Napier Limited aka Digimedia Using Bogus Casino Affiliate Portal

[AussieDave]

Don't know if anyone outside AU can see these results but spot#1 in Google for "Australian online pokies" returns adaptfunrun.org, which redirects to LiveCasinoAdvisor.com which is registered to Napier Limited. One in the same who pays FA affiliates.

Whois: livecasinoadvisor.com
Registrant Name: Napier Limited
Registrant Organization: Web Host Service
Registrant Street: 82 Portomaso
Registrant Street: Business Towers
Registrant City: Portomaso
Registrant State/Province: ST. Julians
Registrant Postal Code: 0028
Registrant Country: Malta
Registrant Phone: +0.2711779150
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: ******@napierlimited.com

Whois: napierlimited.com
Registrant Organization: DigiMedia Ltd
Registrant Street: Sir Temi Zammit Avenue
Registrant City: Ta Xbiex
Registrant State/Province:
Registrant Postal Code: XBX 1011
Registrant Country: MT
Registrant Phone: +356.21319493
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: *****@digimedia.com.mt

I've found a high number of sites on Google page 1 for varied search terms in the niche, which are all promoting identical casinos. imo, it's one thing being in competition against the casinos we promote. But an entirely different thing if these casinos are using bogus affiliate portals, to promote their own brands. For one it highlights the possibility of blackhat methods being used, which, for legitimate affiliates, they end up just picking up the crumbs. As I said I don't mind competing against casinos for players but when these casinos start using bogus portals, your no longer competing against other affiliates at this point. Knowing this fact, would determine who I choose to promote because if "blackhat" is being used then I don't stand a change competing against this.

Spot #1 on numerous search phrases, for a site which predominately uses text images, yeah right

 

[rak]

Could the same be said about affiliates becoming operators?

 

[AussieDave]

Could the same be said about affiliates becoming operators?

If that's a concern for you, start a new thread but don't hijack this one

 

[CaseyM]

This is nothing new, a lot of casinos do this

 

[AussieDave]

This is nothing new, a lot of casinos do this

Really! Can you name a few then?

 

[CaseyM]

I thought fake affiliates were part of standard seo for online casinos. I'm sure I have seen fake wagershare & referback affiliate sites in the past, that's just naming the first ones that come to mind. (edit - I am not referring to blackhat sites by the way)

 

[Guard Dog]

Settle down Dave...



Instead of just slamming Rak, just ask what he means. Probably has something to do with your original post is my guess. I don't understand, but I assure you he has a point.

 

[bonustreak]

Agreed the slam to Rak was uncalled for..

 

[AussieDave]

Agreed the slam to Rak was uncalled for..

That's not a slam. It was a polite way of asking him not to derail the thread.

Bonusstreak we've never met, I've never done anything to hurt you but you seem to have a huge vendetta against me. Care to explain why? (we're all adults here and I have big shoulders. If you have an issue with me then say it! But these stabs at me need to stop).

 

[Simmo!]

imo, it's one thing being in competition against the casinos we promote. But an entirely different thing if these casinos are using bogus affiliate portals, to promote their own brands. For one it highlights the possibility of blackhat methods being used, which, for legitimate affiliates, they end up just picking up the crumbs. As I said I don't mind competing against casinos for players but when these casinos start using bogus portals, your no longer competing against other affiliates at this point.

My take is that affiliates are not competing against the casinos: we work for them (or if you prefer, with them). They offer us a payment to find them players and we are simply one of many marketing channels, so I don't really see this as an issue at all. They are quite within their rights to advertise their business however they want to and use any methods to find new customers that are financially viable.

Where I would agree it could be annoying is when black-hat tactics are used but these days, those are merely short-term exploits of loopholes that will be plugged relatively quickly anyway so I don't see that as a long-term strategy that prevents others from competing for the top terms.

Where affiliates have an edge is with their ability to be diverse and to provide balanced views and information that the casinos don't really want to provide. Aside from on the really generic terms it's quite easy to pip operators to top spots in my experience. I'd much rather see a limited operator-sponsored site atop the results I am targeting than an established affiliate.

 

[AussieDave]

The word "affiliate partner or partner" is used a lot by these programs. Meaning of Partner: A person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or firm with shared risks and profits.

