Arcade Admin – The Arcade Owners Ultimate Resource

Well, I was having a read of a post at Av Arcade Forum and it has provoked me to comment here. This post is relating to your arcade, and some of the things you need to do to make it a success!  This is an open blog post, so all feedback/comments are welcome. This isn’t a definitive guide on what to do, merely my experience:-

1.Uniquness

What makes your arcade stand out from the crowd? It’s the way in which you make it unique, that means offering something that no other arcade has, even if its just a theme – its unique and a good talking point. When I talk about uniqueness, its about how you can do something different, its all about the users, make the user feel at home by offering them something unique(different) – in return they should pass on your site with word of mouth (and social media)!

Don’t stick with the status quo when it comes to managing an arcade [such as game layout, social media, use of game tags and categories] go wild and try something new, be unique – this is be one of your key selling points!

2.Theme

This is a key area of your site. Put your self in the position of a user, would you use your site with its current design/navigation? Sometimes I see arcade theme’s that are a horrible to use/navigate – remember semantic development is what you need to aim for, with all your pages being valid! The theme is what’s going to engage with the user, ensure its what your target audience wants to see form your site, but also ask for feedback!

Take examples such as miniclip, a nice simple design, thats easy to navigate and assessable to all users (even those with an impairment). The design is what’s key, you may have poor quality games, but if the theme stands out from the rest, your still going to get an audience.

Design it, Make it Unique, and get FEEDBACK from your USERS

3.Features/Modifications

This is a key area in my view, having something to engage and retain the user while also attracting new users into the mix. Areas such as leaderboards and chat rooms on games all increase user participation and retainment. Offering features such as Facebook Connect are also a good way of retaining the user, while also attracting new users – use the FB Connect as a method to connect to the users profile and update their status with games they are playing on your site.

4.Search Engine Optimization

This one is a no brainer, but still it always has to have a comment on this area. Always focus on SEO to some extent, within your titles, descriptions and page layout (tags cloud) – also link build and link exchanges, try to use social media as a tool, twitter “tweets” are a good way to drive traffic to your site!

5.Quality Games

Well we’ve covered all aspects about the site, but what about the content – the reason people come to your site? Always focus on having good quality games, that engage and retain the user on your site. Also try to use social media in this area as well to share your site and the quality games you have. Ensure you take the time to play each of your games, and write custom descriptions and How-to-Play instructions. Quality games are only part of the solution, but linking within the other sections and you’re on to a winner!

A side tip – Look at the big picture! Always look to see what your competitors are doing, even trailback their link exchanges and try to match them – It’s all about how you can be successful, not how others can be!

-I’ll update this post when I get time, at the moment I still need to formulate my idea’s!

When looking to host your arcade, you need to take into account many factors – This article is your guide to finding the best host for your arcade.  Making the decision between web hosts can be extremely difficult; with so many out they’re on the web today.

Research is key, ensure you do proper research on any host that you want do business with! Ensure you check out the list of arcade scripts post to find the best script for you.

Price

This is key, the price of what’s on offer, the notion of if its to good to be true – it generally is! Price is a factor in choosing a host but make sure it’s not a decisive factor. If you’re going to be using your arcade to make money, don’t try to be cheap on the hosting costs. Once you’ve found a hosting provide and a plan, make sure you compare it with other plans!

Features for what you want

With your arcade you need to make sure you select a host that meets your needs. In terms of the specifications required to host your arcade script, to ensuring you have enough bandwidth for your traffic. When choosing a host, make sure you take a look at the specifications of the hardware, check to see if they’re an actual host or a reseller.

For a growing arcade, I’d highly recommend that you bypass the shared hosting plans and go directly to using Virtual Private Server packages. When looking at a host, its generally best to go for a host that specialises in you niche, for example a blog should be hosted on a blog host – an arcade should be hosted with an arcade hosting provider.

Support

This is one of the huge area’s for which you need to ensure the host will provide, support! If your arcade goes down for whatever reason, you are able to call, email and access a support panel – this real time support is what you need when selecting a host. Think, if they do not have a telephone number, are they legitimate? Always take a look at the reviews especially in the area of the hosts support; this is a key feature that you can’t live without.

Research – Customer Satisfaction/Reputation

Always, always, always always review your host before you take the plunge, ensure that you review your host before you purchase a package can save you considerable time and money! Always look to see what a host’s current, and also former customers are saying about them! There are loads of sites online that allow for you to read reviews about the host, so ensure you do your research.

Future Proofing

You want your site to grow, you want to make money – you need to make sure you invest in the future. Always go with a hosting plan that gives you more space and bandwidth for example – as you may well need it in future.  Always plan for the future!