If you really think about it, having people play casino games on your website and deposit real money really requires them to trust you. There are many aspects to consider – first and foremost, clients need to trust you at the payment stage and know that the games are fair and random.
You also need to convince players your bonus wagering system is fair and that payments will arrive on time. So, while trust is critical for any business, iGaming companies must go the extra mile when it comes to inspiring trust amongst players. And there’s no question iGaming industry leaders and the best online casinos have managed to do this very well.
So, how do you go about creating a trusted brand and become widely regarded as one of the best online casinos out there? Well, since Google is the world’s leading search engine, it all starts here. And it’s all about convincing Google’s increasingly smart algorithms that you’re a real and trustworthy iGaming business.
Now, this is a science in itself, and if you really want to go down this rabbit hole, you need to read Google’s Search Quality Rater’s Guidelines. This 168 page-handbook carefully details everything Google cares about when it comes to ranking a website. And equally important, it also tells you what Google doesn’t like.
But in order to save your time, we have compiled some essential points you should follow to build a trustworthy iGaming brand in this video. Let’s have a look!
How Google determines if your brand is trustworthy
Google looks at several things to understand and assess your brand.
There are SEO metrics from searches on your brand name, as well as data from your own and other websites. We’re talking about a quite complex and comprehensive process that considers pretty much every online platform where your brand is represented or mentioned.
Furthermore, Google’s quality raters also consider your affiliation with third-party websites, which are, in turn, assessed in the same way as yours.
That said, there are definitely some good practices you can implement right away without reading the handbook.
1. Show who’s responsible for the content on your site
For starters, you need to make sure that every site you operate clearly shows who’s responsible for the content on the page. This could either be a person, a company, a business, or even a foundation.
Image originally from Diggity Marketing and their Definitive Guide to Keyword Cannibalization.
2. Use external campaigns to spike organic searches
A spike in organic search volume will immediately get noticed by Google, and eventually, give your site a better ranking. As Google sees it, your site should be ranked higher since more people are looking for it.
If the engagement metrics persist within the increased audience, Google will let your site keep its new ranking position. And at the end of the day, a higher ranking is a sign of trustworthiness.
TV-adverts are an excellent way of driving organic searches, but they also happen to be very expensive. That said, there are other ways of creating similar campaigns using digital display advertising such as website banners, app notifications, and so forth.
As a matter of fact, services like Google Adwords have proven to be extremely efficient as they allow you to hyper-target specific demographics and markets. And that’s perhaps not that surprising since an increasing number of people are consuming entertainment online these days. This is, of course, especially true for iGaming, where the entire product and customer experience are solely online-based. In many markets, TV-ads are thus declining massively as digital display advertising, in most cases, deliver the same results at a mere fraction of the cost.
Targeting customers with content specific to their demographic and country will show them you care which will, in turn, increase their trust in you.
3. Show licenses and logos from independent auditors
Displaying logos from trusted licensing bodies, or third-party auditors is definitely a good way of inspiring trust – not only for Google’s quality raters but for end-customers as well. If your page is audited by eCOGRA or IBAS, or if you’re working closely with organizations that advocate responsible gambling like Gambling Therapy (which is available in many languages), GamCare or Gamblers Anonymous, make sure that’s reflected on your site.
Displaying logos from known payment methods such as Trustly, VISA, or PayPal will also give your brand a sense of reliability. You’ll find this to be a common practice among trustworthy iGaming brands.
4. Take charge of reviews
Google’s quality raters don’t only look at how your brand ranks and what sites you’re affiliated with – they also look at what’s being said about your brand.
These days, people do their due research before choosing a brand or a product. Information is widely accessible and sought after, and subsequently, reviews have become a lucrative online business in their own right. And if someone’s looking for the best online casinos, you obviously want to be part of the conversation.
Any real business wants to hear from its customers to improve results and get valuable feedback. And with reviews often being scattered all over different online platforms, you must take charge of where people are reviewing and talking about your brand.
Encourage customers to use your review platform of choice so that you can make the data appear in search results. That way, you also can respond to negative reviews, which in turn is seen as a sign of a reliable online gambling business by both your clients and Google.
5. Social media and influencers
With billions of people using social media every day, you certainly need to engage with players on these platforms. And if you aren’t actively speaking to customers on Twitter or Facebook, your brand isn’t really considered to be alive.
Speaking of social media, using influencers with a big following can be a great way to boost organic searches and create value for your brand. Several iGaming industry leaders have made efficient use of both influencers and brand ambassadors to build trust and brand awareness.
Brands that immediately come to mind are Betsafe, who had MMA-superstar Conor McGregor representing their brand for some time, and Bethard, who recently got Zlatan Ibrahimović onboard both as a brand ambassador and shareholder in the company.
6. Winning awards
Receiving nominations and collecting trophies at the most trusted iGaming awards can be a great way of instilling trust among players. You will undoubtedly spark a conversation about your brand on various online platforms, and Google’s quality raters will most certainly pick up on these positive mentions of your brand and take them into consideration.
How it all ties together
Knowing the mechanics of Google’s Search Quality Raters sure helps.
That said, you need to remember that Google’s algorithms are merely trying to mimic human behaviour. This means that your brand’s trustworthiness is largely created by your voice and actions – and these two things must go together.
Actions are, of course, how you treat players, while your voice is essentially your content. You need to create a compelling brand narrative that your audience can identify with and relate to. And sports giant Nike’s brilliant marketing strategies are a great example of how a clearly identifiable and carefully constructed brand voice can catapult a brand into an industry-leading position.
Why you need good localized content
Your brand’s voice is represented in every piece of content you publish – from the smallest tweet to the most detailed user terms. The saying “content is king” has been coined for a reason, and in a modern digital world, good content is more important than ever.
So, what is good content? To put it simply, it’s content your audience relates to and understands, that at the same time reflects the values and narratives you want to have associated with your brand.
A good way to look at it is to see your content as your brand’s voice. And as you know, one voice can have several tones, depending on the context, mood, and several other factors.
The point is to get the message across in the most efficient and compelling way. And to do that, you need high-quality localized content that’s suitable for your audience.
Maintaining your brand’s identity and narrative across several markets can be a challenging task. You might have your voice nailed to a tee in a particular market only to find that it doesn’t translate as well in another country.
Here’s where voice tone, appropriate language skills and cultural familiarity can make a huge difference. Depending on the audience, you might have to tweak your message to get it across in the best possible way, even if your product or message is genuinely great.
In many ways, familiarity is at the core of trust, which is why you need to make sure all your content is appropriately localized.
Header Image Source: Photo by Johan Godínez on Unsplash
How did you like May Thawdar Oo’s blog post “How to Make People Trust Your iGaming Business”? Let us know in the comments if you have anything to add, have another content idea for iGaming blog posts, or just want to say “hello.” 🙂
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