TRAFFIC
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An analysis of 30 brands proves that impressing Google’s algorithm with quality links is vital for the
visibility of igaming brands, says Branded3’s JJ Grice
SEPTEMBER MARKED THE FIRST
ANNIVERSARY of the last update
of Google’s much-publicised Penguin
algorithm. The algorithm’s purpose is to
ensure websites that manipulatively acquire
backlinks are demoted from Google’s
search results. The previous update had
been in October 2014. This delay effectively
caused a stunting of organic growth for
many recognised igaming brands that had
previously fallen victim to the algorithm.
The impact that the Penguin algorithm
has had on brands’ organic visibility over
the years has been staggering. For example,
888sport initially lost around 90% of its
visibility following a refinement of the
algorithm in May 2013 (see Figure 1).
Despite the clear challenges that brands
have faced in the past when it comes to
link acquisition, this activity remains an
integral part of a business’ SEO strategy.
Figure 1: 888sport’s SEO visibility since 2010
Figure 2: The top 30 igaming brands, based on organic visibility and relative growth
since Penguin updated in September 2016
The end of Penguin updates
During last year’s update, Google
announced that Penguin would become
part of its ‘core’ algorithm. This ruled
out the need for future announcements
and meant the algorithm would be running
in real time.
With this change, it become clear that
Google was moving towards a devaluation
model, away from the demotion model
it had previously used. Essentially, ‘bad’
links would now be devalued (or ignored),
instead of a website being demoted from
search results altogether.
This change effectively means Google
is quicker to devalue bad links on a
link-by-link basis. However, in contrast,
it also means that Google will establish
value in good links more quickly, making
link acquisition an increasingly appealing
strategy for igaming brands.
What can we learn from 2017?
We looked at the top 30 igaming brands,
based on organic visibility, and analysed
their relative growth since Penguin updated
in September 2016 (see Figure 2). Genting
Casino and Mecca Bingo were clearly the
biggest winners, recording visibility growth
of 197% and 190% respectively.
What’s interesting is that most of their
growth didn’t come when Penguin updated
in September last year. It has instead built
up gradually since the beginning of the year.
iGB Affi liate Issue 65 OCT/NOV 2017
19