Online casino games are likely where you'll spend most of your time and energy if you're a committed gambler looking to make money. However, being a casino affiliate is another option to make money online if you are passionate about casino games. The good news is that, in order to become a casino affiliate, you can come from any niche. How so?
As a casino affiliate, you'll need to do a little homework before signing up for an affiliate program. There is a plethora of affiliate programs out there, and choosing the proper one can be difficult.
In this blog, our goal is to arm you with enough knowledge to make an educated decision and reap the rewards of that decision for many years to come.
Let's get some general background on how to become a casino affiliate.
What are Casino Affiliate Programs?
In essence, affiliate programs are marketing agencies that specialise in affiliate marketing. This strategy is based on the notion that a business rewards its partners, a.k.a. affiliates, for each customer or visitor they bring through their marketing efforts. The whole affiliate marketing is, in fact, based on the performance of affiliates.
Affiliate program is not a term unique to the world of online casinos. In fact, it originated in a completely different industry – e-commerce.
Casino affiliates can be challenging to distinguish from casino websites at times. They use the same type of language and imagery to entice users to sign up and play.
However, although an untrained eye may find it hard to separate them, here are a few telltale signs that tell them apart:
- Affiliates don't offer games
There is no denying that casinos have game catalogues showcasing each one of their offerings. Affiliates do not operate any of their own games, but they frequently include evaluations of online casino games and sometimes even free play trials of those games.
- Affiliates feature multiple brands
It's common for affiliates to promote a variety of casinos. You've probably stumbled upon an affiliate website if you notice a lot of different logos, deals and advertisements.
- Referral plays a role on an affiliate website
The primary objective of casino affiliates is to get you to join one of their casino partners. A number of links that read "Sign Up!" or "Play Now!" indicate that a site is an affiliate one. To bet at a casino, players must first open an account.
How Do Casino Affiliate Programs Work?
Effectively, casino affiliate programs work in a way that each affiliate acts as a small, independent marketer for the other company. They receive a fee (commission) each time a new consumer is directed to the goods or services available.
As an online casino affiliate, the amount of money you can make varies from casino to casino and campaign to promotion. Several factors will determine it, including the casino games available, the number of players recommended, and how many convert. Typical affiliate earnings might range from a few hundred dollars per month to tens of thousands of dollars per month.
Here's a quick rundown of the most common types of programs you'll encounter:
- CPA (Cost per action): CPA is a more limited method in which the affiliate is paid a set fee for each real money participant they promote. In a typical scenario, if a person sees your site, clicks through your affiliate link to a casino, then signs up and deposits, you'll be paid a set fee regardless of how much money the player wins or loses. On the good side, you'll know exactly how much you'll pay upfront. The disadvantage is that you miss out on future income from that referred player.
- Revenue share: A revenue share model is a long-term agreement in which the affiliate receives a percentage of all revenue generated by the casino for the duration of the player's account. Using this technique, you can anticipate earning 20 percent to 60 percent of the casino's overall earnings.
- Hybrid model: Hybrid is a combination of the two above, in which you receive an immediate payment upon account sign-up and then a cut of continued revenues over time. As a model that offers a mix of CPA and revenue share, this is the most popular model to go for.
How do I Become an Online Casino Affiliate?
The first thing to do is check out the affiliate programs page for the brand in question, placed in the casino's footer. Click the link you should get all the information you'll need to get started as an affiliate.
Banners, pop-ups, text links, and other forms of online content can all contain affiliate links. A new affiliate will need to think about their audience and what kind of material they respond to the most to succeed in affiliate marketing.
To be a successful affiliate, you need to know how a website works, how different types of material serve a purpose, and how to tie it all together into a user-friendly online resource.
Here's a brief overview of the steps to take:
- Choose your niche (most likely casinos if you are reading this)
- Make a plan
- Build your website
- Sign up for affiliate programs
- Rank and bank (make your website SEO-friendly+conversions)
#1 How to Make a Plan?
If you want to make money as an affiliate, you need to keep many things in mind, regardless of whether you already have a site or not. Planning your website is one of the essential steps in the process.
Here's where to start:
- Build an SEO strategy
A modern user won't go through the trouble of taking extra steps to find your website; this is why you must make sure they can easily find it online. Make sure you pay close attention to both on-page and off-page SEO criteria to ensure that your search engines rank your material well.
There will be a lot of emphasis on link development, keyword research, and content production here. No matter whether you intend to undertake SEO optimisation yourself, you need to know the basics to evaluate others' work effectively.
- Make your site responsive
Because mobile devices now account for most internet traffic, your website must be mobile-friendly to generate revenue. In order to reach as many people as possible, it must work flawlessly on all types of devices and be devoid of any distracting bugs or problems.
- Be an authority
Prove to the readers and followers that you are reputable, trustworthy and an authority in the field with gambling terms and conditions always at the clients’ immediate reach. You'll do this by featuring only reliable and licensed casinos that won't, at any time, put the clients in jeopardy – whether financial or legal.
- Invest in content - Plan a blog
Even though a well-executed responsive design will protect visitors from immediately abandoning your site, the best content will keep them engaged and wanting to return. Your goal should be a good blend of breaking and current news and evergreen information that consumers will find useful in the long run.
- Mind the design
Appealing visuals aren't the only reason for good graphic design; it's also an act of courtesy to the user and contributes to the long-term development of a loyal following. Your website should have clear typography, a logical structure, and a simple hierarchy to help visitors find what they're looking for.
- Be transparent
Have an earning disclosure on your website - explain to your readers that you earn money through their clicks and applications for the products. Base your relationship with clients on trust.
