SEO Tracker: PokerStars holds firm in poker rankings
In this month's SEO Tracker, Stickyeyes analyses trends in the poker search market
Long time leader PokerStars is showing that it is still the brand to beat when it comes to organic rankings in online poker.
Seeing a 31% increase in traffic in the past six months, PokerStars has managed to outpace the overall market growth and crucially continue generating more organic traffic than competitors like 888poker and 247freepoker which have also seen considerable increases in organic traffic.
Those fortunes are in contrast to the previous second-most visible brand, Arkadium, which has seen a decrease in average ranking position and is now the fifth most visible in the sector.
Yet again, the fight for visibility at the top of the rankings is very tight, but PokerStars has managed to hold on to its place as the most visible brand in the poker sector. A slight increase in the number of keywords that it ranks for, paired with an improvement in its average ranking position to a highly respectable position five, means that PokerStars now brings in 3,112 more clicks than it did six months ago.
The brand has held firm to its significant position one rankings, including the high-volume ‘poker play’, while also seeing improvements in its rankings for other key terms, such as rising from position six to position three for ‘poker’, which sees 27,100 monthly searches.
If PokerStars can see a similar improvement in its position for the sector’s second biggest search term, ‘poker games’, as well as for the host of medium-volume terms that it ranks in the top 10 for, then we might see the brand distance itself from others in the space when it comes to organic rankings.
888poker closes in on top spot
While PokerStars’ increase in traffic means it is still the most visible brand in the organic rankings, the brand lurking behind them, 888poker, is undoubtedly the big winner of the last six months, going from fourth to second most visible brand in the sector, with its organic traffic increasing by 5,719 clicks (84.8%).
Key to 888poker’s rise up the organic rankings has been moving up to position one for ‘poker’, having previously ranked in position four for the most important keyword in the sector. This alone has increased the brand’s traffic by 4,496, making up a large percentage of the overall traffic increase that 888poker has seen.
But this isn’t to say that the brand has relied on improvements for one particular keyword to improve organic visibility. 888poker has increased the number of position one rankings it has, as well as the number of keywords that it ranks in the top three positions for.
These improvements at the sharp end of the rankings, as well as ranking for more keywords overall, have helped 888poker give itself a strong footing to build on. Ranking just outside the top 10 positions for several medium-volume keywords means that there are clear areas to improve, and doing so could see the brand become the most visible in the sector with regards to organic traffic.
Arkadium looks to reverse trend
Previously the second most visible brand in the poker sector when it comes to organic traffic, Arkadium has seen its average keyword ranking position fall to position 14, from seven in October.
Without increasing the number of keywords that it ranks for, this decrease in average ranking has had a direct impact on organic traffic, as it has fallen by 24.7% in the past six months. This is of course something that the brand will look to rectify in the coming months, especially having lost position one for ‘poker games’.
Of course, this is not to say that Arkadium’s situation is all doom and gloom. The brand generates more organic traffic than 888poker did six months ago, so things could look drastically different six months from now. If Arkadium can regain the position one ranking for ‘poker games’ and start generating significant traffic from searches for ‘poker’ (as the brand currently ranks in position 35, seeing zero monthly clicks), then the brand will quickly see itself in a much more favourable, and visible, position.
One thing that this month’s analysis has made clear is the importance of having a strong average keyword ranking position. While ranking highly for the most searched-for terms is also hugely important, it’s telling that the top three brands have all seen average ranking position improvements in the last six months. Improving your average keyword ranking position in a market that is seeing higher search volume across the board is clearly a great way to improve your visibility and overtake competitors.