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Portal Preparation – Key Considerations Before Launching Your Portal

Feb 18 2024

Are you a motivated manager looking to create a new game portal that satisfies a range of business objectives? Do you aim to enhance users’ engagement, attraction, and retention rates?

Well, before jumping into launching your new game portal, there are multiple important considerations to bear in mind. There are things you should know before preparing games and if you want to start a new platform but don’t know much about how they work, this article tries to serve as a guide.

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By having the essential tips mentioned in this article on mind, this tutorial will give you a comprehensive knowledge on how to create a long-lasting gaming portal that supports your digital business objectives, whether it’s through audience research, technological considerations, or user-centric design!

Understanding Your Audience

Know Your Audience Inside Out

Understanding and identifying your portal’s target audience is a crucial step before launching your game portal. In fact, having a thorough understanding of those you aim to serve with your product or service can enable you to deliver the most suitable content for them.

The significance of this lies in the fact that by fully comprehending your target audience, you can gain insights into their preferences and interests. Such demographic information encompasses factors such as age group, cultural backgrounds, geographical locations, and more.

For instance, this information can reveal that “strategic” games are more popular among the older age group, while the children’s age group tends to prefer games that demand a high speed of action.

Moreover, considering the broad spectrum of interests within the gaming community is essential. Some individuals may be drawn to competitive gameplay, while others may prioritize social interactions. Recognizing and accommodating these diverse preferences can contribute to creating a more inclusive and engaging gaming experience for your audience.

Embrace Diversity

Another crucial aspect that deserves special attention is the players’ cultural diversity.

Culture not only influences the “game’s narration” and “visual features” but also shapes the expectations and values that players anticipate from your portal.

Certainly, games that cater to the needs and preferences of customers by incorporating cultural elements are likely to enjoy a broader reach and a more positive reception among players. Therefore, when planning the design of a portal or creating a game, it’s crucial not to overlook the importance of cultural diversity.

One method to modify your gaming content to suit your target audience’s cultural tastes, is to use the localization service your game provider offers (if they ever offer that service.)

As a part of our services, we offer the perfect localization service which ensures your game portal will not offend your audience’s cultural beliefs.

Don’t Forget About Accessibility & Inclusivity

Recognizing that players have varying physical and mental abilities, it’s essential to ensure inclusivity in your portal design. As everyone has the right to play, strive to incorporate accessibility options in both game selection and portal design.

Look for games that not only offer attractive gameplay and visual elements but also provide multiple accessibility features, facilitating better interaction for players with disabilities.

Some of these features include Colorblind mode, adjustable font size and alternative input schemes.

Moreover, when crafting your portal’s UI/UX, keep accessibility in mind.

Being mindful of this issue will assist you in retaining the engagement of players with disabilities on your portal.

 

 

Strategic Considerations

Balance Your Budget

Undoubtedly, the budget is a crucial factor for the success of your portal for evident reasons.

It serves as a roadmap, guiding you on where to allocate financial resources within your project.

Neglecting to pay attention to and carefully plan your budget can result in overspending, posing a potential threat to the long-term survival of your portal.

Various strategies exist to attract a larger audience, each demanding financial resource.

Expenses such as collaborating with influencers and organizing in-game events are anticipated costs during the launch of your portal.

As a result, careful budgeting is key to navigating these expenditures and ensuring the sustained success of your platform.

As commonly understood, the quality of products and marketing efforts can decline without a sufficient budget.

Therefore, finding a balance between the budget and expected expenses is crucial to optimize resource utilization and boost the visibility of your portal within the target audience.

To prevent overspending, one approach is to look for quality and on-purpose game bundles that can save you a lot of time and money. Another option is bulk ordering, which simply means the more games you purchase, the more discount you’ll receive.

Monetization Comes First

In any case, the primary objective of any business is to generate more income, and managing a game portal is no exception to this rule. There are various ways to monetize your business model, and as a manager of a new game portal, it’s essential to carefully assess and choose the method that best aligns with your business goals.

However, you’re not limited to only one monetization method. You can use multiple approaches if it suits your business.

• In-app payments (IAP)

This method involves the exchange of real money for in-game items, and can be enticing. Nevertheless, it’s essential to prioritize presenting this option in a manner that enhances rather than compromises the enjoyable gameplay experience.

The IAP method is particularly well-suited for games with high engagement levels, characterized by captivating gameplay. This approach allows you to enhance the overall player experience by offering improvements in exchange for in-app payments.

• The Free-to-Play (F2P) 

This method is an alternative means of generating income from games, enabling you to earn revenue through player clicks and ad views.

However, a drawback of this method is the potential negative impact of excessive and intrusive ads. Such ads may result in decreased user engagement and the risk of losing your existing player base.

• Subscription Method

Another approach is the subscription method, providing a consistent income stream. This method proves most beneficial for portals that consistently deliver up-to-date and exclusive content, offering premium features through a recurring subscription fee. However, it may not be a suitable choice for users seeking a one-time payment option.

 

Content is King

To offer a unique experience to your audience, it is essential to utilize high-quality content from reputable sources.

Before launching your portal, develop a plan to collaborate with well-known game developers and well-established studios.

Always conduct thorough research on the latest and trendiest games in the market before making any purchasing decisions.

Additionally, do not overlook the importance of offering a diverse range of game genres. A robust collection that spans various genres ensures that your portal caters to the diverse tastes within your target audience.

