In our last arcade webmaster guide installments, we’ve looked at various methods of ensuring return traffic, including stocking up your selection of games using game packs, offering diverse content such as videos, and how choosing the right arcade script or media script can give you access to a range of features which help boost return visitors.
In this, the third and final installment in the series, we’ll be looking at community building; the impact of an attractive arcade design; and finally a handful of return traffic boosters that many people may overlook.
Community Is Everything!
Its no secret that the tides have certainly changed for internet users and webmasters alike over the past few years. Gone are the days of autonomous site owners providing static information to a faceless audience. With the advent of such “Web 2.0″ sites like Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Digg and many more, the focus on community interaction has swelled to immense proportions.
For this reason, its important that you keep up with the times, and ensure your arcade website caters to its users and allows them not only to play the games on your website, but also to give them a reason to be a member. Fortunately many of the top arcade scripts were either developed after the internets “social explosion”, or have been modified to take it into account. For example, scripts like phpArcadeScript keep track of how many games its users play, and displays said users in a leaderboard. Similarly this script incorporates a private messaging system so users can keep in touch with each other if they wish. These are only a small example of the kinds of social-orientated features that you should look for when choosing an arcade script.
So, since most scripts already come loaded with social networking features, why highlight it here? Well, simply because there is always more you can do. If your arcade script allows for social bookmarking (ie links on each game page for users to submit that page to a site such as Digg) - then consider whether all the major sites are covered; and if not, look into adding extra links in that section yourself. The majority of sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, del.ici.ous etc actually have pages on which you can copy their link code, as well as get your hands on graphics.
Additionally, one thing that is overlooked in this area is simply adding those social bookmarking links on the main site index page. If you’re comfortable with html, in most cases it shouldn’t be too difficult adding an extra box on your homepage which contains the same bookmarking links found on individual game pages. The same could be said for placing these links on your category pages and any other custom sections your site may have.
Now its all well and good having a batch of social bookmarking links for your arcade, but whatever happened to regular bookmarking? Its surprising how often this is overlooked, and it could be the difference between 500 visitors a day and 550 visitors a day. If your arcade script does not have this feature, you can find the simple html/javascript snippet here
The major “holy grail” however, when it comes to social features for your arcade, is a community forum. Forums are, without question, hugely popular; and if you are able to harness this as a part of your arcade then the potential for attracting new visitors and keeping them coming back will certainly increase. The one major roadblock, however, is that as of yet there are no arcade scripts available with “out of the box” forum integration. The reasons for this are quite complicated; mainly because it involves merging two seperate user systems and two seperate databases - and for arcade script developers, supporting forum integration would require them to constantly keep up to date on the particular forum software itself. So, if the developers of a forum software suddenly change everything, the arcade script developer will have to make those same changes to their script too.
Fortunately for some scripts, such as phpArcadeScript, users of the script itself have developed their own “bridges” to popular forum software such as phpbb and SMF. Before investing in something like this (or indeed any other “mod” or “addon” for an existing script) - its advisable to not only ask to see a working, testable demo; but also to check the history of the seller, though their forum profiles etc; to ensure they are legit, well known/respected and reliable; as the last thing you want to do is pay $50 for something that doesn’t work, and then find out that the seller has vanished.
So, to summarize, you’ll find most arcade and media scripts already come packed with a wide range of community-based and social-targetted features; however if you need that extra edge, it pays to do more.
Beauty is skin-deep
Who wants to see an ugly website? I certainly don’t, and i’m sure you don’t either. There was a point in the history of the internet where mediocre or downright ugly designs were the norm, however the majority of major sites now are, for the most part, very aesthetically pleasing, and an unprofessional design simply does not cut it anymore.
Unfortunately, although its not always the case, a lot of good developers tend to lack design skills (and vice versa); and as a result you could end up with a hugely powerful script which really does not look good at all. There are some exceptions to the rule (see FlashGameScript or TopMediaScript); however in most cases you’ll find that the default pre-installed design for your purchased arcade script simply won’t cut it.
