AIGW - The Association of Independent Game Websites

Why do I get no traffic?

Ben Knowles — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:54:55 +0000

Establishing a substantial readership is the dream of most website owners. It’s a way of determining whether you’re on the right track and also a measure of your success. It is therefore surprising to see so many sites making fundamental mistakes that undermine their aim of attracting visitors.

Design

Is your theme unique to your site? If it looks like one of the many thousand WordPress blogs out there, you’re unlikely to stand out from a sea of competitors. Don’t interpret this as a dig at WordPress; my own site darkzero uses it.

Investing in design is essential – whether it’s your own time or hiring a professional. If you take a ‘me too’ approach to design and stick to free or cheap themes, there is the implication that your content is also nothing special.

Brand

At the very least you’ll need a logo, even if it’s very basic. But a brand is much more than this! Ask yourself these important questions:

What does your publication site stand for?
How do you want it to be perceived?
Who is your target audience?
Does your content match your vision for the brand?

You want to make the right first impression on anyone who visits your site.

Content

What do potential readers get from your site that they can’t get elsewhere? This is an essential question to ask yourself. If you’re not doing anything original, there’s no point in spending so much time writing. In order to draw new readers over time you will need to do things like:

Be first to break a news story (at least occasionally) and be consistently quick
Have a compelling and original approach that makes you stand out
Identify a USP that visitors will like or benefit from

Remember: everyone has opinions, but this doesn’t make them interesting!

Coverage

If you are the first site to publish a story – even just occasionally – other sites will also post the news story and link to you as the source. This sounds obvious, but so many sites just churn out news that has appeared elsewhere hours earlier. It’s essential to add value – otherwise readers are better off subscribing to the sites you are sourcing.

Being first to publish a story really comes down to old-style journalism skills. Seek out and uncover stories as even the smallest of exclusives can drive immense traffic. Spread the word on sites like N4G and you may be surprised how many of the big sites such as Eurogamer, VG24/7 and Kotaku will link to you if you have an exclusive.

Banner ads

If you are getting 100 uniques a day, why plaster ugly ads on your site? You stand to make next to nothing financially and will drive potential returning visitors away. Even at 1,000 uniques a day, I would still question the value of incorporating ads until your traffic is much higher.

The biggest sites are typically funded by advertising – they can’t survive without it – and many subject their visitors to annoying in-your-face banners that detract from the content. This is an opportunity for small sites can gain a significant competitive advantage. By offering visitors an ad-free experience, your pages will be easier on the eye and quicker to load than your competitors.

Final thoughts

Don’t fall into the trap of copying other sites – take a step back and evaluate everything. Be different!

Christmas drinks

Philip Morton — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:17:24 +0000

On Sunday, 11th December 2011 at 1pm

At The Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell Green, London

We plan on having an informal chat over a few drinks. If you run, write for or are otherwise involved in a videogames website, please come along and say hi. You don’t have to have been before either. Site owners, editors, staff writers, freelancers, budding journalists, designers, developers and anyone else with an interest is more than welcome.

If you think you might make it or have any questions, let us know via Twitter or email.

Back to Manchester

Philip Morton — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:38:08 +0000

On Saturday, 27th August 2011 at 12:30pm

At the Trof pub, 8 Thomas Street, Manchester

If you can’t find us, we’ll have a yellow book on our table.

If you think you might make it or have any questions, let us know via Twitter or email.

Summer social

Philip Morton — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:05:35 +0000

On Sunday, 24th July 2011 at 12 noon.

The Euston Tap, 190 Euston Rd, London.

If you can’t find us, we’ll have a bright yellow book on our table.

We plan on having an informal chat over a few drinks. If you run, write for or are otherwise involved in a videogames website, please come along and say hi. Site owners, editors, staff writers, freelancers, budding journalists, designers, developers and anyone else with an interest is more than welcome.

If you think you might make it or have any questions, let us know via Twitter or email.

E3 2011 meetup

Philip Morton — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:56:39 +0000

On Thursday, 9th June, at 8pm

The bar in the Hotel Figueroa (the one with the massive Skyrim advert on it), 939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles

We’ll be at E3 2011 this year in force, so come and say hi!

If you think you might make it, let us know via Twitter or email.

Questions? Feel free to email us.

Please note: In case you were wondering, unlike the other events at E3, we can’t provide drinks free of charge. We might buy you a drink if you ask nicely though!

(Almost) summer social

Philip Morton — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:48:26 +0000

On Sunday, 15th May 2011 at 1pm.

The Porterhouse pub, 21-22 Maiden Lane, London.

If you can’t find us, we’ll have a bright yellow book on our table.

If you think you might make it or have any questions, let us know via Twitter or email.

Spring social

Philip Morton — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:31:08 +0000

On Sunday, 27th March 2011 at 1pm.

The Porterhouse pub, 21-22 Maiden Lane, London.

If you can’t find us, we’ll have a bright yellow book on our table.

If you think you might make it or have any questions, let us know via Twitter or email.

March Manchester meetup

Philip Morton — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:24:41 +0000

On Sunday, 6th March 2011 at 1pm.

Common pub, 41 Edge St, Manchester

If you can’t find us, we’ll have a bright yellow book on our table.

If you think you might make it or have any questions, let us know via Twitter or email.

Post-Christmas drinks

Philip Morton — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:52:03 +0000

On Sunday, 30th January 2010 at 1pm.

McGlynn’s Free House, 1-5 Whidborne Street, London.

If you can’t find us, we’ll have a bright yellow book on our table.

If you think you might make it, let us know via Twitter or email.

Questions? Feel free to email us.

Nintendo 3DS event meetup

Philip Morton — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:43:18 +0000

On Wednesday, 19th January 2011, at 4pm.

Amsterdam, in the press area outside the conference event.

There’s a Nintendo 3DS event in Amsterdam and we’re going to be there.

We plan on having an informal chat over a few drinks after the event. If you run, write for or are otherwise involved in a videogames website, please come along and say hi. Site owners, editors, staff writers, freelancers, budding journalists, designers, developers and anyone else with an interest is more than welcome.

Our host in Amsterdam are the guys at Game People. Let them know via Twitter if you’re going.

Questions? Feel free to email us.