A few years ago, building a large number of backlinks was often enough for an iGaming website to achieve strong search rankings. Many operators relied on web directories, Private Blog Networks (PBNs), forum signatures and large-scale link exchanges to compete for highly competitive keywords. Today, that approach is gradually losing its effectiveness.
As Google continues to refine its search algorithms, particularly with the growing emphasis on the EEAT framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness), search engines have placed greater importance on website authority and content credibility. For the highly competitive and heavily scrutinised iGaming industry, link building remains an essential part of SEO, but the criteria for evaluating backlinks have changed significantly.
Many operators have found that, with the same marketing budget, some websites achieve consistent organic growth with only a few dozen high-quality backlinks, while others build thousands of links with little improvement in rankings or even experience declining SEO performance due to poor-quality backlinks.
Why Link Building Remains a Core Part of iGaming SEO
Among the key components of SEO, content, technical optimisation and backlinks are generally regarded as the three fundamental pillars. Content determines which keywords a website can target. Technical optimisation affects how efficiently search engines crawl and index pages. Backlinks, meanwhile, influence how search engines evaluate a website’s authority within its industry. This is especially true for iGaming websites.
As online gambling is an intensely competitive industry, most high-value keywords are contested by well-established operators. When evaluating these websites, Google considers not only the content itself but also how the wider industry recognises and references the brand.
In other words, a natural recommendation from a highly authoritative website carries far greater value than dozens of links from low-quality websites. From Google’s perspective, backlinks are essentially third-party votes of confidence. When industry media, technology websites, payment providers, game suppliers or other authoritative sources reference a particular brand, Google is more likely to recognise that website as having industry influence. High-quality backlinks therefore contribute not only to Page Authority but, more importantly, to overall website trust.
Google Is Redefining What Constitutes a High-Quality Backlink
Many operators still believe that backlinks are valuable as long as they come from websites with high Domain Authority (DA). In reality, this assumption has become increasingly outdated.
In recent years, Google has repeatedly stated that it does not directly use third-party metrics such as Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) as ranking signals. What matters is whether the backlink is natural, whether the content is relevant and whether the referring website is trustworthy.
For example, an industry publication that consistently covers online gambling may provide greater SEO value than a large general news website, even if its overall authority metrics are lower. This is because such websites publish specialised content, serve a well-defined audience and maintain strong topical relevance to the iGaming industry.
By comparison, websites that appear authoritative but publish unrelated content or regularly sell backlinks may provide little long-term SEO value. The most valuable backlinks are not necessarily those from the highest-authority websites, but from the most relevant and trustworthy ones.
Observation
Many businesses view backlinks as an SEO resource that can simply be purchased. However, judging by Google’s ongoing algorithm updates, search engines are becoming less concerned with how much a backlink costs and more interested in why another website chooses to recommend your brand. If a backlink lacks genuine content relevance and industry relevance, any SEO value it provides is unlikely to become a sustainable competitive advantage. For the iGaming industry, link building is gradually shifting from a competition of quantity to a competition of trust.
Link Quantity Still Matters, but Link Quality Has Become the Decisive Factor
When developing an SEO strategy, operators often face the same question: with a limited budget, is it better to acquire a large number of ordinary backlinks or focus on securing a small number of highly authoritative ones? Based on Google’s current algorithm trends, the answer increasingly favours the latter.
Early search engines placed greater emphasis on the total number of backlinks. As a result, many websites rapidly accumulated backlinks through directories, forum signatures, link farms and Private Blog Networks (PBNs), achieving strong rankings within a short period. However, following updates such as Penguin and Google’s Spam Updates, the search engine began paying far greater attention to backlink quality and source rather than simply counting links. Backlinks from websites with duplicate content, poor topical relevance or obvious link-selling practices now pass significantly less value.
In other words, one hundred backlinks from low-quality websites are not necessarily more valuable than a single natural citation from a respected industry publication.
This does not mean link quantity is no longer important. In the highly competitive iGaming market, websites still require a steadily growing backlink profile to maintain overall authority. However, competitive advantage is no longer determined by how many backlinks a website has, but by where those backlinks come from, why they exist and whether they remain valuable over time.
