Affiliate sites should be banned from casino industry?

[dhayman]

Whenever we search with any casino keyword. We can find most results from affiliate sites than true casino sites. The searchers should get the more real sites than those affiliate sites. Don't you think Affiliates should be banned from casino industry? Don't you think affiliate sites are making the casino world a scrap? Are we viewers getting any benefit from affiliates?

Are you with the affiliate police ??

[neanderthal]

Funny to see this question here, but .....
Simply affiliates are skilled more than casino operators.

Whenever we search with any casino keyword. We can find most results from affiliate sites than true casino sites. The searchers should get the more real sites than those affiliate sites. Don't you think Affiliates should be banned from casino industry? Don't you think affiliate sites are making the casino world a scrap? Are we viewers getting any benefit from affiliates?

[Caruso]

But that's just the nature of the internet - 10% gold 90% crap. Just have to deal with it and find the gold.

Those percentages are way too close.

0.02% / 99.98%.

[Nandakishore]

Whenever we search with any casino keyword. We can find most results from affiliate sites than true casino sites. The searchers should get the more real sites than those affiliate sites.

If I use as keyword the title of any casino I will find in 9 cases out of 10 that casino at the top of the google list. It is, however, different if I use some general keyword like e.g. "no deposit bonus casinos". Then I cannot expect to get a list of casinos offering such a bonus, because many of them may not even highlight that term. Only affiliates can offer a choice of casinos offering such a bonus. That's the job of an affiliate. What's wrong about that?

[Renee]

For the sake of noone actually reading my post, I want to ask some questions...

I'm going to take the GIA and use it as an example.

If I go to google and type in Gambling Industry Association, what should I expect to find?

The GIA right?

So what happens if someone is pushing for those keywords and just happens to be that the top 9 spots in my search are not what I'm looking for? Do you think that's right?

Another example would be searching for the bonus streak forum or games and casino... you would expect that if you're searching for something in particular that the top result would be what you're looking for if that's the name of it.. right?

[RayUK]

But that is Google's job in terms of getting their algorithm right. The answer is not for Google to make a judgement on what is a casino brand that deserves to be in the index, and to remove all other lesser brands and all affiliate sites from that index.

Well, it is up to them really if they want to - and they are tending towards that with their 'brand awareness' thing they are trying (IMO more to do with the more someone pays Google the higher up the SERPS you will be) but I think that is a mistake on their part, anyway onwards.

If affiliate sites are using black hat techniques to get above the relevant casino brand in the SERPS then, by the definition of black hat (or even grey hat) Google is within their rights to de-index them.

White hat techniques are white hat because they match (mostly) the kind of things that make a site user-friendly anyway. For an exact (brand) name match, as long as the casino brand knows the basics of how to make a good web site* I would be very surprised if they weren't on top or at the very least on the first page, so the surfer could scan the results and pick out what one they want. This is why a lot of sponsors disallow affiliates from using their brand name in domains or keyword targeting for adwords/PPC campaigns.

When Googling I rarely find the site I want in the number one position, but it is on page one the vast majority of the time. Which is very good compared to say Altavista a few years ago!


*This might be a big part of the problem?

[Renee]

But that is Google's job in terms of getting their algorithm right. The answer is not for Google to make a judgement on what is a casino brand that deserves to be in the index, and to remove all other lesser brands and all affiliate sites from that index.

Well, it is up to them really if they want to - and they are tending towards that with their 'brand awareness' thing they are trying (IMO more to do with the more someone pays Google the higher up the SERPS you will be) but I think that is a mistake on their part, anyway onwards.

If affiliate sites are using black hat techniques to get above the relevant casino brand in the SERPS then, by the definition of black hat (or even grey hat) Google is within their rights to de-index them.

White hat techniques are white hat because they match (mostly) the kind of things that make a site user-friendly anyway. For an exact (brand) name match, as long as the casino brand knows the basics of how to make a good web site* I would be very surprised if they weren't on top or at the very least on the first page, so the surfer could scan the results and pick out what one they want. This is why a lot of sponsors disallow affiliates from using their brand name in domains or keyword targeting for adwords/PPC campaigns.

When Googling I rarely find the site I want in the number one position, but it is on page one the vast majority of the time. Which is very good compared to say Altavista a few years ago!


*This might be a big part of the problem?

You know Ray I like you more and more every time I read one of your posts... Thanks for bringing such great arguments to the table without insults

You're right, it's google's job. And the ones not relevant shouldn't be removed... I think there's a problem though when someone searches for something like "BMW Australia" and get a bunch of sites that are not BMW. I suppose thats when you need to revise your search terms, but there's not much else you can do with that one eh?

I really do hate it though when I look for something by searching for the name and can't find it on the first page.. and believe me, it happens often..

I was just curious as to what people thought of my comments...

[quicksilver]

We do not have a problem with our casino affiliates.