Re. SEO, I tend to have a different view.
I don’t want to have a site that depends totally on the search engines or on ppc, both have proven to be very fickle and you can’t get a regular, steady income that way. It’s bad enough the industry has all these various problems regarding payments, add in total dependence on search engines and it’s a roller coaster ride.
Yes, you need the engines to get you off the ground, so you need decent SEO (Don’t believe all the stuff you hear at the SEO forums, for a newbie it’s too hard to tell the useful from the BS, go to the search engines themselves and look up their rules etc.) You’ll pick up additional tips as you work and grow and come here.
But IMO, the most important thing is to concentrate on NOT needing the engines. I know, a lot of people read this in disbelief. But – if you provide a quality user experience – both in the information you present and in the experience they can expect from honest casinos- you will get bookmarked. People share bookmarks. This is the mother of viral marketing, and it’s flawless and has no drawbacks.
While you have to comply with all SEO, it is only one of the things you need to do to market. You also need a quality product so you can ride out the ups and downs of a crazy search engine policy. That way, if the engines drop you, you still have a decent income. When they pick you back up, you grow a lot of new bookmarks, which will carry you through the next slump.
I look at this as a permanent situation. So I have always planned for the long run, not the short term profit. You may not share that view, and that’s a matter of personal opinion. But in my book, while you do need to pay attention to SEO, you have to pay a lot more attention to the user if you are planning to stick it out through thick and thin.
Ask yourself what your goals are – do you want to supplement your income? Do you want a full time job? Do you want a small business with employees or independent contractors?
There are many business models to choose from in this industry, and the above is mine. You could for instance also build many smaller sites and concentrate on always having a couple on top through SEO. What do you enjoy doing? Do you enjoy SEO? Do you enjoy building content? What if you like neither and want others to do it for you?
If you are planning on growth, don’t plan on early income. Like with any other business, plan to plough your profits back into the business to make it grow. Get help where you are deficient, spend your profits on good help. People always think you can make a gazillion $ in this business without investment of time or money. This business is no different from any other, you need to nurture it.
If you are just dabbling and hoping to make a side income, or to ride it out for as long as it lasts, by all means rely on SEO alone to help you do that. But if you are building for the long term, keep your users foremost in mind.
If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail.