It seems that the stories about successful affiliates has just scratched the surface with more and more affiliates sharing their venture into the online gambling affiliate industry. This week we managed to catch up with David Kalifa, Project Manager at VegasMaster.com.
EEG: Hi David, please introduce yourself and let us know how did you get started in you affiliate venture?
David: Hi, my name is David Kalifa. I was born in Paris 34 years ago, and I lived in Belgium for 20 years before moving on to other adventures. About seven years ago, I started working in the affiliate market as an SEO expert after seven years of Web Design when websites were all about tables and frames 🙂
EEG: As you are currently the Project Manager of VegasMaster.com, we would like to know how demanding is this job?
David: VegasMaster is a big project. It is an online casino magazine in 12 languages. Each site is unique. Most pages contain content that isn’t a simple translation, but rather unique content where each reviewer/writer might have a different opinion and view on a certain casino, game or platform. This requires, of course, a lot of work on the structure, features, design, database, etc. There are many people involved and, sometimes, this means many obstacles and many challenges. One day is not like the next; each one is often full of surprises.
EEG: How big is the team behind VegasMaster.com?
David: VegasMaster’s team has changed over time. We have different writers and contributors for each site, as well as people who are dealing with all the other technical aspects on a regular basis.
EEG: How did VegasMaster.com get started, what was the idea behind the portal? When was it founded? Where?
David: Like many who have worked in the affiliate market in the gaming industry, we realized that SEO had changed quite dramatically, so we decided to make a bold move and created VegasMaster.com. We designed a big international site which would be more than a simple place where you could read casino/games reviews. We wanted it be more like a magazine that writes about many other interesting and related topics. We decided to start the project almost three years back and went live two and a half years ago.
David: Our headquarters are in Cyprus and Malta, and our R&D offices are in Tel Aviv, Israel, where I am located.
EEG: VegasMaster.com is a rather large portal and certainly has become a brand. Is it hard to manage? As we seen it is translated in 11 different languages and has a total of around 24k indexed pages in Google.
David: Such a project, even if it was in only one language, can be challenging. Add to it 11 more languages, a lot more people and other technical obstacles, and it definitely turns into a much larger challenge. That being said, we have an amazing team that helps to ensure that our portal runs like a well-oiled machine. 🙂
EEG: Where does the most traffic come from and what are the key channels you use to drive traffic?
David: Traffic comes from many places around the world, due to the site being optimized for many markets. Traffic comes from USA, Poland, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, Russia and many more. We try to use all the most effective channels for driving traffic, paying attention to SEO opportunities and even PPC where regulations allow it. Also, over the past few months, we’ve been offering VegasMaster visitors different contests where they could win nice prizes (from an iPad to free spins in a popular casino).
EEG: What are the most efficient brands you promote? And of course are there any favourite casino brands that you like to work with?
David: There are hundreds of brands reviewed and promoted in one way or another through the VegasMaster websites. As you might imagine, they are different from one market to the next.
There are a number of brands which have been our reliable partners for years. The online gambling industry is developing rapidly, resulting in the surfacing of other quality and professional brands we are excited to work with. It’s always good to offer your readers something fresh, whether it’s a brand-new concept of a casino or an exceptional bonus offer that new brands try to deliver in an attempt to get a breakthrough on the market.
EEG: What is your opinion about Affiliate/Affiliate Manager co-operation? What are the key elements of having a great business relationship with your Affiliate Manager and what do you expect from you Affiliate Managers as an Affiliates?
David: When working with so many brands, it’s difficult to have a general opinion. Each brand and affiliate managers are different. They come from different regions, cultures, and all work in very different ways. We expect Affiliate Managers to be serious, helpful, responsive and ready to go an extra mile for some special projects that we arrange from time to time. The key elements in co-operation in our industry are trust and good communication, but with dedication on both sides, it is impressive what can be achieved.
EEG: What do you look for when choosing an affiliate program?
David: We are in constant search for new awesome brands with fresh ideas that might be interesting to our audience. We try to spot the brands that would suit the demands of readers of all 12 portals of VegasMaster. Local brands for regulated markets are points of special interest for our team, since they are the best options for specific markets. What is most important is the brand’s popularity that is offered in such programs and, as I said before, trust is key for building long-term relationships.
EEG: What would you suggest for new affiliates that are looking to get started?
David: Quality sites, quality content and a lot of patience.
EEG: What hobbies do you have and on what do you like to spend your money on?
David: I’ve always loved photography, nature, science, travel and good food but, after becoming a dad two years ago, these days I spend most of my time with my family and I love it.
EEG: We really like your SEO and content strategy, how long did it take to develop it and did you guys brainstorm a lot on it?
David: We went through different stages in the development of our strategy and we constantly brainstorm on it. Just recently we established a Contests/Giveaway calendar so that our readers know upfront about all these events. We are working on many other interesting content pieces and resources. It’s really been an ongoing process since VegasMaster went live a little more than two years ago.
EEG: What is your opinion about our portal and it’s mission?
David: I had visited your site a few times in the past but it’s been only recently that I took the time to read your articles. I really enjoyed reading your interviews. It’s actually very interesting and fun to learn more about projects and people around the world in our industry.
EEG: Here comes the fun part, what is your favourite food?
David: I don’t have a particular favourite food. I love so many! I think what I love most is travelling and ending up in some very local little restaurant that has its specialty and discovering an amazing new dish.
EEG: If you would have to pick a country to travel to in Eastern Europe, where would you go?
David: I had the chance to discover Warsaw recently and was very surprised by how lively it was. I am a landscape person and there are so many places in Eastern Europe: Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria and so many others I’d like to see.
EEG: Where you wouldn’t go?
David: I am not a “cold-friendly” person. Even though snow can be beautiful to see, I’d rather not travel too far north. 🙂
EEG: Was it fun?
David: Although it’s certainly not something I am used to doing, I found that I quite enjoyed it. I thank you for the opportunity and for your time. Keep up the great work. We need more quality sites like yours!
