In the field of SEO there are niches that require many times more resources and experience than any others, and the promotion of online casinos confidently belongs to that group. It is not only about SEO promotion of casinos in Ukraine: high competition and strict restrictions are encountered in practically every GEO. Each country has its own laws, requirements for content and advertising tools, therefore comparing “gray” and “white” verticals directly is meaningless.
We have already shared cases where our links help clients reach the top and hold positions in competitive search results. Right now we are working on the systematic strengthening of the SEO foundation, the very basis that determines how quickly and how steadily a project will be able to grow.
It is useful to study the materials on learningseo.io, this is an excellent structured base for understanding key processes. But our experience shows: in gambling projects this information is not sufficient, especially if the task is not just to survive in the results but to outrun strong competitors. Additional steps are needed here that beginners and even experienced specialists rarely include when assessing a project’s potential and forecasting results.
This article is a squeeze from real practice, without retelling banal materials that are easy to find in the English-language segment. Here we have collected the details that most often remain behind the scenes for both newcomers and experienced SEO specialists when assessing and forecasting a project. Using the example of promoting casino websites these nuances are especially well seen: every calculated detail here can cost the project a place at the top, and every mistake can cost the budget.
The main challenges of promoting casinos in 2025
Strict moderation of paid traffic.
Google Ads and social networks are cutting casino advertising more and more often. In a number of GEOs advertising is possible only if a license is present, and sometimes it is blocked altogether. Entering head-on is almost unreal, SEO, PR placements and careful outreach in relevant media are what save the day.
Growth of competition and KD in upper clusters.
Queries like online casino [GEO] or best casinos are becoming more expensive in terms of links and require more content. Fast entries to the top work less and less often, especially with a new domain.
EEAT and authority.
Google has become stricter about quality: you need real authors with proven expertise, transparent information about licenses, payments, and a section on responsible gaming. Without this, pages quickly lose positions.
Link filters.
Over-spam with anchors and obvious networks are catching manual sanctions more and more often. A balanced profile now works better: articles, homepages of strong sites, crowd and social links.
Volatility of the results.
Updates since the end of 2024 are cleaning out trash content and strengthening requirements for the quality of donors. Positions are held only by those who lay in a reserve of trust and number of links.
Behavior and retention.
Simply bringing traffic is not enough. If users do not return and come only from organic, positions will float. Retention points are needed: subscriptions, useful services, additional content.
Localization and work across different markets.
A universal landing page for all countries no longer pulls. For different GEOs there are different queries, rules, and audience interests. Separate pages and localized content have become the norm.
What is required for ranking and for the TOP in any niche in Google
1. Foundation. Mandatory requirements to participate
Technical part – https, speed, mobile adaptability, lazy load
Content (on topic, unique, meeting the requirements of the best analogs on the web)
Intent. If a user is looking for where to buy a product, they must be able to place an order right with you or go to where this can be done. If they want to play, give them this opportunity without extra steps. The user’s final goal must be realized on your page, otherwise they will leave for a competitor.
2. Trust domain and topicality
Two key indicators that for young domains (up to a year) in most cases are inaccessible, and to obtain them quickly is possible only for serious money, which often makes the project unprofitable at the start.
With topicality everything is simpler, this indicator is easier to determine and describe.
If you have a website about gambling, it is logical that it should have a structure and content interesting to a user who is looking for games, slots, betting platforms, reviews, impressions, withdrawals, account checks, KYC.
In fact, if you take an ordinary site, in order for it to be considered topical, it must have a structure similar to what sites in the top have. Not in the literal sense of copying, but to have a set of articles and materials that are considered basic for working in the niche. It is harder for one-pagers in this regard, always make at least 4–15 basic topical pages.
With a trust domain everything is more complicated. It has many components, and below we will analyze the basic points for a gambling site, and at the same time provide examples of how one can synthetically evaluate this very trust.
