I would like raise my opinion on Poker SEO and Poker SEM, in other words on how to Search Engine Optimise for the keyword Poker. As most of you might know, Poker is one of the most competetive keywords out there both in respect to SEO and SEM.
In terms of SEM, Poker has as an average CPC between £30 - £40 on Adwords, which just reveals how much in demand the word "Poker" is. But is it worth concentrating on the keyword "Poker" alone? In my opinion "Poker" is a high-risk low-return keyword for the following reasons :
1. The Searcher could be looking for Lady Gaga's Poker song, rather than to play Poker
2. The Searcher could be looking for a Poker movie such as Maverick, The Cincinatti Kid or even A big Hand for a Little Lady.
3. The Searcher could be looking for a recent newspaper article in regards to "Poker"
So the question is when does conversions come into play? I am certain that from my years of experience, the CPA for "Poker" is very high when comparing similar keywords such as "Online Poker" or "Play Poker". Bidding for this keyword benefits the "Reach" or increases brand awareness. I am not going to discuss factors such as quality scores in terms of CTR, high Impressions resulting in low Click Through's, I am sure you will figure it out on your own.
Now when it comes to Poker SEO the reasoning is similar! Gambling companies, try very hard to optimise for the keyword "Poker", but does it make sense ? Only the conversion matrix from an Analytics tool can tell. How about more meaningful terms such as "Online Poker", "Play Poker now" or "Download Poker", do they bring better conversions ? To justify any meaningful SEO success, companies need to be in a position to evaluate and translate their traffic data to monetary values. How much is the traffic worth to you resulting from the keyword "Poker"? If it is not worth the money, then should one invest on other keywords ? Are there better performing keywords that one can concentrate on ? The answer is Yes! There are plenty of Poker related keywords that bring about better performance than the word "Poker", one example is "Play Texas Hold'em".
Poker SEO, has become an industry for itself and faces continues challenges from both competitors and form Google. In my next article I will describe the challenges with Google and on how to Poker SEO with success.
Some quick information : Did you know that one of the biggest tennis stars has started to play Poker. Nadal Poker is the buzz word at the moment. Nadal has already won Olympic gold and numerous ATP-Tours, I wish him similar luck in playing Poker. Written by Ray Mendis :
SEO EasyJet
SEO and PPC Ladbrokes
In terms of SEM, Poker has as an average CPC between £30 - £40 on Adwords, which just reveals how much in demand the word "Poker" is. But is it worth concentrating on the keyword "Poker" alone? In my opinion "Poker" is a high-risk low-return keyword for the following reasons :
1. The Searcher could be looking for Lady Gaga's Poker song, rather than to play Poker
2. The Searcher could be looking for a Poker movie such as Maverick, The Cincinatti Kid or even A big Hand for a Little Lady.
3. The Searcher could be looking for a recent newspaper article in regards to "Poker"
So the question is when does conversions come into play? I am certain that from my years of experience, the CPA for "Poker" is very high when comparing similar keywords such as "Online Poker" or "Play Poker". Bidding for this keyword benefits the "Reach" or increases brand awareness. I am not going to discuss factors such as quality scores in terms of CTR, high Impressions resulting in low Click Through's, I am sure you will figure it out on your own.
Now when it comes to Poker SEO the reasoning is similar! Gambling companies, try very hard to optimise for the keyword "Poker", but does it make sense ? Only the conversion matrix from an Analytics tool can tell. How about more meaningful terms such as "Online Poker", "Play Poker now" or "Download Poker", do they bring better conversions ? To justify any meaningful SEO success, companies need to be in a position to evaluate and translate their traffic data to monetary values. How much is the traffic worth to you resulting from the keyword "Poker"? If it is not worth the money, then should one invest on other keywords ? Are there better performing keywords that one can concentrate on ? The answer is Yes! There are plenty of Poker related keywords that bring about better performance than the word "Poker", one example is "Play Texas Hold'em".
Poker SEO, has become an industry for itself and faces continues challenges from both competitors and form Google. In my next article I will describe the challenges with Google and on how to Poker SEO with success.
Some quick information : Did you know that one of the biggest tennis stars has started to play Poker. Nadal Poker is the buzz word at the moment. Nadal has already won Olympic gold and numerous ATP-Tours, I wish him similar luck in playing Poker. Written by Ray Mendis :
SEO EasyJet
SEO and PPC Ladbrokes
