim to maximize the impact of their links.
• Homepage Link Dominance: Some major companies opt to rent homepage links aggressively. This strategy is particularly prevalent among affiliates operating across various global markets.
• Diverse Niche Pursuit: Casino and gambling companies actively target a surprisingly broad array of niches. The scarcity of high-quality informational sites cantered around casino and gambling topics prompts them to explore various niches to acquire links.

Discovering Ideal Websites for Casino & Gambling Link Building

Determining the ideal websites for link building depends on establishing a natural connection to the casino or gambling site. Fortunately, a diverse spectrum of site categories can be considered for link-building purposes.

Here are several categories commonly targeted by casinos, along with some category ideas:

1. Gambling Guides and Directories: Websites dedicated to providing comprehensive information and resources related to gambling.

• • Casino review sites
  • Gambling news portals
  • Online gambling directories

2. Sports and Betting: Platforms focused on sports news, analysis, and betting tips.

• • Sports news websites
  • Sports betting blogs
  • Fantasy sports platforms

3. Entertainment and Lifestyle: Websites catering to entertainment, lifestyle, and leisure activities.

• • Entertainment blogs
  • Travel and leisure websites
  • Celebrity gossip sites

4. Technology and Innovation: Platforms centred around technology advancements and innovations in the gambling industry.

• • Tech news sites
  • Gaming software blogs
  • Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) websites

5. Finance and Investing: Websites offering insights into financial management, investing, and online transactions.

• • Personal finance blogs
  • Cryptocurrency news sites
  • Stock market analysis platforms

6. Responsible Gambling and Addiction Support: Websites providing resources and assistance for responsible gambling and gambling addiction.

• • Problem gambling helplines
  • Responsible gambling organizations
  • Addiction recovery forums

By utilizing tools like Ahrefs to analyse the backlink profiles of major online casinos, you can observe content and backlinks within various categories mentioned above. This information can guide your link-building efforts.

Checklist for Casino Links: Quality Guidelines

When engaging in paid link acquisition, as gambling companies often do, it is crucial to prioritize safety. Ensuring that the links you purchase come from websites that are not overcrowded and do not exhibit obvious link footprints is essential. Additionally, verifying that these sites are of high quality is important. This means they should generate organic traffic and focus on creating content primarily for their readers rather than for SEO. Following these guidelines will help maintain the integrity and effectiveness of your link-building efforts in the casino industry.

Quality Checklist for Casino & Gambling Sites:

1. Domain Rating – Set a minimum threshold of 20+ for the domain rating. This metric helps gauge the overall authority and quality of the website.

1. Traffic – Verify that the website attracts a minimum of 1,000 organic visitors, as reported by Ahrefs. This ensures a reasonable level of organic traffic to the site.

1. Traffic Movements – Assess the organic traffic movements by accessing Ahrefs’ “overview” section and navigating to “Organic Search.” Be cautious of sudden traffic drops, which may indicate a Google penalty. While not always indicative of penalties, they should be considered in decision-making. Note that traffic fluctuations can be expected, and if the site continues to maintain intense traffic levels, it should not be immediately dismissed.

1. Determining Link Status– To quickly check if a link already exists, the most efficient method is to utilize Ahrefs. Follow these steps, Navigate to the “Linked Domains” tab in Ahrefs and enter your website’s URL. This will provide information about domains that currently link to your website.

1. Comparing Linked Domains vs. Referring Domains– To assess the ratio between linked and referring domains, Ahrefs offers a batch analysis function, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation. Using Ahrefs, examine the number of websites referring to linked domains versus referring domains. It may raise concerns if the number of linked domains is more than four times greater than the referring domains (e.g., 1,201 linked domains compared to 300 referring domains). This discrepancy could indicate excessive sponsored posts being sold on the website, potentially risking future penalties from Google. Remember that the more a website links out, the less valuable its links become. This means that if a website excessively links to other sources, the value of its links diminishes.

1. Number of casino links – We need to assess the number of domain names related to ‘casino’ linked on the website. This evaluation can also be performed using the ‘Linked Domains’ feature in Ahrefs by searching for ‘casino.’ If the count exceeds 35, we must decline the website since it indicates a clear intention to sell links to numerous other casino sites.

1. Post Markings – If the website designates posts as ‘Sponsored’ or ‘Advert,’ they are unsuitable for our use. To verify this quickly, we can navigate to the ‘Linked Domains’ section and locate a casino article. Subsequently, we can examine whether it carries any explicit markings indicating sponsorship or advertisement.

1. Sense Checks – Conduct a comprehensive website review by browsing a few pages manually. Pay attention to articles that appear excessively spammy and must be consistent with the website’s overall theme. Examining the homepage lets you gather valuable insights into the topics and articles they cover. Additionally, take note of any spam-like sidebars or banners on the website. Lastly, assess the website’s design, ensuring it has an appealing layout that engages readers effectively.

1. Advertising Page – Note whether the website includes an easily identifiable advertising page. While the presence of such a page is generally not concerning (as most websites have them), be cautious if they mention advertising as a means to improve SEO or openly offer backlinks for a price. These indications should raise red flags for us.

Developing a Sustainable Competitive Advantage

✅ Best Practices

Conduct an in-depth analysis of the top-ranking competitors to gain insights into their link-building strategies and the context of their linked content.

Identify and selectively pursue link opportunities from competitors that align with your objectives and make strategic sense.

Exercise discretion when selecting websites for link placement, prioritizing those with robust quality metrics.

Invest in skilled writing staff who can seamlessly and organically incorporate links within articles, avoiding any sense of forced placement.

Develop a sensible anchor text strategy that encompasses a blend of branded, natural, and partial match anchors, taking cues from the practices of the leading competitors.

Establish a robust negotiation plan to effectively bargain with webmasters, ensuring long-term cost savings in link acquisition efforts.

Drawing from our extensive experience collaborating with renowned online casino enterprises worldwide, we understand the essential elements for attaining enduring success.

Regarding link-building, we recognize the significance of achieving consistent and enduring ranking outcomes.

To ensure long-term prosperity, it is crucial to approach decision-making with a strategic focus, avoiding risky choices that could potentially harm your reputation or standing.

❌ Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Avoid blindly following trends, such as obtaining homepage or category links from the same websites as everyone else. Many casino affiliates employ this strategy but often face penalties. Similarly, exercise caution with 301 redirects, as they may be suitable for certain affiliates but pose excessive risks for larger companies with extensive staff.

Exercise restraint regarding aggressive anchor text usage, especially if you are a smaller or emerging brand. Strive for a more balanced approach to maintain credibility.

Steer clear of using a company email for outreach purposes. This may seem obvious, but it leaves a distinct footprint that can lead to unfavourable consequences.

Remember to underestimate the budget required to compete effectively in this industry. Even after achieving a solid ranking position, ongoing investments are necessary to sustain it.

In conclusion, these are our essential guidelines for successful link-building in the gambling and casino industry. We encourage you to explore our monthly SEO packages if you seek additional insights or have any questions. Our industry experts will be happy to assist you in achieving your goals.