Affiliate Interview Series - Nikola R.

[GPWA Daniel]

(This interview was originally published in the October 2024 issue of the GPWA Times Magazine.)

You have an extensive background in both publishing and affiliate marketing. Can you tell us how you got your start in the industry and how your career has evolved over the years?
I entered the gaming industry in 2021 when I received a random LinkedIn message from a stranger asking me “How much money do you want to manage my traffic campaigns?” After exchanging a few messages, we had our first call, during which we agreed that I would work on lead generation. However, for some reason, we never mentioned which industry it was, as the focus was primarily on the traffic acquisition method that I knew.

So, my journey with the new client started. Some strange terms like FTD, NNC, and NGR were mentioned on the first day and I didn’t fully understand what the term FTD meant, but I generally understood how the affiliate system works, as I have been an affiliate since 2011, just never in the iGaming field. My background was more in gaming mobile installs, sweepstakes, and many other offers from various industries, primarily through organic methods like SEO, YouTube SEO, social media, automation, etc.

My first iGaming-related SEO/PPC campaigns began to perform in Nordic markets, and I started seeing incredible sums I had never encountered before. After seeing six figures being moved in a single day, I immediately knew - bingo! This is my niche.

Six months later, I parted ways with my first client in the iGaming field. Why? I’d say it was a mutual fault. At that time, I wasn’t ready or sufficiently educated to compete in Tier 1 markets with the highly experienced marketers operating in Nordic markets. On the other hand, the client demanded too much from me, and back then, you could say I was a junior among juniors.

After that, I started to focus on one of my assets, which, by pure luck, was in the gift cards/coupons vertical. From Adidas to flights, clothing stores, and whatnot, I had it all there. I decided to start placing pages with casino promotions as well. That was my first affiliate project in the iGaming space, where I implemented and learned a ton of stuff.

Suddenly, I received an offer to jump on a call with a Greek guy who was the head and responsible for a casino brand focused on the Indian market to see if I could help them with the acquisition.

Greeks and Serbs are like brothers; it wasn’t hard for us to reach an agreement, and I started as a traffic specialist in-house. Quickly, I realized that the platform was limited and didn’t allow Google to read the code, so I began focusing on other channels, like affiliation and PPC, and somehow quickly transitioned into the role of CMO. I was involved in CRM, payments, affiliation branding… all the parts of one online casino.

That lasted about a year, during which I learned a lot about the iGaming industry and made numerous connections, including my current partners in Aphex Media, who handled everything related to SEO for us. Thanks to my Greek brother, I also had a great mentor that year.

Shortly after that episode, I got an offer to join Aphex. One the one hand, it was already like I was working with the boys since we communicated daily. So, here we are, working on some of the biggest operator and affiliate sites.

Your affiliate site casinoireland.irish obviously focuses on the Irish market. What drew you to this specific market, and how have you seen it transform over time?
The Irish market is still relatively new to me, but I heard positive things about it from my network. What I noticed is that there are not many affiliate websites that are strictly focusing on that market so I decided to give it a try. One of the biggest shifts has been in player awareness of responsible gambling and I believe that market will keep going in that direction. Also, there is a noticeable usage of crypto and overall technology that will keep evolving.

Your site features extensive casino reviews. Could you take us behind the scenes? How do you evaluate a casino, and what factors are most important to you?
There is a common but simple process which I use to evaluate casinos. I start by looking at the basics. This includes details like the casino's licensing, the year it was established, and the company behind it, and security as the top priority.

After that my focus is on bonuses, payment methods – with a special focus on payment methods for the Irish market – and game availability. Lastly, I review tech optimization, which in most cases means an overall look at mobile optimization or if there is an official app of the brand. Final ratings are based on a variety of all that factors that showcase the overall performance of a casino.

How do you choose the specific niches or markets you want to focus on?
There are various aspects that I am taking into consideration, and we can say it’s a holistic approach.

The first step is market research, where I look into various data points, such as search volumes, trending keywords, and regional interest in different types of gambling activities, whether it's online casinos, sports betting, or markets for eSports or crypto gaming. After that there is a competitor analysis, the regulation side of the markets, profitability, lifetime player value, scalability and long-term growth. I don’t like to go into new markets unprepared. It’s a high-skill game and you need as much information as possible to succeed.

Choosing the right affiliate programs is crucial. What criteria guide your decisions, and what key lessons have you learned over the years about finding the perfect fit for your sites?
The first criterion is the reputation of the affiliate program. I prioritize programs that have a proven track record of transparency and fair treatment of affiliates. I look for programs backed by properly established operators with positive reviews from other affiliates. The second metric that I take into consideration is product and market fit in the markets that I am targeting.

If your brand doesn’t convert well and you don’t have what’s needed, hardly it will work. CRM, payment methods, product offerings, bonuses … I prefer brands where the whole chain is working well. Another important thing is support and communication.