Trust indicators
History of the project’s creation, authors, references to expertise
As in theses, what materials you rely on when forming your thought.
Presence of organizational and educational links (incoming, outgoing, cooperation, joint programs)
Yes, this can be used in all topics.
Gambling
Research and publications by psychology specialists.
Educational materials on expected value.
Sociology and human behavior.
Topics of excitement and problem gambling, medical approaches to prevention and control.
Participation in or mention in the work of public organizations that help people with gambling addiction.
Financial instruments and services – gambling is closely linked to finance.
Games in general: gambling is dopamine, mechanically similar to computer and other games.
If you have connections with these spheres, it means you are a serious player in the market. You can not only advertise a product, but also cooperate with organizations and sites in these industries.
Mini-metrics (quick check):
Indicator – How to measure – Why it is important
DR (Ahrefs) – Through Ahrefs/SEMrush – Reflects link authority
Topicality – Analysis of donor content – Increases relevance
Domain age – WHOIS – Older domains rank faster
Contacts and legal points on the site
The ability to contact the site in 2–3 ways to solve any issues.
Legally mandatory elements: privacy policy, terms of use, cookie consent (especially for Europe) and other notices required by the legislation in your niche.
Social channels and behavioral factors
How you work with traffic, what percentage returns to the site not through SEO channels.
It is important what actions besides going to the affiliate a user can take on your site. These signals are read by Chrome and Google services, and in the long run without them the project will grow with great difficulty.
This also includes email newsletters and work with the database. Social channels – Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, YouTube, Telegram – are also part of the overall picture of audience behavior.
Links from trust
That which is expensive to buy and hard to obtain. This includes big mass media with a PR effect about your site. And niche trusted sites that have existed in the niche for a long time.
This is about networking in SEO (a good example from the series “Inventing Anna”: she was refused four times until one person received a personal recommendation from his circle. After that a chain reaction of trust worked, and the same four agreed to cooperate).
This also includes Wiki and similar projects. Nofollow also works, especially in terms of crawling and brand mentions. Banners work. Recommendations in X or even mentions in a PDF are also a plus.
Each such link gains weight over time. It stood for a month – good, four years – excellent. Therefore aged domains without resetting the registration date (5–15 years) give the project a serious boost at the start.
Trust via links can be partially assessed through Ahrefs (DR). This indicator is useful at the stage of initial competitor analysis to understand the realism of forecasts, but it cannot be used as an absolute metric.
Case (external): outreach across several GEOs plus crowd under an advertising ban
Result in 30 days: 87% of links in the index, 65% led to target pages.
An international casino provider. In part of the GEOs there is a ban on direct advertising, therefore the main emphasis is on SEO and public donors.
Goal: quickly compensate for the drop in incoming traffic without paid advertising.
What was done (in 1 month)
Placed 100+ outreach links in several countries: Ukraine, Brazil, USA, India.
Added 50+ crowd links: India, Bangladesh.
Monitored indexation and “brought through” publications (did not leave them hanging as dead weight).
Result (after 30 days)
87% of links are in the index.
65% of links lead to target pages, and not only to the homepage.
Traffic began to recover already from the 3rd week (according to the source).
Conclusion: diversity of GEOs and link types gives a better effect than a bet on local placements under advertising restrictions. (Source: Luxeo Team, Promotion of a Major Casino Through Link Building)
3. Backlinks profile / Behavioral factors
This is a purely SEO indicator. The backlink profile is the final element that finishes off the goal in the results. After it there remains only work with user behavior on the site. Return and retention.
Any SEO specialist can calculate the total number of donors to the site, the individual number and types of links for each page so that it ranks normally. The formulas are simple and do not require long explanations.
Tools for link building and competitor analysis
So that link building in gambling is not “shooting at random”, you need a set of working tools. Yes, you can try to do everything manually, but time is the most expensive resource. Below is what is really used in practice.
