Exclusive Interview with Minna Pousette: How Bazoom Helps Gambling Brands Win Big with High-Stakes SEO

Compliant Link-Building for iGaming Brands

Joshua: Minna, it's great to have you with us today. As we know, the gambling industry operates under particularly strict regulations in most markets. From your experience at Bazoom, how do you help iGaming clients build high-quality backlinks while staying fully compliant and protecting their reputation?

Minna: Thanks for having me! I really appreciate it!

In addition to doing a lot of in-depth research—both for our strategies and on our clients' competitors - we also maintain close communication with local media owners. These conversations often give us valuable insights that help shape our approach.

And luckily for us, most of our clients are very proactive and do their own due diligence, which makes the process much smoother for everyone. So, compliance rarely becomes a challenge for us.

Bazoom’s Publisher Strategy for iGaming Brands

Joshua: Bazoom connects brands with over 80,000 media outlets. What types of publishers are most effective for gambling brands, and how do you ensure these links drive real SEO value?

Minna: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach in SEO - and that’s especially true when it comes to SEO in the gambling space. With that said, our focus always remains the same: high quality, authority, and, of course, relevance.

Boosting Authority Through Strategic Placements

Joshua: Beyond just link acquisition, how can gambling companies use media placements to build trust and authority in markets where skepticism around gambling is high?"

Minna: It’s all about authoritative content. Things like expert analysis, local regulation guides, industry insights - all while working with respectable and reliable publishers. A transparent approach not only builds trust and reduces skepticism, but it’s also exactly what search algorithms reward.

High-quality editorial placements send the right signals - credibility, trustworthiness, and a genuine commitment to delivering value, beyond just pure promotional intent.

Tailored Link Strategies for Global Markets

Joshua: Different regions (like the UK, US, or Scandinavia) have varying attitudes toward gambling. How does Bazoom tailor link-building strategies for gambling brands entering new markets?

Minna: Bazoom’s internal structure is based on native positions in regions where our clients come from, which means that our teams are always up to date with local regulations and cultural preferences. The same applies to content creation and backlink placements, where we make sure that everything is aligned with the regulation requirements.

For example, in the Nordics, we prioritize privacy content because of very strict laws, but in the US, where we have less strict rules, we rely on player data and statistics, while in the UK, the main narrative is responsible gaming.

Boosting SEO Through Affiliate Collaboration

Joshua: Many gambling brands work with affiliates and sponsors. How can they integrate link-building efforts with affiliate marketing to maximize SEO and referral traffic?

Minna: Strategic backlinks and referral traffic can give more strength to the affiliate game. Often, affiliate networks fall into a lot of spam and can overuse certain anchors, which makes them less valuable to Google’s algorithm.

To maintain authority and keyword freshness, backlinks are a great tool to signal SEO-rich content. It creates a strong and healthy base for the SEO of any affiliate domain and gives value back on a long-term basis, since backlinks are not a one-time signal to the algorithm.

Staying Resilient Through Google Updates

Joshua: Google frequently updates its algorithms, sometimes targeting gambling content. How does Bazoom ensure its backlinks remain resilient against these changes?

Minna: Our SEO team is always up-to-date with the latest algorithm updates to keep us ahead of the game. But at the end of the day, the core of our strategies is always built on contextual relevance, high editorial standards, and having a diverse backlink profile. This approach keeps it strong, even when Google shakes things up. 😉

Top-Performing Publisher Niches for iGaming

Joshua: Do gambling brands see better results when working with publishers who specialize in finance, sports, or pure iGaming content? What’s your data showing?

Minna: Since we’re doing strategies for a large portion of our gambling clients, we track data to see what works best for them. We’ve found that sports content tends to drive the highest immediate referral traffic, finance sites significantly boost trust signals and authority, while pure iGaming publishers provide the strongest topical relevance for long-term SEO impact.

Next-Gen Link Strategies Amid AI and Regulation

Joshua: With AI-generated content and stricter regulations, where do you see the biggest opportunities for gambling brands in link building over the next 2-3 years?

Minna: It’s definitely an exciting time for both the gambling and SEO industries. Smarter strategies and trend predictions are absolutely on the way. I believe the biggest opportunities will definitely be in interactive content, especially in iGaming, lifestyle, and finance where gambling brands really can step up as trend leaders and grab those top rankings. 😉

Measuring Link-Building Success in iGaming

Joshua: How should gambling companies measure the success of their link-building campaigns? Are there specific KPIs (beyond DA/DR) that matter more in this industry?

Minna: Definitely, traffic and keyword data are the most important metrics for measuring success. But it’s not just about looking at the numbers - it’s about reading those numbers and understanding keyword intent to see if they align with your goals and strategy.

Relying solely on numbers might make you feel good with vanity metrics like DR/DA, but it won’t necessarily help you reach your target audience or build algorithmic authority. So, focusing on traffic flow, relevance, search intent, and even analyzing your referral traffic and backlink sources will give you a much clearer picture of how your domain is performing.

Avoiding Penalties with Clean SEO Practices

Joshua: Some gambling brands have faced penalties for aggressive SEO tactics. How does Bazoom ensure its link-building strategies remain ethical and sustainable long-term?

Minna: We make sure to tailor our strategies to each client individually. We also regularly monitor and update our media portfolio to ensure we’re not linking to spammy sites or black-hat networks. It’s all about keeping things clean and sustainable for the long haul.

Thank you so much for this opportunity! I'm thrilled to share my insights. With over 20 shows last year, you can bet 'at shows' is where you'll find me! 😉