The new ICE Gaming 2014 report lays bare what many in the affiliate marketing business know all too well; recent Google updates have radically altered the face of affiliate marketing.
Here are a few of ICE’s key findings about the state of SERPs in the gambling world.
Anarchy in the UK
The UK igaming industry is in great shape, bringing in around £2.5 billion ($4 billion USD) with William Hill leading the pack with an impressive 18% revenue growth last year.
In terms of search volume, UK sports betting sites are the big winner with an 18% growth rate while casino terms follow along closely with a 15% growth rate. Not surprisingly, bingo-related terms are the most searched for in the UK.
Big name brands like 888, Spin Palace, Tombola and Cheeky Bingo have all lost significant visibility in the post-Panda/Penguin era. Lesser known brands have suffered even more, according to the report.
United States of SERPs
Though American affiliates have been duking it out for SERP supremacy for a long time, ICE says they should expect a lot of new competition from established international gaming brands.
These established operators will likely be descending like a pack of wolves on an organic search environment that’s been the domain of relatively small time players (with the exception of poker) for quite some time.
Challenges Abound on the Continent
Finding success in the European igaming market these days is as much about navigating an ocean of red tape as it is about dominating SERPs. Making things even trickier is an abundance of competition and a constellation of search terms that vary from country to country.
Finally
ICE sees plenty of opportunity for affiliates and operators in the U.S. and Europe and is very interested to see how UK brands apply the lessons they’ve learned at home to the international market.
For a free copy of the report, visit StickyEyes.com.