How well do you find 'rules' websites convert?

[TheShortStack]

I'm curious as to whether various 'rules' websites convert well for affiliates.

For example, if you owned something like pokerrules.com, rulesofblackjack.com or howtoplayroulette.com, do you find that you get many conversions once you've educated a player about the game?

Or are these kind of sites generally only used for reference material?

Cheers,

[Masquerador]

I can only talk from my own experience, but we once bought a very high traffic site that was focused on rules for most of the popular casino games. We got it for a song because it was generating virtually no revenue and the guy who owned had had run out of patience from generating loads of traffic but getting no conversions.

We eventually ran out of patience too! Bearing in mind it's a strategy that's worked well for us in the past - buying good traffic sites and monetising them, we couldn't find success with this project.

Maybe we just didn't find the right solution, but it's not something I would ever focus on again.

[Ozpoker]

Once had a page rank very well for Razz Rules - great for traffic - not so much for back pocket

[MPC]

I have a similar experience. I think the overall conversion is poor on these sites. The majority of people looking for poker rules generally do so for:

• Home poker games
• Trying something new because they're feed up of texas holdem. (In which case they already have an account and are not looking for a new room to join)
• They're takign a trip to Vegas, or some other gambling town, and want to learn basic rules for poker or casino games. They probably have no intention of gambling online. They just think craps looks cool and want to try it out.

In short, expect most of your traffic to be looking for references. They generally don't seek out rules because they are ready to play online.

Having said that, rules are good to have on a site. But you usually need more than that. If the site is just about rules and nothing else, it won't attract converting players. Also, it is uterly unoriginal. There's tons of rules sites already.

The irony is that lot of these individuals will eventually become interested in online gambling, but by the time that happens, it is doubtful they will return to your site to sign up. (or even remember it).

[CasinoKev]

It depends on whether the site targets "how to play blackjack" or the more targeted term "how to play online blackjack". The later will convert better, but have less traffic.

Also, terms like "Razz rules" will convert much less than say, "Texas Hold'em rules", because the searcher probably saw the game at the poker site they play at and want to learn to play it. Someone searching for "Texas Hold'em rules" may want to start a home game, heard about it from a friend, or have watched it on T.V.

[DealerDan]

Also, terms like "Razz rules" will convert much less than say, "Texas Hold'em rules", because the searcher probably saw the game at the poker site they play at and want to learn to play it.

Dead on the money there. Now the obvious solution is to focus sites like that on promoting strongly a site that the player isn't playing at - but of course you don't know what site they are playing at. And for something like this it really isn't about "choice" - you have to push super strong another site.

If it was Razz Poker rules, I'd mix it up. Have say Pokerstars promoted on there one week, Full Tilt the next. See if you can get an idea of who is searching it - mostly Full Tilt players or Stars players. Then promote the other brand stronger.

I'd also be going all out with articles on rules. Break it all down. Video instructions. Get them to e-mail me with any questions - that correspondence is important.

My biggest success with rules pages is by promoting free strategy e-books on it. Super easy conversions with those.

I've also found casino rules pages are better converters than poker.

[pokerextras]

@ Dan. How do you make money by promoting FREE strategy ebooks?

[kushmoney]

@ Dan. How do you make money by promoting FREE strategy ebooks?

I can answer that one.

Affiliate links in the ebook and now that they signed up to his mailing list. Well email marketing converts good. (if you know what you doing)

[DealerDan]

@ Dan. How do you make money by promoting FREE strategy ebooks?

Pretty much what kush said. You can get direct conversions via the e-book - you have peoples attention more than a random webpage, and you can convert them a lot easier that way. People who read a website usually skim, people who read an ebook like to sit and soak up the information and there's more of a trust factor. And then there is indirectly via e-mail marketing.