Tool – What it is really useful for
Ahrefs – Donor search, checking competitors’ backlinks, catching fresh brand mentions in the required GEO.
Majestic – Quick trust assessment, but look with your eyes, in gambling it likes to “inflate” networks.
SEMrush – Tracking positions and semantics, especially convenient across several GEOs at once.
Serpstat – Fast audit of the link profile plus checking visibility for low KD keywords.
Hunter.io – Email outreach, filtering out “junk” contacts before mass mailing.
How we use this:
- We filter donors at the entrance. Ahrefs + Majestic: DR ≥ 40, TF ≥ 15, traffic ≥ 5–10k/month. If traffic jumps or comes from one source, we do not take it.
- We watch the anchors. 70–80% brand/URL, 10–15% commercial (only on relevant pages), the rest generic.
- We mix link types. We make the base on article links, we add homepages of strong domains for weight, crowd for naturalness.
- Outreach with calculation. A 12–18% response we consider the norm. If a publication is not indexed for 30 days, we either change the site or push with social signals or internal links.
- We check the donor’s topicality. If its top pages are about something else, the link will give us little.
- We do not chase quantity. Better 10 live donors with a clear audience than 50 links for a tick, it is precisely these that survive updates.
From our experience in the gambling niche:
- Article links are the base.
- Homepages with heavy weight are contextual and banner.
- Crowd are natural links from users, UGC.
- Social links are reposts, discussions, mentions.
- There is nothing to invent: we take the average anchor ratios and link types from the top 5 in the results, but we plan with a small overrun so as not just to catch up but to overtake competitors.
Let us move on to practice
Any project, new or already with a history, that comes to us for services, we start with analysis and audit. Then comes the client brief or the assessment of the goals that they have already set. It is at this stage that errors are often laid down that then break the entire result, both for the client and for the SEO specialists and for the other participants in the project.
At the moment of goal analysis it is important to understand:
Keywords plus GEO
We look at the results for the queries, we compile a trust profile of the domains that are in the top 10 for these keywords.
We correlate the domain and the project with what is in the top 10.
We create a roadmap for achieving the necessary parameters:
Foundation is mandatory, without this we do not even start.
Trust and topicality with an overrun of competitors by 20–30% (we focus on the growth dynamics of the top 3).
Link building also with an overrun, based on the annual dynamics of the market.
What is an overrun?
If competitors in the top 10 for the key queries have an average DR of 50–60, we plan so as to reach 62–65 DR. This is a serious increase in links, and we must remember that DR is not a linear formula but a synthetic indicator.
If it is about ordinary links, we plan link building ahead of time: we calculate not only the current picture but also the natural growth of competitors. The goal is to arrive at the future point not “right up against it” but with a reserve, otherwise the time factor will play against you.
Let us take a real-life example
Query – online casino nederland (frequency 18,000, KD – 64)
GEO – Netherlands
Average DR – 60, Donors on page – 400
To have real prospects of getting there, we orient toward:
DR (as one of the indicators of trust) – 62–63;
Donors to the page (in the required types of links) – 500–600+.
I will warn right away, this is not the price of achieving only this query. It is about the development of the site as a whole: dozens of pages and clusters. Usually there are 20–80 such “packages”, and it is precisely they that constitute the overall growth plan.
Even this one query often lives on pages with 450–3000 keywords. This is the tip of the iceberg: the task of SEO is to calculate frequency, traffic potential and budget for, say, 12 months; the task of the owner is to estimate monetization and assess the attractiveness of such a project.
Our conclusions: chasing the top from scratch for high KD queries makes no sense. The exception is only if it is a new brand with a million-dollar budget (and you really landed in such a project).
Case (external): pure link building, a nine-month sprint
Result in 9 months: traffic ~3,500 → ~36,000 visits/month (+930%); +143% of key phrases in top-1/top-2.
An online casino in the USA. We worked without paid advertising, emphasis on the link strategy. Budget for links: ~$3,750/month.
