MRI Casino Marketing Blog
Your Website Should Be Built For A House Of Cards, Not On One.

Websites are serious business and cannot find long-term success based on shortcuts and half measures. Sure, price points are a deciding factor when it comes to finding the ideal website developer, but casinos must be careful to keep the long game in mind. For instance, a graphic artist might have a decent grasp on the WordPress platform and offer attractive prices, but can that indeed cover all of your website needs? As someone who knows their way around a few WYSIWYG web building platforms, trust me when I say I’m speaking from experience on this one.

It’s not an overstatement to say that your website is the living, breathing online embodiment of your casino operations. Rather than merely a showpiece with clever copy and engaging visuals, your website runs on several layers of software that rely on computers, hardware, and software, that must be updated and upgraded on an ongoing basis.

This means your website requires skilled professionals who perform well within their assigned positions and function cohesively as a team. That team consists of a variety of critical individual positions, including:

• Content strategist
• Graphic designer
• Art director
• Technical director
• Project manager
• Front end developer
• Programmer
• Copywriter
• SEO expert
• User testing group
• Quality assurance coordinator

That’s quite a list, and that’s just the basics, not an entirely comprehensive listing of the many individuals who play an essential role in developing and maintaining an effective website.

Form and Function

Of course, none of this means creative takes a backseat in your digital marketing strategy. However, even the most engaging content doesn’t do your brand much good if it’s built upon a website with a weak foundation. To that point, with a proper design and build, your website can handle many of the operational functions that are traditionally handled in-person at your brick-and-mortar location, including reservations, benefits explanations, reviewing offers and comps, communicating messages, enabling effective CRM, and providing a great CX.

Unfortunately, your online doppelgänger could be susceptible to many of the liabilities that can plague your brick-and-mortar casino, particularly by threatening brand loyalty and losing customers to the competition with an inferior experience. However, not all is lost as casinos have a powerful ally in their efforts to build and maintain effective websites that fully leverage the power of the digital marketplace without sacrificing utility.

Customized, Industry-Specific Solutions

You need the sort of partner that does not take shortcuts or half measures. Your website demands experience and expertise to handle many critical tasks and responsibilities, including:

Infrastructure (Server maintenance and security)

• Server OS
• Web hosting software
• Programming language
• Database software
• Content Management System
• Custom website code

Technology & Compliance

• New devices/dimensions
• Operating system updates
• New regulations (ex: GDPR and CA privacy regulations)
• Third party updates (Google maps, share tools, social integration)
• External links (ex: sites/links change, Google+ shutting down)

 Marketing Needs

• New marketing programs
• Club changes
• Changes to promotion or entertainment schedules
• New amenities
• New locations
• Casino and hotel changes
• Additional features to enhance the online experience

Over the past year, we’ve talked to our partners about a range of updates needed for their websites. As their marketing needs changed, we modified their site to reflect a brand new direction, showcase additional amenities, or communicated and expanded their players' club program.

As the internet – and your customers’ expectations – have become increasingly complex, your website is no longer something you can launch and maintain with content updates for the next 3 to 5 years. That’s where MRI’s specialized skill set and knowledge provide value for our clients. Just a fraction of what we accomplish for our clients’ website product includes:

• Organize content to follow best practices
• Develop strategies customized for every segment
• Design creative that is on-brand and fosters a pleasant, engaging UX, no matter the device
• Review user, browser, and device statistics

It’s important to understand how imperative your website is to your overall strategy. They have a definitive shelf life, just like your home. Sometimes a new paint color in the kitchen or a new living room couch is all that’s needed to breathe new life into the space.  However, other times your roof leaks and pipes burst, and a full-blown renovation is necessary.

Protect your digital presence, brand, and customer base from the ever-changing online world, search algorithms and processes of Google. Your website is just too important to entrust with anything less than absolute expertise. Let MRI help you along your digital journey.