Experts come together to discuss SEO and affiliation in iGaming at SBC Summit Canada.
SEO is a “bit of a sham”, said Johnny Capo chief executive officer at, betstamp, during a session at SBC Summit Canada last week.
The affiliate landscape is changing, and SEO is right at its centre. It is a key part of discovery for almost every digital-focused industry, but success doesn’t always feel like it’s measured fairly.
“It’s a little bit of a sham when it comes to what the best rankings are,” explained Capo. “If you were to Google ‘best sportsbooks Ontario’, you scroll past the paid ads, you’re gonna get some of the bigger players that own that space, and when you actually click in, the rankings are not really merit-based – it’s basically based on who’s paying the most.”
The practice of SEO is no longer focused on trust, popularity, or even relevance – and consumers are often putting their blind trust in the rankings which, he said, is largely based on payments.
“People are going to start to find trust and seek trust in other channels, but SEO still is awesome, because people have that trust in Google, so when they look at a site, they’ll click that number one slot.”
While SEO’s relevance may be fading, it is still a “key pillar within the affiliate space”, he told delegates. Google updates over the years and technical evolutions have changed the structure of SEO and how it applies to publishers and sites.
“What I’ve learnt is that not only have Google’s rules adapted and changed over the years, but the way that you have to present your backend tagging and all of this has changed over the years as well,” added Kris Abbott, general manager of Stake Canada.
“Especially in regulated jurisdictions, where you have to be whitelisted and you have to play by their rules, and you have to do whatever they say, right?”
That’s where the multi-channel approach comes in.
“[It’s] not just focusing on funnelling traffic in, but also retaining those players once they are in by becoming a loyal, trusted, incredible source within your community, you have loyal followers who will trust what you’re telling them. Tell them again where to bet, what to bet, and that funnels further than just the first engagement,” Capo comments.
One of those channels is, inevitably, AI. As the technology rises in popularity, it has begun to feature as one of the most effective routes of discovery.
“Not everybody is going to Google anymore, there’s plenty of stuff going on with the chat bots that changes everything again – so then you’ve got to write your search results to show up in a chatbot, and that’s a whole other world.”
AEO, or answer engine optimisation, is an ever growing path for sites to solidify their brand identity, audience, and consumer base. For affiliates, this means re-shifting the focus from purely SEO-based, to a more diverse stream.
“Affiliates need to become trusted sources that people can rely on,” said Max Levy, director of marketing at Bet99.
“They’re telling them what to bet and where to bet. A brand like us, we rely on our affiliates to tell our brand story, really articulate who we are, and in turn drive key results back.”
This represents an opportunity for brands and affiliates, who can take advantage of the divergence from SEO dominance, and can build their identity not based on how it may rank on Google, but with its purpose, audience, and strategy at the forefront.
“As marketers, it’s our job to really get creative, tell our story, and that’s how we’re delivering it right now. So, all in all, I definitely hope that kind of overregulation doesn’t come, because I don’t think we want to see the unintended consequences that come with that,” Levy concluded.
