Remember when gamers were seen as nerdy guys in their 20s, whose complexion problems were second only to their lack of social skills in keeping them confined to darkened room playing fantasy adventure games?
How times have changed. Today, gamers are all around us. Grandparents play word games on their laptops, commuters wind down with a spin of the casino reels on the train home, sports fans would sooner play FIFA than head down the park
Indeed, according to some reports, the gaming market is overtaking both music and movies in terms of size and revenue. Those of an enterprising nature should be seeing a big opportunity at this point, and it’s true that the gaming sector offers plenty ways for developers and designers to find success.
However, in the internet era, you don’t have to be an expert in design or coding to get a slice of the pie. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, blog about it. If you’ve a passion for gaming, creating a gaming blog is a pleasure, not a chore. Follow these tips and your blog will soon be hauling in the traffic.
Specialise
Think of gaming along similar lines to movies, books or music. If you were blogging in these categories would you really want to go up against imdb or goodreads? For a personal blog, it’s far better to occupy a specific niche and easier to build a reputation and following. This might be RPGs, sports games or even casino games.
Offer something useful
The problem with blogs is that they can often turn into vanity projects. Blogging about what interests you is fine in that it adds authenticity, but it only works if it also provides something to visitors. That might be wit, wisdom, entertainment or inside information. For example, a gambler will find value in slots games guides while MOBA fans will be interested in streams or reports from a recent eSport tournament. It’s a basic principle of marketing in that you need to put yourself in the shoes of your visitor.
Don’t go crazy over Adsense
A common mistake among bloggers in general and gaming bloggers in particular is to assume they can monetize their blog and make a killing by diving into Adsense, and getting ads up all over the place. The only trouble is, it doesn’t. CPC is generally very low in the games sector, but the ads can be annoying enough to send visitors away for good. A few selected affiliate deals, on the other hand, can be seamlessly tied in to your content, for example through product reviews or game tutorials. They are less “in your face,” they add value to visitors and they can actually generate some returns.
Use video
Every gaming blog ought to have a YouTube channel. Gaming is a highly visual experience, so video content will attract visitors and increase traffic. But it also provides revenue opportunities. Just remember the golden rule that less is more – a five second ad at the start of the video won’t offend anyone. Interruptions every five minutes, on the other hand, will just lead to irritation and negative reviews.