At the moment, you are Head of Growth at Aphex Media, an SEO agency specializing in iGaming. In your experience, what are some of the most common SEO missteps you see iGaming brands making? How does Aphex Media step in to help them course-correct and thrive?
If someone gave me a dollar whenever we faced rendering issues on the brand domains, maybe only Musk and Bezos would be richer than me (laughs).

Jokes aside, over 90% of brands struggle with tech optimization for search engines, and it makes us sad that some highly valuable brands and domains are facing blockers like that. Only this year we conducted over 30 audits and we found out that site architecture, poor crawlability, and suboptimal use of SEO basic knowledge were missing. Only by fixing technical issues we managed to pull a huge increase in the SEO traffic at our client sites. Sometimes, it’s an audit and one month of work to get to a 50% increase in organic traffic.

Another thing that caught our attention with operators is the poor protection of the brand keywords. Brands are investing hard in influencers, TV, PPC, and other channels, while some other aggressive affiliates and hijackers benefit from that because they managed to rank super-high for the main brand keywords. Well, come on, it’s 2024 and if your CMO doesn’t understand the importance of the branded keywords you must be losing a ton of money. We always suggest brand protection services to reputable brands, as those affect the income stream directly and sometimes by large numbers.

How do you view the competition among iGaming affiliates?
It was probably never as crazy as it is at this moment with the competition. It’s not a secret that iGaming SEOs are the best SEOs in the world, followed by insane budgets; hardly anyone can compete with some proper experience, knowledge and budgets - especially in EN-speaking markets that are oversaturated.

If someone thinks he is good with SEO, feel free to do it in Nordic markets or Canada, but remember that long nights with tears in your eyes will follow. Yes, it’s that hard. On the other hand, I am not saying that all the markets are saturated, and there is still a place for newcomers with the right approach, skills and strategy.

How do you approach localization for different markets?
Localization is very important when it comes to affiliation, and I would split it into two parts. The first part would be content localization. For example, consider the Japanese audience. Every word in the article should be perfect, and the audience should like it if you want your brand to convert. The second part is SEO local optimization, often forgotten by many affiliates. Want a hint? If you target Ireland, ensure your language code is set to en-IE.

If a 25-year-old friend of yours told you he or she was going to jump into the iGaming affiliate business, what would your reaction and advice be?
I would be happy to give my full support. Most of my friends from the digital marketing space have already moved to iGaming. We have high, competitive salaries – in the end, we are all here for the money – affiliate conferences, a competitive industry if you like challenges, and always something to do and test, as brands are open 24/7. We have it all, and it’s never boring.

How do you keep learning and growing as an affiliate marketer?
Nothing teaches me like testing various methods and things on my own, and 95% of the things I learned over the years come from that. Regardless of failure or success, it’s always a lesson. Yes, sometimes it’s good to read another person’s opinion, but if I don’t do it myself I won’t be sure that something works.

Many in our industry enjoy gaming themselves. Do you personally participate in sports betting or casino gaming (online or land-based?
Nowadays, not as much as I used to. Since I played football for a long period, I used to bet on football matches on a daily basis. For the last two to three years, I have liked to play single bets on rare occasions when our national team is playing or sometimes when I am sure that Novak will beat up Alcaraz in the finals. Also, I used to play poker in land-based poker places.

Can you share a story of a major mistake you made and what you learned from it?
I used to be lazy and didn’t scale some opportunities that I had in the past, but on the other hand, missed opportunities pushing me today. Nothing comes for free, and whoever is in our industry should know that hard work pays off.

Beyond the professional world, how do you relax and recharge?
Beyond the professional world, traveling is one of my greatest passions. I love exploring new destinations, immersing myself in different cultures, and discovering local food recipes.

Food exploration truly excites me, and there's nothing like tasting a new dish abroad and then recreating it in my own kitchen once I’m back home. At the moment I’m mastering Spanish tapas!

While traveling and food are my main hobbies, it's fair to say that running SEO and affiliation is both my job and my hobby. The line between work and play often blurs because I genuinely enjoy what I do in the marketing world. This passion keeps me engaged and motivated, but when it’s time to relax and recharge, nothing beats a new adventure.

Thinking back to your childhood, what career did you dream of pursuing? What sparked that aspiration?
As a kid, my dreams were related to football. Playing, coaching, scouting whatever – I used to play a lot of Football Manager, but sometime after I did my research on “how to make money online?” and started working in the IM/affiliate industry. I had an extensive background in playing video games, so yes, an online career it somehow what was expected.

If someone were visiting your area for 24 hours and had never been there before, where would you take them, and why?
They will visit the best restaurants here and taste some of the best Serbian food. After that, I suggest visiting Belgrade, Novi Sad, and fantastic natural places like lakes, rivers, and mountains. Serbia is super rich in nature and has plenty of lovely views across the country.

Name three things that people reading this magazine don't know about you.
1. I am a big fan of Manchester United.
2. Used to visit plenty of techno parties.
3. And I hate horror movies, just because they are unrealistic most of the time.