Top brands have defied a decrease in search volume in the poker market to increase their organic visibility and grow their footprints in the sector. 247 Free Poker continues to lead the way after seeing significant organic traffic growth, ahead of PokerStars and 888poker.
The market as a whole saw a 4.5% decrease in search traffic, but the top three brands all increased visibility to give them clear breathing room ahead of the remaining brands in the top 10, with a 3,918 monthly click gap between 888poker and partypoker.
Key to the top brands avoiding being disproportionately hit by an overall market contraction, as we often see in other industries, has been a tightening of the control these top brands have over competitors.
These brands are ranking slightly higher on average and for more keywords than they previously did. This suggests that the overall decrease in searches is affecting brands outside the top 10 more than those already getting the most traffic.
The market as a whole saw a 4.5% decrease in search traffic, but the top three brands all increased visibility to give them clear breathing room ahead of the remaining brands in the top 10, with a 3,918 monthly click gap between 888poker and partypoker.
Key to the top brands avoiding being disproportionately hit by an overall market contraction, as we often see in other industries, has been a tightening of the control these top brands have over competitors.
These brands are ranking slightly higher on average and for more keywords than they previously did. This suggests that the overall decrease in searches is affecting brands outside the top 10 more than those already getting the most traffic.
‘Poker’ ranking a sign of 247 Free Poker’s dominance
Of the top brands, 247 Free Poker has seen the most significant visibility increase, with a 60.5% growth in organic monthly clicks, which has pushed it clear as the sector’s leader.
Both a contributing factor and sign of this more dominant position is that the brand now ranks in position one for ‘poker’, by far the most searched-for keyword in the sector. This improvement from its previous position two ranking represents an estimated 3,893 monthly clicks, making up the majority of its increase in overall visibility.
That’s not to say that 247 Free Poker’s growth has come from a few key search terms. Instead, it has seen a significant improvement in rankings across the board. It now ranks first for 24 keywords and in the top three positions for 38 (up from 19 and 29 respectively), with a number of these keywords being broad search terms such as ‘poker games’, which have medium search volume and collectively represent a large amount of traffic.
Overall, the brand has improved its average ranking position from 11 to six, a change that shows how prominent it is among the top results for searches across the sector. The fact that it now ranks for 72 keywords, down from 78, will have helped slightly with this, but also gives a clear area where 247 Free Poker can continue to grow its presence.
Building its keyword profile further to rival those of PokerStars and partypoker while maintaining a strong average ranking position would bring in a large number of additional clicks, continuing to grow its lead in the market.
Authority brands increase in importance
As with other igaming sectors, we’re seeing an increased influence and presence from authority brands as Google looks for brands that show topical authority and EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, trust) optimisation. This may go some way towards explaining why most of the top 10 brands have seen traffic increase despite market searches decreasing, as Google has already identified them as authority figures in this space.
Play WSOP (World Series of Poker) has seen a 32.3% increase in monthly organic clicks as a result of a growing presence towards the top of search results, with 43 keywords now ranking in the top 10 positions, up from 27 previously. This includes ranking improvements for medium search volume terms such as ‘poker game’ and ‘internet poker’.
Being owned by such an authoritative brand within the poker space means that Play WSOP has the reputation and trust that Google is looking to reward, and this will likely continue to help their offering further grow in the sector.
This also contributes to YouTube and Reddit’s presence among the top brands ranking for poker-related search terms, as they are identifiable as authoritative, trustworthy destinations for user queries.
Overall, here are three key takeaways from what we have seen in the poker market:
- Brands can’t do much about overall demand in their market, but by improving their presence in search results, they can minimise the impact of overall decreases in searches, or even bring more traffic in while rivals see visibility decrease.
- There’s always room for improvement. 247 Free Poker currently occupies a dominant position in terms of its visibility within the sector, but a quick look at the landscape graph shows that it still has room to gain more organic traffic through a broader keyword profile.
- Work on your brand’s authority signals. With trust and authority so important to Google’s rankings, displaying trust signals is crucial to show that your brand is a reliable destination for users. Whether this is through partnerships, earned media coverage or user-generated content on different platforms, consider how you can demonstrate this trustworthiness to both Google and your target audience.
To find out more about how Stickyeyes could help your brand to establish and maintain organic growth in the poker market and beyond, please reach out to William Conboy, director of igaming by Stickyeyes at William.conboy@stickyeyes.com.
The post SEO Tracker: Poker’s leaders grow their presence despite decrease in searches first appeared on EGR Intel.
Data published by Stickyeyes reveals that 247 Free Poker experienced a 60% surge in organic monthly clicks, making the site the clear market leader
The post SEO Tracker: Poker’s leaders grow their presence despite decrease in searches first appeared on EGR Intel.