The client is a social casino platform offering free-to-play casino-themed games. They needed more than just a website; they required a comprehensive strategy that could effectively compete with industry giants who had long dominated search engine rankings.

Having worked with LinkGraph in a different niche previously, the client recognized LinkGraph’s team expertise and knew how the holistic SEO approach would help them navigate the complexities of the online casino industry.

This case study shows how LinkGraph’s extensive resources and industry knowledge enabled the client to implement holistic SEO strategies that would help them surpass competitors and secure a prominent position in this highly competitive space in a short period of time.

Challenge

The online casino industry is notoriously competitive, with well-established giants. The industry leaders have built their digital empires over years, utilizing aggressive SEO strategies that have made it incredibly challenging for new or smaller players to break through.

Competing in this space requires not only deep expertise in SEO but also a holistic approach that can address every aspect of a website’s performance, from technical SEO to content strategy, authority building, and user experience (UX) & behavior.

Recognizing the difficulty of entering such a fiercely competitive market, the client approached LinkGraph at the very start of their project. LinkGraph’s team has expertise in navigating competitive areas, giving the client the confidence that they could effectively compete against the established giants and carve out their own space in the market.

Solution

LinkGraph provided a Custom SEO Management Service, which included a personalized SEO audit, competitor analysis, on-page SEO, content creation, technical optimizations, white-hat link building, campaign review, and reporting.

Building a Strong Authority

To lay a strong foundation, LinkGraph’s team consulted on the project before it began and came up with the site plan and content plan. They consistently built editorial backlinks, primarily through guest posts, on a month-over-month basis. This approach not only helped to build the site’s authority but also ensured a steady increase in credible backlinks from high-quality domains.

They started by building branded anchor texts, natural anchors, and naked URLs, effectively establishing the site’s identity and authority in the online casino niche. As the campaign evolved, they progressively scaled the volume of links and increased the budget quarter over quarter.

Strategic Keyword Focus

Initially, the focus was on targeting long-tail, lower-difficulty keywords, which allowed the client to gain traction and move these keywords onto page 1 of search results.

With this baseline authority established, the strategy shifted to target higher-volume keywords (over 100k monthly search volume) that were more competitive and critical for long-term success.

To capture more high-intent traffic, LinkGraph’s team began focusing on optimizing game-specific pages. These pages are crucial for attracting users who are ready to engage deeply with the content.

The Perfect Content Strategy

Throughout the process, LinkGraph offered continuous guidance on content strategy, meticulously crafting each piece of content for core pages and supplemental blogs to resonate with the target audience.

Every element was strategically developed to enhance user engagement while maintaining the highest standards of SEO performance, ensuring the content not only attracted visitors but also drove meaningful interactions and search visibility.

Technicals Masterpiece

Additionally, LinkGraph consistently provided expert recommendations for metadata enhancements and technical optimizations. This approach ensured that every aspect of the site, from meta titles and descriptions to site speed and mobile responsiveness, was finely tuned to maximize search engine visibility and user experience.

By focusing on these technical details, LinkGraph kept the site agile and responsive in a highly dynamic market, allowing it to adapt quickly to changes in search engine algorithms and maintain a competitive edge over rivals.

User Experience and Behavior-Centric Design

Beyond SEO and technical optimizations, LinkGraph emphasized creating a seamless and intuitive user experience across the site. Every page was strategically designed to ensure easy navigation, quick load times, and smooth interaction, enhancing both user engagement and site performance.

By closely monitoring user behavior, LinkGraph refined the layout, content placement, and calls-to-action, ensuring a pleasant experience that kept visitors engaged and encouraged deeper interaction. This user-centric approach was key to driving conversions and supporting the client’s success in the competitive online casino market.

Results

LinkGraph’s holistic SEO approach was nothing short of transformative. The client was able to quickly establish a strong online presence in the competitive casino industry.

One of the most striking indicators of success is reflected in the Google Search Console (GSC) data. Over the course of the engagement, the client’s website achieved 1.57 million clicks and 7.8 million impressions, a remarkable visibility.

Furthermore, the site achieved an impressive average click-through rate (CTR) of 20.1%, indicating that the content is highly effective in attracting and engaging users.

The growth in organic traffic was particularly noteworthy, jumping from 0 to 93,037 in a relatively short period. This rapid increase in traffic is a testament to the effectiveness of the targeted keyword strategy, content optimization, and technical enhancements implemented by LinkGraph.

Alongside this, the number of organic keywords the site ranked for soared from 0 to 4,593, further solidifying the site’s authority and relevance in the online casino niche.

LinkGraph’s team also built the site’s credibility by providing over 2,340 high-authority backlinks from reliable sources. These backlinks played a crucial role in the site’s success, as they not only boosted the website’s domain authority but also attracted a surge of qualified organic traffic.

As a result, the website began to be seen as an authority in the casino industry, which was reflected in the substantial increase in referring domains, reaching 1,014.

In addition to the surprising results of traffic and organic keywords, LinkGraph managed to position 166 keywords in the #1 position of the search engine results pages (SERPs), 48 in #2 and #3, and 241 in positions #4 to #10. Considering they were competing with market giants, these results were exceptional for the client.

These remarkable achievements highlight the power of LinkGraph’s modern and holistic SEO strategy.

LinkGraph was able to help the client not only compete but thrive in an intensely competitive market. Recognizing the value of ongoing SEO efforts, the client has chosen to continue working with LinkGraph indefinitely, ensuring they remain at the forefront of best practices and continue to expand their presence in the online casino sector.