Paying attention to this aspect provides the assurance that your platform is responsive to the needs and preferences of different player segments with varied tastes.

When it’s time to purchase a new game, have a high expectation of the game’s graphics, storyline, and overall gameplay.

The greater the quality of the game you deliver, the more enhanced experience you will unquestionably offer to your users.

Visually appealing elements, a compelling and alluring narrative, and seamless gameplay will ultimately result in the loyalty and satisfaction of your customers.

 

Master the Portal’s Playbook

Generating income and attaining success for an online portal, akin to other digital enterprises, necessitates not only delivering top-notch products but also implementing effective marketing strategies to achieve optimal success and visibility.

A good SEO for a gaming portal is one of the crucial aspects for its success, encompassing content optimization and the strategic utilization of keywords, metadata, and backlinks to secure a high ranking in search results.

Equally vital is knowing how to effectively use in-game advertising for the maximum impact.

Nevertheless, the linchpin of successful marketing lies in fostering engagement, which stems from cultivating a lively community.

To foster such a community, it’s imperative to leverage social media, forums, and other communication tools to interact with users, address their concerns, and generate enthusiasm among them.

 

User-Centric Efforts

User Experience Matters

At the core, it’s all about keeping users happy. Prioritize their needs in every step of setting up your portal.

Because how users feel directly affects their satisfaction and loyalty to your gaming site, don’t overlook the importance of user-friendly design (UI) and smooth user experience (UX).

When users can easily explore menus, understand the layout, and use features without hassle, your portal becomes more accessible and popular.

Responsive controls are crucial too.

Annoyances caused by slow or unresponsive controls can spoil the fun for users and push them away. Make everything about your portal with the user in mind, from good visuals in the game to a user-friendly design for the platform.

This way, you’ll encourage users to spend more time on your site and keep coming back for more.

 

Encourage Community Engagement & Get Feedback

As previously mentioned, building and sustaining a lively community for your platform is the cornerstone of your portal’s success.

Consequently, we can assert that user feedback is a treasure trove of insights, offering direct information about users’ likes, dislikes, and preferences.

One aspect that hasn’t received enough attention is that an engaged and loyal community significantly prolongs the attractiveness of your games.

Moreover, a dedicated player base not only enhances word-of-mouth marketing but also establishes an effective cycle of continuous development and user retention.

 

 

Technological Considerations

For you as a portal manager, staying updated with industry’s trends is essential.

Preparing optimized games that work seamlessly with different platforms and being compatible with all devices, such as PCs, consoles, and mobile phones, will expand your portal’s reach and cater to a varied player base.

On the other hand, compatibility with different OSs, screen sizes and input methods will undoubtedly broaden your portal’s market appeal.

 

Don’t Forget About the Ethical Aspects of Gaming

For your portal to have a good reputation, ethical considerations have a significant role. Responsible monetization practices, e.g. avoiding exploitative microtransactions or pay-to-win mechanisms, show how committed you are to fair and transparent dealings with players.

It not only creates trust but also encourages a positive gaming environment. That’s specifically why you should prepare games from reputable providers.

Avoiding harmful content that could potentially affect players negatively is another equally important point. Prioritizing the well-being of the gaming community by implementing an effective content moderation and age-appropriate ratings shows you’re committed to ethical standards.

In any case, ethical approaches in the gaming industry are not just moral imperatives; they are strategic decisions that can significantly impact a portal’s success.

 

Long-Term Planning is a Must

Like any other means of entertainment, users will lose interest in your portal over a long period.

To avoid such disinterest, you’ll need constant updates, expansions, and fresh contents to maintain your users’ interest and appeal.

In the world of gaming, trends change rapidly and a comprehensive, working long-term strategy will ensure your portal’s survival.

With regular updates, you not only can fix existing bugs and introduce new features, but also keep the experience exciting and fresh. Carefully planned updates and providing players with new challenges and adventures will definitely contribute to your users’ longer stays.

It also shows how valued your users are to you. This approach also attracts new audiences who are looking for a platform with longevity and innovation.

We also have a dedicated article about how to keep your portal alive and thriving, written by our sales manager. Make sure to read that too.

 

Testing & QA Cannot be Overstated

Bugs happen. Those who create and purchase games, are all familiar with such a common issue. However, you should do your best to identify and address them.

To avoid bugs, and also to provide a seamless gaming experience for your portal players, you should invest your time and do a comprehensive quality assurance testing before purchasing the profitable games you deemed suitable.

Identifying and addressing bugs before publishing a game, ensures your entire portal’s stable and reliable foundation. Early bug detection will lead to a smooth gameplay experience, prevent glitches, crashes and other hiccups that can affect your users’ experience negatively.

As you already know, a poor user experience will translate into unfavorable reviews, and potentially prevents others from trying your games.

Don’t Fall Behind the Trends & Innovations

If you want your new game portal to prevail for long years, staying updated with market trends is a must. In order to keep your portal’s games relevant and appealing to your modern audience, you should always embrace emerging genres and gameplays.

When you actively participate in monitoring and tracking the gaming industry, you’ll be able to identify changes in players’ preferences, gaming mechanics, and technological advancements.

Long story short, when you pay attention to your portal’s constant innovation, you’ll not only ensure the continuous evolution of your game portal, but also set your game portal apart in a competitive market.

Conclusion