TRAFFIC
FIVE TIPS FOR NEXT-GENERATION LINK EARNING
Nothing improves your ranking like the right quality and quantity of inbound links to your site, says Blueclaw’ s marketing director Martin Calvert
THERE’ S MORE TO SEO than links. We can all agree that, more than ever, on-site factors are huge in SEO. From site speed and mobile-readiness, to the diversity and depth of online content that keeps visitors engaged— there’ s a lot to focus on.
Even so, nothing moves rankings like the right quality and quantity of inbound links to your site.
Entire businesses exist to build links for gaming companies at rapid pace and in large numbers, but from now on this slash-andburn approach is not effective or sustainable.
Affiliates must focus on link earning strategies that build their brand and continually deliver SEO value. In this article, I’ ll outline four proven link earning strategies that we at Blueclaw use every day to deliver rankings and traffic for all manner of companies— including affiliates.
The main thing that unlocks powerful links is content marketing— material that justifies a link.
Unfortunately, bad content takes many— and any— forms in gaming, including:
● ●Opinion pieces by people with no opinions
●●News without news
●●Self-obsession from gaming brands
● ●A patronising approach to the readers or punters
… and all this can drown out good content and lead to greater competition for the attention of customers, the media and potential partners. This type of bad content is what we call landfill content marketing.
So, what content marketing methodologies actually work and what steps should you follow?
1) Explore data journalism Data-driven content marketing is the approach that we at Blueclaw have found to have the most success, across pretty much all the industries we work in. Its definition is straightforward:“ Data journalism is a journalism speciality reflecting the increased role that numerical data plays in the production and distribution of information in the digital era.”
Data journalism is great in gaming— sport is full of stats, numbers, anomalies
“ One of the best approaches for affiliates is to target sites that have the topicality and authority that can help lift your rankings” and stories. Likewise, casino, slots, roulette and table games are inextricably linked with topics such as chance, luck and aspiration— so there are many number-crunching angles to take advantage of there too.
Data provides a hook that is immediately appreciated by journalists and publishers who are looking to fill space with authoritative content, as well as readers who love a good stat.
So. What are the attributes of data journalism-based content marketing that earns links?
● ●It takes time, research and access— but it justifies this with coverage and links
● ●It provides more angles for coverage, which helps journalists out and gives them more options for featuring your betting brand
● ●It’ s modular— it can be used in long form, short form, quotes and headlines
● ●It must be genuinely interesting, notable and trustworthy On that point, trust is key in all link earning and content strategies that depend on building relationships.
If your brand delivers inaccurate content that isn’ t print-ready, journalists will simply not give you a second chance. Likewise, the ability to deliver a one-off bit of content now and again may have some success, but you won’ t become the go-to contact for journalists who want dependable partners.
Building your capacity to become that go-to, utterly dependable resource means you’ ll have an easier time getting coverage— and content-hungry sites will come to you for accurate, data-driven material, because of your reputation and the value your content adds to their sites.
The outcome? Quality coverage and a much easier time getting( free) links— and you don’ t need to reinvent the wheel to do it.
2) The skyscraper methodology With a focus on proving to websites and publishers that your site truly deserves that link, you’ re increasing your chances of success without the need for payment or pleading.
26 iGB Affiliate Issue 65 OCT / NOV 2017