#2 How to Build a Casino Affiliate Website
Depending on the type of client you are and the budget you plan to use for this business endeavour, you can go about building a casino affiliate website in two fashions:
- Big budget affiliate website
If you’ve got a big or an unlimited budget to become a casino affiliate, then outsourcing your business to professionals plays as the best option there is. Professionals that specialise in building websites will introduce you to everything you should know on how to become a casino affiliate, they’ll discuss the best strategy with you, and, ultimately, build you an affiliate website you’ll start earning money from sooner than you’d think.
- Small budget affiliate website
If your budget is limited, and you still want to become a casino affiliate with a strong reputation, there’s still a way to do it without hiring professionals. You can do it yourself!
Here are the steps to take:
- Buy hosting and domain
- Get an SSL certificate
- Educate yourself on SEO and how to make a website
- Get to WordPress and choose an already designed theme
True, this option may take longer, but if that’s what you’ve got to do… that’s what you’ve got to do.
#3 How to Choose the Best Casino Affiliate Program?
There are several things to keep in mind while deciding on a casino affiliate program. The commission structure is probably the most significant one. If the program's commission rate isn't high enough, go elsewhere. To ensure that you get paid on time and in full, check the payment schedule as well.
The affiliate program's game selection is also a significant factor to consider. Slots, tables, live dealer games, and more are all available in the top programs. Also, make sure that the affiliate program is well-known and respected in the business. Before signing up for a program, it's a good idea to check out user reviews.
In essence, there are 2 parts that you should consider:
- That the affiliate is best suited for yourself
- That the affiliate is best suited for your customers
Look for affiliate programs that have:
- Trustworthy mindset
- Responsive Customer support team
- Fast and reliable payment options
You should apply for a lot of products you review. However, keep in mind your target audience and apply suitably.
#4 How to Optimize Your Website?
By directing the right searchers to your content, SEO improves conversions. If you make the purpose of a page clear, Google can accurately rank it based on the consumer's search intent.
There are two ways to optimize your website:
- Big budget optimization
Hire an SEO/marketing agency to help you optimize your website and help you improve conversions. For clients whose budget is not limited, hiring an expert to conduct your SEO is the best thing to do. Naturally, having someone work on your website doesn’t mean you can’t either; if SEO is a topic you’d like to know more about, or if you’d like to continue optimizing your website yourself, there are always ways to learn more about SEO and get ahold of its intricacies.
- Small budget optimization
If your budget is currently limited, you can optimize your website yourself. If you’ve got no knowledge of SEO, educate yourself to optimize your website via free online courses, articles, and videos. Use free tools from Moz, SEMRush and Ahrefs to start this journey like professionals would. Learning how to SEO won’t be a quick process, but it will be one worth investing your time and efforts in.
How to Sign Up for Casino Affiliate Programs?
It is easy to become a part of an affiliate program. Everyone can do it, and since there are no sign-up fees, it’s actually free of charge to join an online casino affiliate program. All you need to do is have a website where you can promote online casino brands by putting up banners and other types of advertisements. Once customers click on the adverts, affiliates start earning money. Remember that casino affiliates often have more than one casino that you can benefit from.
Sounds easy? It is, but not too easy. Bear in mind that it still involves a lot of work, for you can’t just form a website and expect visitors to come. You need to be diligent and hardworking to attract each and every one of your visitors and keep them coming back.
What is a Negative Carryover?
As defined by Investopedia, negative carry is a condition in which the cost of holding an investment or security exceeds the income earned while holding it.
In other words, affiliate networks pay you on a monthly basis in 99.9% of cases. So they'll send you a payment at the end of the month and reset your balance to $0 for the next month.
On the other hand, what if your account is in the red? Maybe you had a huge winner at the casino or a big winner at the sportsbook? Suddenly, your account balance has dropped to -$2000.
Negative carryover is standard in affiliate programs, and it simply carries over to the next month.
So, if your account was +$3000 in January, you'll start with $0. in February. If your account is -$2000 at the end of February, you will begin March with a -$2000 balance.
This will not affect previous profits (except in sporadic cases). On the other hand, the negative balance will persist until you've earned enough to get back into the black.
How Much do Casino Affiliates Make?
Depending on your website and your investments in it your earnings can go through the roof or fall through. Your affiliate earnings solely depend on how much work you put into your website and how well it all went down.
Casino affiliates tend to concentrate on specific niches for practical reasons - to simplify their search engine optimization efforts. When a single niche is covered, an affiliate can work on related keywords and boost their SEO using them. This should bring in many new visitors to the site, as well as more revenue.
A Few Tips for the Road
If you are set to become a casino affiliate, here are a few reminders to keep in mind:
- Always do your homework on the casino brand you want to join. Even if you've been playing at that casino for a long time, you should know if the program is right for you before investing. Besides, you wouldn't want to promote a casino that treats its clients unfairly or unethically.
- Remember that as an affiliate, you must also follow additional rules. The UK Gambling Commission is very interested in casino brand marketing and affiliates should be aware of these laws. For example, the UKGC prohibits marketing to minors to prevent them from gambling illegally. So must casinos and affiliates.
- There is no easy money, affiliate marketing is a lot of work. Affiliates help spread the word about casino brands. As an associate, you must believe in the companies you advertise and do your bit to guarantee that any gambling activities you promote are safe, fair, and secure.
- Investing in your website is crucial, but social media, YouTube and forum presence is very important. Today’s audience wants you everywhere, so they can access your offer easily, in just a few clicks.
Ultimately, it’s all about keeping your target audience in mind and being consistent. When you put the client’s interests first, things fall into place much easier.
