How to Assess an iGaming Affiliate Marketing Website or Agency

Interest in affiliate marketing rose more than 264% between 2020 and 2022, showcasing its growing significance. There is no doubt that the affiliate method of attracting players to online poker rooms and casinos is one of the most popular. How to always understand that the traffic you are getting is excellent, decrease the risks when choosing the right gaming affiliate marketing software, and evaluate its performance? Let’s break it down:

What Is iGaming Affiliate?

iGaming affiliate marketing entails promoting the services of online gaming platforms like casinos and sportsbooks by affiliates aspiring to bring new clients and retain existing ones. Affiliates drive traffic through various methods, including social media channels, earning a share of the revenue from each sale they generate. In return, online gaming platforms get to enjoy a plethora of benefits like high ROI, a minimal upfront spend, and a relatively low-risk model. It’s without a shadow of a doubt a mutually beneficial relationship that generates profits for both parties involved.

A Historical Overview of iGaming Affiliate Marketing

The inception of iGaming began in 1994, with Microgaming developing an online casino software that prompted Antigua and Barbuda to pass the Free Trade & Processing Act. These pioneering developments promptly set the foundations for the broad expansion of iGaming affiliate marketing, allowing a plethora of online gaming establishments to promote their products and services legally. 

In its early days, affiliate marketing in iGaming was heavily driven by search engine optimisation and basic website promotions, such as sign-up ads. Affiliates made sure to optimise their websites to rank higher in search results, thus giving them organic traffic to online gambling platforms.

As the industry evolved, affiliates began to diversify their marketing efforts in the back-and-forth battle between Google and affiliates, incorporating content marketing, social media engagement, influencer partnerships, niche targeting, and diversification to reach a broader audience. These strategies have become integral to modern iGaming affiliate marketing, complementing traditional SEO efforts.

The evolution of iGaming affiliate marketing underscores the importance of the sector’s adaptability and its role in driving the continued growth of online gambling.

Understanding iGaming Traffic: Where Players and Profits Intersect

Digital marketing in the gaming industry relies on smart promotional strategies across multiple online channels to connect with interested players. Success comes from thoughtfully combining mobile advertising, search engine visibility, and social media outreach to maximise engagement. Let’s explore which partnership opportunities have proven most effective and examine the factors that contribute to strong results in the gaming promotion landscape.

Learn about Actions and Rewards in iGaming Affiliate Marketing

One of the ways to protect your business from risks related to affiliate marketing is to refine the work methods.

1. CPA (Cost per Action). The CPA method of attracting traffic is insecure because it does not guarantee the quality of the traffic. In this case, you can have many marketing expenses but need more traffic volumes for a decent ROI (Return On Investment). Actions can differ as well. You can pay for registration (and then you will get bad traffic), or you can pay for registration + deposit. This option is more reliable, although less efficient, than CPS.
2. CPS (Cost per Sale), i.e. Revenue Share model. This method involves the division of profits for attracted traffic. In this model, the iGaming affiliate has a motivation to attract relevant traffic, as their profit directly depends on it. 
3. CPL (Cost per Lead). Most iGaming affiliates prefer this type of reward, as they are not responsible for the conversion procedure. In this model, the merchants are normally careful and have conversion targets. These targets are created for the generated leads to comply as a way to control the quality of leads.
4. CPC (Cost per Click). This model is rarely used these days due to the high risks of online fraud. Essentially, this type of commission is a way to drive big traffic to a new website and an iGaming affiliate gets rewards for every click to the site. Click frauds, including bot clicks, someone paid to click on links, etc, are rather common, therefore it can’t be a reliable model of partnership. 

Evaluate Performance with Data and Metrics 

Affiliate analytics is the practice of using data and metrics to evaluate the performance of an iGaming affiliate marketing program. It involves analysing various aspects of the program, including the affiliates, the campaigns, and the conversions.

