Running one affiliate site is challenging enough. But four? That’s exactly what Atanas Tanev, who has built his own affiliate marketing empire, has done.
One of the websites he runs is EfirBet, a bookmaker and bonus comparison site. Ranging across multiple verticals, it’s available in nine languages. Meanwhile, its Facebook page has accumulated over 18,000 fans as of February 2020.
The website also finished top of the ‘Gaming’ category at last year’s European Search Awards. This was thanks to the work of Atanas and Serpact – including its CEO Nikola Minkov.
In this Q&A, Atanas speaks about why he chose to launch EfirBet and future affiliate marketing trends – plus more.
Affiverse: Tell us why you chose to launch EfirBet?
Atanas Tanev: “I wanted punters to have access to expert betting reviews done by professionals. Only people with a long track record in the online betting industry are up to this task. So, our team is dedicated to helping people choose the best options from the many bookmakers out there.
“It has now been five years since we started this project. In the beginning, our competition was scarce. These sites, though, didn’t present readers with honest reviews of online bookmakers. And this is the reason why we managed to make a name for ourselves.”
AI: What in particular is unique about EfirBet’s offerings?
AT: “What sets us apart from other affiliates is the quality of our content. Our reviews are detailed and rankings are unbiased. This is all due to the writing team. Only betting experts with a knack for writing are allowed to join in.
“Unlike other sites that do not give the stage to their readers, we also make sure that everyone can post a comment. Our visitors are welcome to share their opinions on any gambling company. Finally, our site hosts reviews for different categories, including professional reviews of betting brands, their mobile apps, latest bonus code offers and their online casinos. We try to make our reviews as thorough as possible.”
AI: Since the site went live, what have been your biggest challenges and how have you combatted these?
AT: “The biggest challenge was to build up a team of pro gamblers who are also great writers. Our content is, and has always been, our top priority. Plus, we also had to review over 100 betting companies when we started.
“We took our time and only trusted professionals for the job. We couldn’t risk or compromise our content. After all, a really informative review is based on a number of factors.
“First, a writer has to analyse the bookmaker by betting on its platform and trying out the different options on the site. They had to contact support, browse the payment methods and download their betting apps.
“As you can imagine, this was a time-consuming task. Another great challenge was to find a developer and a web designer. This was essential as we wanted our site to be user-friendly and sleek.”
AI: EfirBet has a German version of its website. If the German State Treaty’s current proposed laws are passed, how much of an impact do you think it would have on your traffic?
AT: “We think the German market has lots of potential for us. This is why we currently work on improving our German version. For now, we only feature A few reviews of some of the leading bookmakers. As for the changes in the legislation in the country, I do not believe it will hinder people’s desire to bet online.”
AI: do you plan on launching additional languages in the future?
AT: “Yes, I do. We are currently working on several projects. Progress is slow, though, as writing an in-depth review takes time. Still, I do hope that by the end of the year we will have enough quality content in all language versions of Efirbet.”
AI: What were the most important affiliate trends that you noticed at iGB Affiliate London for this year?
AT: “I can definitely say it was the African market. South Africa, among other countries on the continent, have managed to legalise sports betting. Thus, the potential there is big.
“A quick research in Google Trends will prove me right. People residing in this region mainly bet on football, horse racing, cricket, rugby, golf, and basketball. Couple this with the advent of online technology there, and the appearance of mobile betting apps, and you can see why so many people choose online betting.
“Besides, more and more modern payment methods such as e-wallets get accepted now. Another trend I notice is a boom in eSports betting, plus crypto casinos and sportsbooks. Only a couple of online bookmakers used to support cryptocurrency deposits, but now this is quite common.”