Why Industry Relevance Matters More Than Domain Authority
Many SEO tools treat Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) as key indicators of a website’s value. Consequently, some operators prioritise acquiring backlinks from high-DA websites in the hope of improving search performance quickly. While this approach may offer some benefits, it also has clear limitations.
Google has never publicly stated that it uses DA or DR as direct ranking signals. These metrics are calculated by third-party SEO tools based on backlink profiles rather than Google’s own ranking systems. What actually influences search performance is whether the referring website shares meaningful topical relevance.
For example, an industry publication specialising in online gambling, payment technology or regulatory developments may provide greater value than a general news website with higher authority metrics. The reason is straightforward: such websites have a natural connection to the iGaming industry, making them more credible topical sources in Google’s assessment.
Conversely, if a travel, food or lifestyle website suddenly begins publishing a large volume of casino or sports betting links, the relevance of those backlinks may be questioned, regardless of the website’s authority.
For iGaming businesses, finding the most relevant websites is often more valuable than simply targeting the highest-authority ones.
The Hardest Thing to Earn Is Industry Trust
Many people regard link building as a procurement task. Finding websites, contacting editors, paying placement fees and publishing articles often resembles media buying rather than brand development.
In reality, high-quality backlinks are fundamentally a reflection of industry trust.
When a game provider features your brand on its partner page, when a payment provider references your solution in a case study, or when an industry publication cites your research, those backlinks do more than transfer SEO value. They also demonstrate genuine recognition within the industry.
This is why more mature operators have begun incorporating content marketing, digital PR and industry research into their link building strategies. Rather than purchasing backlinks directly, they focus on creating content that others naturally want to reference.
Examples include:
- Publishing market research reports
- Analysing regulatory developments
- Interpreting payment technology trends
- Sharing operational data and industry insights
- Releasing original surveys or white papers
Such content not only attracts natural citations but also increases the likelihood of being referenced by media outlets, blogs and industry organisations. Over the long term, these backlinks generally have longer lifespans and align more closely with Google’s expectations for a natural backlink ecosystem.
Observation
In the past, many businesses treated link building as an isolated SEO activity. Today, it has become increasingly intertwined with brand building. A truly valuable backlink exists not because it was purchased, but because another website considers your content, product or expertise worth referencing. This shift is particularly evident within the iGaming industry.
As Google continues to raise its standards for content quality and industry authority, link building is evolving from a traditional SEO technique into a reflection of overall brand influence. The websites that consistently earn high-quality natural backlinks are often the same brands recognised for their professionalism and credibility within the industry.
Link Building in Regulated Markets Is Fundamentally About Building Brand Credibility
In recent years, as gambling regulations have become more established in markets such as the United Kingdom, Brazil, Peru and the United Arab Emirates, more operators have realised that the rules of SEO competition are also changing. In the past, some emerging markets still allowed websites to achieve rapid ranking improvements through large volumes of backlinks. However, in more mature regulated markets, relying solely on link quantity is no longer sufficient to build a sustainable competitive advantage. This is because Google is no longer evaluating only individual webpages. Instead, it increasingly considers the overall credibility of a brand.
For licensed operators, the official website, regulatory authority listings, industry media coverage, payment partners and game supplier websites may all serve as signals that help search engines evaluate brand authority. These pages provide more than backlinks; together they form a brand’s digital footprint across the public internet. When multiple trusted websites consistently mention the same operator, search engines are more likely to recognise that brand as having genuine market presence and industry influence.
As a result, the objective of Link Building in regulated markets is no longer simply to acquire backlinks. It is to establish a comprehensive network of trust around the brand.
Why Industry Media Remains the Most Valuable Source of Backlinks
Within the iGaming industry, industry media continues to be one of the most reliable sources of authoritative backlinks. This is not simply because these websites possess strong authority, but because they consistently publish professional content covering online gambling, payment technology, regulatory developments and industry trends. From Google’s perspective, these websites have already established strong topical authority.
Consequently, when an industry publication reports on a platform launching a new product, securing funding, obtaining a licence, expanding into a new market or releasing research findings, those backlinks contribute not only to page authority but also strengthen the relationship between the brand and the broader iGaming industry.
By comparison, websites with little relevance to gambling may generate significant traffic but often provide less SEO value. This is one of the reasons why more operators have begun investing in Digital PR. Rather than relying solely on paid guest posts, they focus on creating genuinely newsworthy content that encourages media outlets to report on the brand naturally. Over the long term, these backlinks are generally more stable and better aligned with Google’s expectations for natural citations.
