How Online Game Websites Should Be Positioned

February 22, 2008 · Filed Under Infotech, Marketing

Whenever there’s a new online game or MMORPG, the folks at marketing and brand will most likely come up with a fast website plan.

Release the website, make the game available and have a way for users to play and pay - most just leave it at that and then sit back and relax. But in this cut-throat age of competition and diversity of products, you have to innovate to survive. The old premise of “build-it-and-they-will-come” mentality no longer cuts it.

MMORPG companies should take into consideration several factors in order for the website to fit into the grand strategy, give value to the product and serve the needs of the users (community).

More about this after the jump.

Here’s how I think MMORPG websites should be positioned and some strategies/factors to consider before building it.

Know what they want - the primary purpose of the website is to drive players to try the game. Hence, the buttons or navigations on how to get the game (download) and “how to register” should be highlighted and readily apparent. Some companies even have software or experts to determine functionality and usability of the site. Investment here is always a good thing.
Content - I think the “killer content” will ultimately come from the community. Let them own it, let them contribute photos, articles or videos about the game. That way, their peers will have a reason to come back. Without new, relevant and fresh content, your website is just an idle piece of property on the WWW.
Information - Are your users looking for tables, item charts, character, maps and monster info from sites other than yours? If you answer “yes” then you are driving away much needed traffic. Arm your site and your community with the most updated game information available. It’s the smart thing to do. ‘Nuff said.
Track it - How is it performing? Are you tracking it using tools or software? What are the user prefences? Where do they go? Do they just use the site as a landing page for top-up and other services.
Get Feedback - Once in a while, you will have to tweak the navigation infra to either optimize it or take away stuff that doesn’t work. You can only get this by listening to your users either through a formal feedback mechanism or through informal UATs.

The above are merely my personal opinions and are not meant to be taken as a definitive guide on the subject. But the fact is, the Level Up Website is the top local Philippine site. Thanks to Yuga for saying so. Of course, I value your feedback and opinions. Just comment below and let me know what you think.

Ciao,

GM T

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