The question is, how important is the sites design? Well, its vital, in my opinion - presentation is everything. As a webmaster, you are basically a salesman; trying to convince anyone who happens across your site to spend some of their precious time there rather than looking elsewhere. Think of it in real world terms… would you buy a car from someone dressed in shabby rags with dirt on their face? Heck, the car itself - are you going to buy one with gorgeous colors and sleek curves, or are you settling for a rust-encrusted limegreen mess?
Similarly your design “tells” your visitors something about your site. If its unattractive, messy, cluttered, dreary and unorganized, then thats what visitors will assume all aspects of the site to be like; even if the core code or script is the very best available. Alternatively, if it looks smart, edgy, fun and professional, then your site will be perceived as such.
You are never going to get return visitors if you can’t actually hook them in when they first discover your site, and your design, without question, is the most important part of that.
Fortunately, many of the major scripts have members of the community or of the webmaster world who design, create and sell designs which improve upon the standard look. Gamepacks.org have a selection of cheap arcade designs available for both phpArcadeScript and AvArcade, which completely revolutionize the look and feel of what, otherwise, are fairly below-par front-end designs. Similarly many community/support forums for arcade scripts have a marketplace section, where you may be able to either find people selling designs, or offering design services.
My advice to anyone starting up an arcade website who plans on taking it serious is to focus on your sites appearance first and foremost; and if you do not have the skillset needed to create your own designs, either learn or invest in a new design from one of the aforementioned locations.
The bit where we cram in everything else…
Okay so we’re close to the end of our 3-part series on building return traffic potential for your arcade site, so this is the part where we cram in all those other small tidbits that we haven’t already covered. These are the small or obscure ideas that often go overlooked, but i’d definately recommend at least giving them some consideration:
Facebook: Ah yes, Facebook; the ringfenced social networking community that is stealthily creeping up to steal Myspaces’ crown. These guys recently released their developer API, which allows coders to create their own plugin applications which can be placed on the profiles of Facebook users. Basically you can add almost everything - but for arcade owners the most obvious one is something which either allows users to play a single game, or an RSS feed list of new games on your site. Once someone adds an application, its visible to them and their friends within their profile, so that extra constant exposure certainly opens the doors for new and repeat visitors. Coding a facebook app requires a lot of knowledge, so you may want to look at hiring someone to do it for you; and the best places for this are either webmaster forums like DigitalPoint, or freelance sites like RentACoder
RSS Feeds: Almost all arcade scripts come with RSS feeds, so be sure to make the most of them - ensure the subscription links are displayed prominently on your site, and be sure to submit it to places like feedburner. If you have other websites beside your arcade, perhaps look to integrate the feed from your arcade there too. Seeing a list of cool game titles will probably attract a lot more attention than a simple link to your site. The benefit of RSS feeds is that when someone subscribes, they are usually notified of new additions - so if your feed is set up to show the newest games on your site, regularly updating your content will provide prompts to subscribers to come back to your site.
Contests: This might not be ideal for newcomers to the arcade webmaster game unless you have a good budget behind you - but it might be worth considering either running a one-off contest, or a regular one. If repeat traffic is your thing then you may base it on total number of games played; average games played per day; or number of referrals to your site (some scripts do have a referral system in place). Choosing a prize shouldn’t be too difficult - as you know your visitors are interested in games, then the most obvious prize would be a videogame of some sort. Even easier would be to advertize the prize as a ‘videogame of your choice’, and set up a contest terms and conditions page which sets a value limit. When the contest is done you can either use a site like Amazon.com to order the game for the winner, using their address as the mailing destination; or even simpler, just purchase an amazon gift certificate and email them the code to use (but be sure to state this in the terms). Its very important, however, to honor the contest, even if its not as successful as you’d hoped. Flaking on sending out prizes will hurt your credibility and reputation, so only run a contest if you can afford it.
Aaaand thats the lot; our 3 part series on repeat traffic for your arcade site is at an end. We hope these articles have given you food for thought and, even better, helped you gain that extra edge. Its a competitive world out there for arcade webmasters we hope we’ve helped you gain an extra foothold.
Be sure to check out the rest of our articles on GameSiteGuru, as well as keep your eye out for new posts coming soon.
