Casino Comparison Sites with Comparasino’s Martyn Hannah

Tell us the story about how Comparasino came to life?

Comparasino was a few years in the making. We were running another comparison site that we knew had technical limitations that would make it incredibly difficult to launch the tools and features we were developing to make it easier for players to find online casinos that met their preferences. We began by mapping out the different functionalities we would like to roll out were we not limited by our current platform and realised that we’d have a really smart comparison site on our hands if we could bring all the pieces together. Around the same time, we were approached by another company about acquiring our existing brand and then over several months negotiated a deal to sell the site to them. This gave us the funds needed to invest in Comparasino. As I said, it took a couple of years to go from this point to launch, but the entire team is incredibly pleased with and proud of the brand, tools and user experience that we have gone to market with.

It is quite clear that your background with your own content agency gave you the insights to do your own site, how did the content side of business help you out?

Content is one of the key pillars of a successful online casino comparison site. It’s what allows you to connect with your audience, inform and entertain them, and ultimately build the trust needed for them to sign up with the brands you are working with. When we looked at our rivals, we saw that for many it was their weakest area but, in comparison, our greatest strength. Many of our competitors write solely for SEO, whereas we put the user first and really consider the information they are seeking, the order they want to receive it and the style and tone in which it is delivered to them. Of course, running a content agency gave us access to the best content writers in the business at a fraction of the cost those would pay to access the same quality. This saved cost has been diverted into other areas of the Comparasino site.

Do you think the concept of comparing casinos as being something that drives conversions?

I think any mechanism that allows players to quickly and easily find the casinos that offer exactly what they are looking for drives conversions. Take new online casinos, for example. The search volume behind this keyword is high and comparison sites ranking in the top spots want to capitalise on this and their solid positioning by listing as many brands on the page as possible. But click on their new online casinos page and in most instances, you’ll find brands that are not new – some even list brands that are ten years old. Players are savvy and, in our opinion, deserve better. Our recommendation engine is the solution to this – players tell us what they like, and we generate a list of matching brands. And if their preference is a new online casino, that is what they get – we only list brands that have launched in the past 12 to 24 months.

What advice would you give to the new affiliate looking to get started with an affiliate, would you suggest they consider a similar path to you which is to build a stable income stream first or would you try a different approach?

There is no right path to take. Entering the affiliate space was a natural progression for us and was not something we’d considered when we first launched Ghostfoundry. But once we realised we had the experience, expertise, skill set and resources to operate a site, we made a move. Having multiple income streams certainly helps when it comes to being able to reinvest in the site, especially in the early days when it’s not income generating, and to also experiment with different marketing channels and strategies. Affiliate sites are a slow burn – it can take many months for a site to generate any income, let alone meaningful income. How someone approaches that reality comes down to what works best for them and/or their business.

Going back to content what do you think affiliates should be doing when it comes to creating content that can rank and convert?

We have always taken the approach of writing for the player and not the search engine and it seems that recent Google updates now align with this. Writing compelling copy is all about understanding user intent, the information they are seeking and how they want to be given that information. Affiliates should be creating the content they would want to read themselves rather than producing pages stuffed with keywords and strange sentences – check out these licensed UK top ten casino sites newest. Even if these pages rank, the user experience is terrible and that will impact conversion rates. It also does little to encourage players to stick with the comparison site and keep finding brands with them.

What opportunities do you see for operators that don’t seem to write any content at all?

They are missing out on a huge opportunity to acquire players directly at scale and for a very low cost in comparison to other marketing channels. We work with operators to create content hubs packed with articles, guides, slot reviews, interviews and more so that they can foster a connection with their players and build a community. Sportsbooks are generally good at this, but casinos not so much. Casinos really are drooping the ball here – operator content always ranks nicely given the authority of the brand behind it and provides significant added value to players through a market channel that allows them to be authentic and get across their core values and tone of voice.

What are your tips for hiring and training content writers?

This is a complex industry and subject matter, so experience is important. That’s not to say understanding can’t be gained over time and we are always willing to work with and train writers who show potential. That said, quality is vital in this game and the only way to deliver quality is through a deep understanding of the online casino world. Over the years I’ve also learned that every writer has their style and that so long as the client is happy with the content being delivered, it’s best not to interfere with this too much. We all enjoy reading content that has personality baked into it, and this has to come naturally from the writer. Content writing can be a learned skill, but the best writers have a natural gift for it. If you come across a writer who has that raw talent, do whatever you can to bring them on board and keep them content.