Is the affiliate marketing community’s collective obsession with SEO causing webmasters to overlook some website design fundamentals? That’s the point SearchEngineLand columnist Andrew Shortland makes in a column titled, 10 Simple Things SMB Websites Need to Fix Before SEO.
While Shortland’s tips are aimed at brick-and-mortar businesses, a few of them should are very relevant to gaming affiliates. Here’s a few of them you might want to consider.
Understand Your Customers’ Objectives
Gambling affiliates are, understandably, eager to get right to the point but that sometime comes at the expense of your readers’ real objectives. Shortland recommends breaking down your navigation into simple tabs that point players to exactly what they want, like Poker, Sport Betting and Casino Games.
Create Content That Focuses on Customer Needs
No matter what niche you’re targeting, quality content creates conversions. A steady stream of useful game previews, poker strategies or FAQ’s helps build trust with your players. They want someone who is on their side and you can create that bond through your content.
Don’t Use Clip Art
Free stock photos are everywhere and it’s hard to argue with their pricing. At the same time, a distinctive graphical look is something that might be worth a little cash. You can even take your own photos, so long as they’re high quality.
Trust Marks/Testimonials
Credibility means a lot in this industry and that’s why testimonials and trust marks are worth their weight in gold. Finding one or two players to tout your affiliate partners shouldn’t be too tough. And, if you’re working with CAP or GWPA-approved sites, you might as well let people know about it.
Add Conversion Messages to All Your Landing Pages
This might qualify as a no-brainer but plenty of affiliates don’t have clear calls to action on their landing pages. It doesn’t take much to add a line like, Find out more about top deposit bonuses or Want to find out more about free rolls?
Improving Conversion Offers a Faster ROI Than SEO
SEO can cast a very wide net when a smaller net might do the trick. Shortland recommends focusing on bumping up conversions, rather than simply focusing on SEO. Over time, this investment (which includes spending more on content) can offer a much better ROI and SEO.
What are your non-SEO tips for fixing up a website? Share them in the comments section below.