Goal: increase organic traffic and the share of top positions through “pure” link building.
What was done (each month)
Placed 20 contextual links in already existing, indexed relevant materials (DR 20–250).
Plus 15 links on highly authoritative domains (DR 200+).
Worked carefully with anchors (without over-spamming with commercial formulations).
Result
Organic traffic grew from ~3,500 to ~36,000 visits/month (+930%).
The number of key phrases in top-1/top-2 increased by +143%.
Conclusion: a mix of contextual links on relevant donors and a thought-out anchor plan gives a noticeably faster growth than mass purchases without topicality. (Source: Rhino Rank, Gambling & Casino Case Study)
What should projects and young projects do?
You need to look for your place in the niche. If we continue to talk about the Netherlands market, then:
Carry out a project assessment
An empty domain or one with some base. If there is a base, we assess how relevant it is to the niche and whether it can be relied upon. If there is no base, we calculate how quickly we can assemble a minimal foundation in order to reach at least the top 20 and show the client that the work is in progress.
Choose the best semantics for the start
We always recommend starting with keywords with KD below 10 and with the presence in the top of a number of sites with DR below 30. Precisely a number, one weak domain in the results is not enough. And remember: Ahrefs often does not show PBN networks, so hoping that you will be the lucky one with DR two times lower and will get into the top 10 is not worth it.
Example 1
There are few mentions of the target keyword in the titles.
Stable demand for the keyword is not manipulation of behavioral factors.
An informational query on a review site is so-so an option.
Example 2
There is a chance to get into the top 10 with DR above 42 and a sufficient number of quality links to the target page.
Example 3
There is a results page with DR below 40, there are few domains, easy to surpass.
You can try this option:
An ambiguous method of searching for easy queries for your domain’s capabilities.
Ambiguous, but workable for finding “easy” queries for the capabilities of a specific domain.
In the results we find a couple of sites that have weak DR
(while remembering that they may have their own networks).
Further we parse their structure and look where the traffic goes.
Example – www.casinosite.nl/
Even if it has its own network, it is unlikely to overlap the volume of public links. I will assume that upon reaching DR 45–50 and all other things being equal, its structure can be taken as a basis and a normal traffic volume can be assembled, provided that the donors are topical and the links go not only to the homepage but also to target URLs.
Its traffic growth is from 06.23, the increase of the link profile is from 04.23. There is a correlation: it looks like public links worked (whether all links are visible is not a fact). We would additionally check the distribution of anchors, seasonality and GEO in order not to copy blindly: the structure is OK as a guideline, but it needs to be adapted to intent and your resources.
For GEO it is important not only to look at today’s competition, but also at the growth trend of the leaders.
Advertising in social networks: Meta (Facebook) and TikTok
In 2025 social networks became a working channel for traffic in gambling, but entering there with “casino” is still not so simple. Meta has strict rules: advertising is allowed only with official approval (you wait 1–4 weeks), and even after launch there is a risk of being banned in a couple of hours if the GEO or creative do not correspond. The USA (in legal states), the UK, Canada are working markets, but without a clean account and an approved landing there is nothing to do there.
TikTok is softer, but also with its quirks: a business profile is mandatory, 18+ warnings must be not only on the landing but also in the creative, and the Responsible Gaming section is better right away. Some GEOs (for example, Poland or Ukraine) allow traffic, but the check is still strict. We have seen projects that flew in with excellent installation metrics, and after 2 weeks caught a ban simply because they forgot to add a responsible gambling block.
A good example is the SciPlay campaign for the Gold Fish Casino game.
Case (external): UGC on TikTok through TTCC for Gold Fish Casino
Result: CTR +150%, CPI −60%, ROAS on iOS stably +25% (week over week).
The SciPlay brand promoted the Gold Fish Casino game. Instead of classic media buying they used the TikTok Creative Challenge (TTCC).