Some of the key metrics that are typically used in affiliate analytics include:

1. Clicks: The number of times that a tracking link is clicked by a user.
2. Impressions: The number of times that an ad or tracking link is displayed.
3. Conversions: The number of users who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
4. Conversion rate: The percentage of clicks that result in a conversion.
5. Earnings per click (EPC): The amount of money earned per click on an affiliate link.
6. Return on investment (ROI): The ratio of earnings to the cost of the affiliate program.
7. Average order value (AOV): The average amount of money spent per transaction.

By analysing these metrics, affiliate managers can identify high-performing affiliates and campaigns, as well as areas that need improvement. They can also use the data to optimise their program, such as by adjusting commission rates or targeting specific geographic regions.

To perform affiliate analytics, affiliate managers typically use tracking software or affiliate networks that provide data on clicks, conversions, and other metrics. They may also use third-party tools, such as Google Analytics, to analyse website traffic and user behaviour.

Track the Traffic

If you are running an affiliate program in the gambling industry, it is important to track the traffic that is coming from your affiliate partners to ensure that they are sending high-quality traffic that results in conversions. Here are the steps you can take to check affiliate traffic in gambling:

1. Use tracking software: There are many gaming affiliate marketing software solutions available that can help you monitor affiliate traffic. These tools allow you to track clicks, impressions, conversions, and other key metrics. Some popular tracking software options for the gambling industry include HasOffers, Cake, and LinkTrust.
2. Set up tracking links: Once you have selected a gaming affiliate marketing software solution, you will need to set up tracking links for your affiliates to use. These links are unique to each affiliate and allow you to track their traffic and conversions.
3. Monitor traffic quality: It is important to monitor the quality of traffic that your iGaming affiliates are sending. This can be done by analysing the sources of traffic, the devices used, and the behaviour of visitors. You can use the data from your tracking software to identify any affiliates that are sending low-quality traffic.
4. Analyse conversion rates: Conversion rates are a key metric for evaluating the performance of your affiliate program. You can use your tracking software to analyse conversion rates by an affiliate, campaign, and other criteria. This will help you identify high-performing affiliates and optimise your program accordingly.
5. Communicate with affiliates: It is important to maintain good communication with your affiliates to ensure that they are aware of your expectations and are motivated to send high-quality traffic. You can use your tracking software to send messages to your affiliates and provide them with feedback on their performance.

By following these steps, you can effectively monitor and optimise your affiliate program in the gambling industry. This will help you maximise your ROI and build long-term relationships with your affiliates.

Conclusion

The gambling industry relies heavily on affiliate marketing to drive traffic and generate revenue. Here are some reasons why gambling companies need affiliates:

1. Cost-effective marketing: Implementing an iGaming affiliate program is a cost-effective way for gambling companies to market their products and services. Instead of spending a large amount of budget on traditional advertising, they can pay affiliates a commission for each customer they refer.
2. Wide reach: iGaming affiliates have a wide reach and can promote gambling products and services to a large audience. They can use various channels, such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing, to attract potential customers.
3. Targeted marketing: Affiliates can target specific demographics and audiences that are more likely to be interested in gambling. This helps gambling companies to reach potential customers who are more likely to convert.
4. Increased brand awareness: iGaming affiliate marketing can increase brand awareness for gambling companies. By having affiliates promote their products and services, they can reach new audiences and build trust with potential customers.
5. Performance-based marketing: Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing model, which means that most experienced gambling companies would only pay affiliates when they generate a sale or conversion. This helps to minimise risk and ensure that marketing dollars are being spent effectively.

In general, affiliate marketing is an effective and efficient way for gambling companies to reach potential customers, drive traffic, and generate revenue. By partnering with iGaming affiliates, online poker or casino operators can expand their reach and increase their chances of success in a highly competitive industry. 

EvenBet Gaming offers a technical iGaming solution for businesses with all the necessary settings and tools for the best affiliate programs including a multi-level program with sub-affiliates. Adjust everything starting from registering iGaming affiliates to making detailed reports in the back-office to get the most out of your business.