2,500 Sites Awarded GPWA Approved Portal Seals

[MichaelCorfman]

Time for a big party!!





We've reached a major milestone - over 2,500 sites now have the right to display the "GPWA Approved Portal" seal.

You can see a complete list of all of the sites, sorted with those approved more recently first, using the following url:

www.gpwa.org/portal_sites/index.asp?type=approved&sort=date

You can also sort the list by site popularity, or list just sites with a particular game focus (like bingo, casino, lottery, poker, sportsbook, etc.)

For those of you who have been awarded the seal, information about how to install the seal on your site can be found on the following thread: www.gpwa.org/forum/gpwa-approved-portal-seal-installation-instructions-168814.html

If you are a current GPWA private member, and would like to be a participant in the seal program, please pm GPWA Nancy with the URLs of the websites on which you would like to use the seal.

If you are not currently a private GPWA member, and would like to become one so that you can participate in the GPWA Seal of Approval program, please register to become a private member - just fill in the application form here.

Congratulations again to all of the webmasters of the 2,500 approved sites!

Thank you.
Michael

[Golan.WingateAff]

Big up! congrats!

[TheBoyMitchell]

Out of (serious) interest, what validation does the GPWA seal give? Also, does it help rankings and how many of the 2500 sites actually deliver players. Also what is the "GPWA WebTraffic Rank"?

Genuinely interested Q

[MichaelCorfman]

Out of (serious) interest, what validation does the GPWA seal give? Also, does it help rankings and how many of the 2500 sites actually deliver players. Also what is the "GPWA WebTraffic Rank"?

The validation consists of three primary parts. First, the webmaster has to represent that they act in accordance with the GPWA code of conduct. Second, we do various checks on a site prior to giving permission to use the seal. As an example of one very specific area where I don't mind being public about exactly how we check, we do copyscape checks on any proposed site, and have appropriate interactions with webmasters if we uncover any potential issues both to educate them about copyright and to insure their site is in compliance with copyright law. Third, if any reports are made of violation of the code of conduct in relation to a site using the seal we investiage and revoke the seal if warranted. The infrastructure we provide for webmasters to display the seal allows us to remove the seal from a portal site on which it is displayed on our own without having to get the webmaster to manually remove it.

I don't expect the seal has an specific direct effect on site rankings. And I don't know how to determine for certain which sites deliver players. Although I'm sure all of the more popular sites can be counted on to deliver players.

In terms of the "GPWA Web Traffic Rank, there has been discussion elsewhere in the forum, but I can't seem to find that discussion at the moment. Anyway, we obtain third-party web traffic ranks from a number of sources, and combine those ranks to produce an aggregate rank. In some cases the agreements that we have with the third parties require that we not mention them by name since their services are expensive and they don't want it implied that the rankings we provide are related to their ranking systems. I can mention that one of the inputs to our ranking algorithm is Alexa data, although in keeping with its mixed quality, it is the least trusted of the data we input to the ranking process. I think the ranking data is decent in terms of identifying sites that are very popular, but not very good in terms of deciding if sites whose ranking numbers are reasonably close together have more or less traffic than one another.

Michael

[TheBoyMitchell]

Thanks Michael

So site quality, real traffic numbers and player conversions dont come into the equation? I'm just wondering if my sites would benefit or not

(plus its a nice way for you to generate backlinks too)

[MichaelCorfman]

So site quality, real traffic numbers and player conversions dont come into the equation? I'm just wondering if my sites would benefit or not

Some aspects of site quality do play a role. If the site does not meet the standards that we require of a site used to support an application for GPWA private membership, then the site would not qualify for the seal.

But no, player conversions don't play a role. We don't have access to that information, and so could not use it as a criteria even if we wanted it to play a role in the process. And, we don't trust traffic information we can obtain to rule a site out on that basis either. It is easy to determine if a site is a major one, but it is not easy to determine how much traffic a site has once you get out of the top rung of sites.

Also, one of the requirements to earn a GPWA portal seal is that the webmaster behind the site not be directly affiliated with any operator or affiliate program. That is because we want to avoid potential conflicts on that front in terms of sites recommended and promoted on approved portal sites. And it is also because the seal program is for private GPWA members, who are required to be independent of any specific operator or affiliate program.

Michael

[Maria F]

Congrats to the GPWA team!

[catchingsmoke]

Theboy,

Generally I think most gambling webmasters that have a half decent site try to get the approval, seeing as everyone knows about the GPWA in our industry, you'll probably find most sites worth visiting will probably have it even if they don't display it. People like access to the private forums here after all.

Plus those sites that don't currently have much traffic will probably be more likely to grow if they actively participate in an environment such as this one.

Just my thoughts on it's value to an AM such as yourself.

[PioneerRalph]

well done GPWA, i'll hopefully be getting a seal of approval soon!

[bboyspyder]

Good Job GPWA!

You are trying to keep affiliates on a certain level of professionalism which is good for the industry.

[ocreditor]

Well done to everyone at GPWA. Of course, we're pleased to among those 2,500 sites with the seal

[foxtucker]

Congrats.

I note with interest that the GPWA puts some importance on the Alexa Rank of the portals featured. I'm not convinced that this is of much use in the new mobile/ipad/tablet era. The Alexa stats are calculated via their own browser toolbar extension, which isn't available on mobile devices.

All four of my portals target mobile users, so Alexa cannot report usage stats of my sites.

That aside, I've never personally given any credence to their traffic figures. In 12 years of working on the interweb, I've never met anyone that uses the Alexa toolbar.

Can I suggest this as a future GPWA poll?

[universal4]

the GPWA puts some importance on the Alexa Rank of the portals featured.

It's not so much that they place any importance on it as much as it just happens to be a metric that is shown.

I personally think just showing it gives the wrong impression since it causes such confusion....same with the little green bar.

I have met many who USED to use the Alexa bar, but NEVER one that wasn't a webmaster.

Rick
Universal4