Goal: reduce the cost of installs and increase the effectiveness of advertising creatives without an “advertising” look.
What was done:
They set a brief to creators in TTCC and received a batch of UGC videos that look like content from real users.
They focused on a native format: short clips, gameplay demonstration and simple user-style stories.
Result
CTR +150%.
CPI −60%.
ROAS on iOS: +25% on a weekly basis.
Important for repetition
Prepare the account and the landing: 18+, a short Responsible Gaming block, careful wording (without promises of “easy money”).
In regions with restrictions avoid a direct call to action, focus on UGC and public platforms.
Conclusion: in gambling the UGC format on TikTok through TTCC can be safer and cheaper than “media in the forehead”, provided correct preparation for moderation. (Source: TikTok For Business – Case Study SciPlay)
Conclusions from all that has been written
For owners of a review site or a casino:
Calculate your possibilities from the current point, either yourself, or entrust the calculation to an SEO specialist with arguments and concrete metrics.
Evaluate investments on a horizon of 6–12 months, forecast potential traffic (with comprehensive promotion of 30–100 pages). Count partner rewards, this is your money and your area of responsibility.
Plan the budget to achieve the goals. If there are no resources, there will be no result.
We say honestly: do not believe forecasts where they promise to reach the top 5 for queries with competitors’ DR around 60, having your DR at the level of 20, in 2–4 months and with a budget of $1000 for links and $1000 for work. There are no miracles, and asking the same from specialists means initially going into failure.
For SEO specialists:
Do an initial assessment of the project on three key points: foundation, trust and topicality, links.
Do not plan tasks that do not correspond to the parameters of the current domain and site.
Calculate the combined result immediately for 40–100 landing pages (and more), but only on the condition that the budget is enough to bring each page to completion.
Discuss with the client the real conditions for achieving goals. We are against creating fantastic forecasts that after six months end with a drain of the project due to deliberately unattainable KPIs.
Mistakes and pitfalls, what exactly should not be done
-
Ignore GEO requirements and moderation
Launch advertising on Facebook without approval for gambling? Minus the account in a day. TikTok without a Responsible Gambling section on the landing? Block in a couple of days. -
Aggressive anchors for gray queries
Shoving “play online”, “casino bonus” into every second anchor is a quick way to get under a filter, especially in countries where advertising is prohibited. Balance commercial anchors with diluted ones, otherwise even DR 70 will be useless. -
Cloning someone else’s structure without adaptation
Even if you found a site with DR 45 and normal traffic, blindly copying the structure for your domain is a drain. It may have had its own PBN, aged domains, special internal linking. Without adaptation to your DR and budget you will get half its traffic at best. -
Ignoring link indexation
Throwing in 200 crowds and half a hundred outreaches but not monitoring indexation means half the budget simply does not work. In the gambling niche, where donors are often from gray zones, without forced indexation up to 40% of links can remain dead. -
Making bets without calculating payback
First we spend on links, then “we will see what comes out” is a strategy that in casinos ends the same way: the budget burned, positions did not grow. With DR below 40 and without comprehensive promotion of 40–100 pages it is useless to count on fast tops.
In the gambling segment the price of error is twice as high as in white niches.
Speaking of links, we offer link promotion for any project.
In the casino niche we do topical placements, articles, homepages. Plus there are networks of general topics where we can also place a casino. We plan to further expand our network toward gray niches, where the result is more predictable, and for white projects we increasingly use outreach. For the foreign market we have conditions among the best on the market, and in Ukraine they are the same as on leading exchanges.
Separately, our English-language network for casinos, where you can place and get normal trust from relevant platforms. We select donors so that they really strengthen the project.
In total in our English-language network there are 38 sites strictly about casinos and betting. If you want to discuss promoting a project or order link building for your niche, contact us via the contacts provided. We will select a strategy for specific goals and budget, without template solutions and without wasting resources.
