New affiliate in the making

**trkcin** · 23 February 2022, 10:00 am

Hi guys,

It's my first post here and I'm super happy that forums like this exist!

I'm starting a new affiliate (my first

) and was curious about several things.

I've purchased a domain on GoDaddy, using Vultr for hosting - are there any better hosting solutions that you have experience with? Is there anything specific that I should keep an eye for?

I've also purchased a Mercury theme from themeforest and will start editing soon - What I'm wondering here is would that affect the SEO process in a negative way? I guess pre-made themes are not optimal and pretty sure there must be many affiliates out there using that theme. Does everything in ranking come down to the content itself?

Lastly, where's the best place to start understanding SEO, link building etc.. any guidance here would be appreciated.

I see many affiliates doing the same thing and am actually looking to provide genuine reviews (being a gambler myself and having played on most sites) that are up to date and actually reflect the experience I've had with the casinos.

Thank you in advance, glad to be here!

**universal4** · 23 February 2022, 4:58 pm

Welcome to the GPWA,

If you would perform a search here at the GPWA using the keyword "hosting" you will see that threads are started frequently about hosting recommendations. Most are filled with suggestions, and some agree and some do not with those hosts listed.

A portion of that will be on the market you target and server location, as well as your own skill set on whether the support options and features at your chosen host.

The theme itself should not have a huge impact on site development, unless it is one that starts out much slower then other choices, but that is also affected by your skill set on development or understanding of css or the wordpress backend.

As for seo, there are literally thousands of threads and posts here at the GPWA that will provide much guidance, as well as reading other seo related forums and blogs scattered all over the internet. While reading and researching such, always keep in mind sometimes some of the information you read may be somewhat dated, so be sure to keep that in mind.

Rick
Universal4

added: I see you said you chose to start with Mercury, I don't recall trying that one, although I might have, but I do recall seeing that one mentioned in some of the threads here so maybe search for that keyword to see some of the feedback.

**CatalinAMG** · 24 February 2022, 2:13 am

The genuine review is a good start, but keep in mind that there is already fierce competition in the field, with a particular affiliate website that is quite dominant in this aspect. The Mercury theme is great as it gets updated according to what the webmasters need. However, keep in mind that you will need to play around with the ACES plugin and avoid the indexing of certain categories which, in my opinion, have no use to be included in the sitemap. If you want a fast website, avoid using unnecessary plugins, optimize images and go for WP Rocket and a solid hosting server. Should you need to use the premade widgets, you will probably need to do some customization as some of them look horrible. Best of luck with your website!

**chaumi** · 24 February 2022, 3:17 am

Hosting - get hosting that's as fast as you can reasonably afford (plenty of reviews on a simple search that will give speed measurements). Get this basis right and you'll be better placed to overcome any limitations within the theme (or when/if you add anything to it).

Choice of theme won't affect SEO other than:

1. if it's slow (and even that is - currently - debatable, but you shouldn't take the chance)
2. it won't allow you, or restricts you, from presenting the info you want to give to visitors (and search engines) in such a way that limits your intent

Understanding SEO/link building - Vast subject. How well you handle this depends on your ability to soak up info, analytical skills, etc. As Rick suggests, try reading through forum posts here to get a grounding. Some of them (from last year) will have been started by members in precisely your position. Best to read up, then ask specific questions on whatever you don't get.

Here is as good a place as any to start, but there is plenty of good info available elsewhere too. And when it gets more complex, you won't (or are unlikely to) find it here - but that's down the line a bit.

Your best bet is to forget worrying about link building at this very early stage, concentrate on getting the site up and running and in a good state. Tackle link building later (if you haven't got good info, why would anyone/anything be linking to it).

This is a part of SEO you do need to get straight early on (ideally, it will limit you if you don't and make it all much harder) .......

Structure & Intent

Build a plan and have it mapped out. Think it through, what headings/pages do you need to be considered as authoritative? Can you do that yourself, or will you need help?
What do you want to cover?
Who will that target?
How can you do that (ideally differently/better than others, and in a way that satisfies the needs of searchers/search engines)?

If you can think through how you're going to structure the presentation of info on the site early on (and it's difficult, things will still come up later that you hadn't thought about), it will save you grief and many lost hours/days/weeks later on.

**baldidiot** · 24 February 2022, 4:25 am

Originally Posted by trkcin

I've purchased a domain on GoDaddy, using Vultr for hosting - are there any better hosting solutions that you have experience with? Is there anything specific that I should keep an eye for?

I would advise against Vultr for hosting an igaming site, they don't allow any form of gambling site (even info ones): https://www.dietistaktuellt.com/forum/vultr-doe...rk-227962.html

If you're after similar style host try Digital Ocean.

**trkcin** · 24 February 2022, 6:36 am

Thank you for the warm welcome and advice guys! Appreciate it

**rmeeuwsen** · 24 February 2022, 8:03 am

Originally Posted by trkcin

H
I see many affiliates doing the same thing and am actually looking to provide genuine reviews (being a gambler myself and having played on most sites) that are up to date and actually reflect the experience I've had with the casinos.

Originally Posted by chaumi

Think it through, what headings/pages do you need to be considered as authoritative? Can you do that yourself, or will you need help?
What do you want to cover?
Who will that target?

I think these are the most critical issues for your long term success. You can always changes hosts. And even themes if you haven't done much customization.

But you want to ask yourself, why should someone come to my site rather than the other sites. Then go for it and be ready and able to adapt later.

Sure you need some common elements like reviews.

There is also another great tip that showed up here a few times recently. You want your sites to attract people that are "ready to buy" and not just looking around for a few tips. Get that CTA part down and you're on a good path.

**statsdrone** · 24 February 2022, 5:31 pm

Try working on a very niche site so you can see your SEO efforts work or fail rather than struggle to see results. Even try a niche topic outside of gambling which is ultra competitive.

**Springbok** · 2 March 2022, 4:14 pm

Welcome to the forum! I'd recommend reading SEO tips from Neil Patel and getting a good grip on the basics - site structure, meta data, content, images, alt tags etc. Just don't go sinking any dosh into programs or webinars although a relatively affordable tool to use is ahrefs for your keyword research. However, if you're focused on providing good value to your readers I'm sure you'll get off on the right foot.

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