They are quite within their rights to advertise their business however they want to and use any methods to find new customers that are financially viable.

Of course they can do this... But that wasn't my point. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. I'm merely saying for me, it would be nice to know what my "partner" is up to because I'm in business too. And, making a decision based on wrong information, can affect my bottom as well.

EG - The amalgamation of FL with Carmen Media to form Digimedia. I got a sniff of that but when I inquired, was given a bum steer. Why? (No need to answer it's rhetorical). Only now discovering a casino group is also using portals, commonly used by affiliates to promote these casinos, I can't help but wonder what else I haven't been told. Which again, all relates back to my business decisions.

Where I would agree it could be annoying is when black-hat tactics are used but these days, those are merely short-term exploits of loopholes that will be plugged relatively quickly anyway so I don't see that as a long-term strategy that prevents others from competing for the top terms.

I disagree these "loopholes" aren't plugged quickly, if at all. If that was the case, the use of obvious techniques to game Google wouldn't work. But the spammy sites still hold decent serps and continue to do so.

Reiterating my point to the thread wasn't about saying a casino can't use XYZ methods to market their brands but if affiliates are "partners", then information should flow both ways

 

[Simmo!]

Just quickly on the subject of black-hat: until Panda and Penguin you are spot on but those two, along with Hummingbird's semantic algorithms, seem to be spotting the rubbish a lot sooner than before. Spam and black-hat will still exist but will IMO increasingly yield short-term results and get to a point where the penalties may just not be worth the rewards. One day lol.

On the partnership angle, I see your point although relationships are the key here IMO. You can only partner someone (effectively) with mutual trust and you have to earn trust...i's not a given. Therefore, while partnerships thrive in our industry and are effective, signing up as an affiliate doesn't make you a partner in the true sense of the word. Semantics to a degree I know - my point is that if you have a good relationship with a program and you both understand each other, work well together and respect each other you will get a lot more transparency, leverage and rewards.

 

[AussieDave]

On the partnership angle, I see your point although relationships are the key here IMO. You can only partner someone (effectively) with mutual trust and you have to earn trust...i's not a given. Therefore, while partnerships thrive in our industry and are effective, signing up as an affiliate doesn't make you a partner in the true sense of the word. Semantics to a degree I know - my point is that if you have a good relationship with a program and you both understand each other, work well together and respect each other you will get a lot more transparency, leverage and rewards.

I agree 100%. Though, from what I've experienced in this industry, everyone has a use-by-date. My advice, don't place all your eggs in one basket

 

[Hazo]

This site has been around for years.

DigiMedia also claim to own the Referback casinos.

I was told that it's simply a licensing play though..

 

[AussieDave]

This site has been around for years.

Are you sure about that?
The RedirectCanonical from adaptfunrun to livecasinoadvisor - checking these backlinks total 14, trust flow 0, citation flow 17.

adaptfunrun
A lot more links and flow / trust citations but none is gambling related. There is also spike in referring domains in mid Dec, followed by a spike for links in same period, followed with a lot more activity in January 2014. Seems odd anyone intending to do a RedirectCanonical, would bother with acquiring fresh links...just saying

 

[gamingaffiliatesguide]

Sites like these will be tougher to rank in the future if Google does make social media as being more influential. Either way this behaviour isn't new, pokerstrategy was recently acquired by europartners and pokerstars has been known in the past to buy large poker portals.

 

[Viriatu]

This is nothing new, a lot of casinos do this

In fact i see and report on a regular basis sites like this - hxxp://archive-pt.com/page/2961447/2013-10-03/http://m.vipcasino.pt/ they buy one shit domain with "casino" in the url, they put 3 brands, normally spin palace and some shitty europartners or unibet related sites, for some reason in one month they rank for shit i took one year, it might be links or something... but this is a general practice and for almost one year now i list who owns what and try to figure out who is worth beating and who is black hating their way.

Lets be honest, this guys, with 50 guys in an office in Israel or Malta, wtf you guys expected? sooner or later they will try to buy us all out... from their point of view, we are a stone in the shoe, pollution in the serps they wish to remove asap to take the whole fucking cake...