Venturing into the realms of AI and SEO, Victoria Buttiġieġ, Head of Content Strategy at Game Lounge, shares her insights ahead of the upcoming CasinoBeats Summit.
Victoria takes us on a journey through her experience working in the content department, covering everything from harnessing AI’s potential to optimise content creation and managing its challenges to navigating the evolving landscape of affiliate content creation.
With a focus on the crucial role of data and analytics in shaping content strategy, she delves into the intricacies of driving results through data-led decision-making.
At the upcoming CasinoBeats Summit, you will be one of the speakers discussing SEO in the age of AI. Could you share insights on how AI contributes positively to SEO efforts, and conversely, how it might pose challenges if not managed effectively?
Absolutely. The most valuable use of AI, in my experience, is to enhance content ideation and content productivity. After 7 years specialising in content marketing in the iGaming industry, I have developed my own hacks and routines to make content production more efficient, and AI is now another tool to do just that.
When it comes to managing content teams, I find that using AI is invaluable in preventing ‘blank page anxiety,’ which is common among new writers, and improving the time spent per task. Using tools like Chat-GPT for first drafts can be a godsend. By no means are any of the content pieces generated out-of-the-box but they still prove to be a great starting point.
On the flip side, regardless of the AI software used, content creators need to keep the adage ‘garbage in, garbage out’ in mind. Prompts created by someone without extensive knowledge of the topic, industry, or SEO-content best practices, will not produce valuable output. If that content is published without expert content editing, SEO best practices checks, fact-checking, and more, the impact over time will be substantial – both on the website’s credibility, how it performs on the SERP, and ultimately, the business’s bottom line.
It is on us as content creators to turn AI-generated content into quality content worth reading, ranking, and reporting on.
As someone who works in content, how do you foresee the evolution of AI-generated content impacting the future of content creation in our industry?
In the short term, I see the industry moving away from this misconception that AI-generated content does not require time or effort.
There have been many attempts at automating the entire content creation process, but in my experience, there have been few success stories using this approach. With the rollout of March’s Core Update, Google will continue to penalise such unoriginal, low-quality content.
I hope to see iGaming companies start to prioritise ‘deep content’ (mentioned by Joshua Hardwick in a recent Ahrefs article). Any content creator in the industry can tell you what the RTP of Dead or Alive 2 is or the minimum deposit at a given casino. But once Google fully rolls out Google Search Generative Experience (SGE), it will be the content that requires nuance, insight, and experience – a deeper answer – that should be prioritised.
This ‘deep content’ is exactly what readers want to engage with and other publishers want to share. This is the kind of content we aim to produce at Game Lounge.
What advice would you give to organisations looking to implement AI in their content creation strategies? Have you embraced AI at Game Lounge embraced AI to enhance your content output?
There are a few things to consider.
Firstly, remember that SEO and content fundamentals have remained the same. When the use of AI for content generation spiked in 2023, people were eager to jump on the bandwagon and some chose to forgo SEO best practices in a bid for faster content production. Original, reader-first content should remain your goal, no matter the tools you use to get there.
Secondly, it is essential that content creators with a deep understanding of what you’re trying to improve or generate via AI and know the industry are involved throughout the entire process. A simple example I usually cite relates to Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop Mega Jackpot €2.9 million win on Jackpot Hunter last October. Our tried-and-tested news prompt was unable to distinguish which of the three names mentioned was the casino, game provider, or slot name. The piece still required a content editor with industry-specific experience to notice this and edit the final piece.
Lastly, I think company leaders should not overlook the importance of being transparent with their teams to reassure them what AI will do in the company, what it won’t, and what that means for their tasks and roles. It may seem obvious to some and is definitely overlooked by others, but the most qualified people in the company to adopt AI for content creation are the content creators themselves. That being said, they require leadership’s guidance and support to get the best out of AI.
The approach I have taken at Game Lounge is to emphasise AI’s ability to improve content efficiency. It goes back to what I said earlier. We use AI to free up content creators’ time from tedious tasks and switch their focus to deep content and creativity.
As an affiliate, what are some common challenges you face when creating content, and how do you overcome them?
There are a few challenges that come to mind.
At face value, AI has lowered some barriers to entry for starting up a new affiliate site, optimising workflows and speeding up content creation, but at what cost? Content standards may dip without quality control measures and misinformation can spread.
Managing continuous changes to what users and Google expect while staying ahead of industry trends can be demanding. Frequent core updates, changes to the way users engage with content, and new trends require constant adaptability from content creators.
Compliance changes are another big challenge. I remember working for the UK market during major legislation changes throughout 2017-2018. The team and I were faced with questions such as “What can you write or not write now?” “What content, if any, has to be age-restricted?” and so on.
All these challenges can be tackled from a similar starting point. Solid standard operating procedures (SOPs) that establish which teams need to be involved, who does what, and who needs to be informed create a sense of resilience. They give team members frameworks on how to use AI, clear next steps when gambling laws change, or a plan to mitigate any negative impacts from Google algorithm updates.
Access to real-time data is vital to track the impact of difficult situations. Having a plan in place, and knowing who to turn to, and what data to monitor will make rising to any challenge much more straightforward.
Can you speak to the role of data and analytics in shaping your content strategy? How do you leverage insights to optimise performance and drive results?
Data and analytics are integral to content strategy. In my time at LeoVegas and Betsson, I was fortunate to work with leaders who championed data understanding and accessibility. Now that I manage my own team at Game Lounge, I work with content creators to define what success looks like for any piece of content they create and how we can analyse that success through quantitative data. As a company, we put great emphasis on making data-led decisions and making the right data accessible to every team.
Consider a casino review. Its ultimate goal is conversion to the respective casino. It’s important that writers understand that on-page SEO efforts, content layout, appealing offer text, and so on, combine to facilitate this conversion. It’s essential to have access to conversion rate data on each review to know what resonates with users and encourages new depositing customers. Conversely, a think-piece on the casino industry could be deemed successful by time spent on the page, backlinks generated, or engagement on social media. Content creators should know the goal and context of each piece and understand how success is measured.
Access to data and analytics allows content creators to do more of what works, optimise what doesn’t, and understand if their content has its intended impact. It makes sharing success stories possible and lets writers focus on creating content that provides value.
As you prepare for the CasinoBeats Summit, what are your main expectations regarding the event, and which discussions or topics scheduled for the agenda do you find particularly compelling?
I am excited to join my fellow panellists on stage to discuss the topic of “Humanizing SEO in the Age of AI: Crafting Intent-Driven Content for the Right Audience” and hear different perspectives on this interesting topic. I’ll be tuning into the other SEO sessions moderated by Ivanna Flynn on day 1, particularly the session on EEAT and AI. I am also eager to follow the Women in Gaming track on Thursday.
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Buttiġieġ will be speaking on the ‘Humanising SEO in the Age of AI: Crafting Intent-Driven Content for the Right Audience’ panel alongside Izabela Wisniewska (Co-Founder & Head of Search Marketing, Creatos Media) and Lee Beirne (Head of SEO, Ladbrokes). The panel, moderated by Ivana Flynn (SEO Director, Betinia and Campobet), will take place on Thursday, 23 May, at 11:40.
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