The Role of Affiliate Websites Is Changing
Affiliate websites have always been one of the most important traffic sources in the iGaming industry. Many players compare operators through review websites, bonus comparison platforms and game recommendation pages before deciding whether to register or make a deposit. As a result, backlinks from affiliate websites have long been considered highly valuable.
However, as Google continues to strengthen its content quality standards, the gap between affiliate websites has become increasingly apparent.
In the past, many affiliate websites achieved strong rankings by relying on templated content, duplicated reviews and simple comparison pages. Today, this type of content is becoming less effective. In contrast, affiliate websites that consistently produce original reviews, market analysis, regulatory insights and hands-on product evaluations are becoming far more valuable partners.
For operators, establishing long-term partnerships with a small number of influential affiliate websites often delivers greater long-term value than distributing content across a large number of ordinary affiliate sites. This approach benefits not only SEO performance but also attracts more targeted users.
Observation
Many businesses still think of Link Building simply as publishing articles on external websites. In regulated markets, however, this approach is becoming increasingly ineffective.
Search engines are not primarily concerned with which individual webpage mentions your brand. They are evaluating whether the internet as a whole presents a consistent, trustworthy and credible picture of your business.
In other words, media coverage, industry research, exhibition announcements, licensing updates and payment partner case studies may appear to be different types of content, but together they build a brand’s digital reputation.
For iGaming businesses, future Link Building is unlikely to remain solely the responsibility of the SEO team. Instead, it will become a long-term brand-building initiative involving marketing, public relations, content and business development teams.
How to Build a Sustainable iGaming Link Building Strategy
For operators planning long-term expansion into international markets, a sustainable backlink strategy should focus on brand development rather than short-term rankings.
Specifically, operators should consider the following priorities:
- Consistently publish original content with industry value. Market research, regulatory analysis, payment trends, product innovation and operational best practices are all more likely to attract citations from media outlets and industry websites.
- Strengthen Digital PR efforts. Company announcements, strategic partnerships, product launches and market expansion news help generate natural exposure from industry media and business partners.
- Develop long-term partnerships. Maintaining stable relationships with industry publications, affiliate websites, payment providers, game suppliers and technology partners offers significantly greater long-term value than one-off backlink purchases.
- Strengthen brand entity optimisation. Ensuring that brand information remains consistent across the official website, social media platforms, industry directories, regulatory databases and partner websites helps search engines recognise and understand the brand more accurately.
These strategies share one important characteristic: they support SEO while simultaneously building long-term brand equity that can facilitate future expansion into additional markets.
Observation
In the past, businesses often asked, “How much is this backlink worth?” Today, a more valuable question is, “Why would another website choose to link to us?”
If the answer is simply because the placement was paid for, the value of that backlink will often disappear once the partnership ends.
However, if the answer is that your research is worth citing, your insights provide genuine value or your products have earned industry recognition, those backlinks are far more likely to remain in place over the long term while continuing to strengthen your brand.
For iGaming businesses, Link Building is ultimately no longer a competition of purchasing power. It is a competition of consistently creating value for the industry.
Conclusion
For the iGaming industry, Link Building has never been merely an SEO technique. It is a reflection of brand influence within the search ecosystem.
As Google continues refining its search algorithms and AI-powered search increasingly changes how users discover information, the importance of high-quality backlinks has not diminished. Instead, they have taken on new significance. They influence not only search rankings but also reflect a brand’s expertise, credibility and recognition within the industry.
For operators, the priority should no longer be simply increasing the number of backlinks. The greater investment lies in building a brand capable of consistently earning citations from industry publications, attracting media attention and gaining recognition from business partners.
Over the long term, a Link Building strategy centred on valuable content and brand credibility is not only better aligned with the direction of modern search engines, but also provides a stronger foundation for sustainable growth in the increasingly competitive and highly regulated global iGaming market.
About Gamingsoft
Gamingsoft is a leading provider of online casino solutions, offering a comprehensive suite of services, including a white-label solution, API integration, payment solutions, game development, and more, to iGaming operators worldwide. With over years of experience, Gamingsoft has earned a reputation for delivering innovative and reliable solutions, helping clients succeed in the competitive iGaming industry.
