Hello, I am coming to this board with a problem. Recently I started FreePacMac . net and although the site is doing OK I have no idea how to promote it. It isn't an arcade site like most others it is more of a throwback to classic games. The site averages about 30 uniques and is about 15 days old. Most traffic is from type-ins, a couple google and yahoo searches, and I actually just got my first stumble review today. Basicly my question is how can I grow the site without spending a ton of money? I can't see articles working but I am working on link exchanges and the like. Any ideas? Thanks
Arcade topsites programs are a good place to start. You're competing in a saturated marketplace . . . breaking in will likely be pretty tough. Good luck.
Yeah old school arcades are not that niche, there are alot of them out there. Experiment with keywords and you can advertise to a niche when they search.
SEO work is the best you can do to get traffic without pay.. if you do it yourself. Organic traffic is always the best. Try to optimize your site as much as possible and submit your site to as many directories as you can.
If you are decent at flash programming, make a fun little game and get the word out. People who like your game, will probably come to your site to see your other available games.
join a couple of forums and post in places like general chat a link to a good game saying you just found it and add a link to your site aswell seems a little spammy but people will atleast check the game out.. there is also a ton of sites you can drop a link to a game search google for something like "game link dump" also tons of " i am bored" sites you can submit a link to also write a good press release and submit to free submission sites (if its good you will probably get a couple of free post on blogs)
you could make a bunch of flyers and hand them out at a computer party, or a high school, or a computer programming class, or anything other place nerds hang out.
There´s many methods you can use to promote your niche gaming site. The most cost effective would probably be social bookmarking. It will bring in the kids, who will remember your site.
i submitted a game to stumbleupon just after posting the post above and now the game has received 700 visits
StumbleUpon traffic can be extremely patchy and unreliable - one day its 700 visits, the next its 7 - that said, it is free traffic, but just don't rely on it to be steady. If you want to boost your SU traffic, perhaps try places like http://www.stumblexchange.com and http://www.avuw.com The bare basics you want to look at are banner exchanges such as http://www.funklicks.com , http://www.moregamers.com and http://www.arcadebanners.com You could also try out link dumps such as http://www.leenks.com If you know your stuff then, as mentioned, strong SEO and the potential resultant SERP placements can be a major boost. If you are looking to pay for promotion, then i've always found Adengage to be a good option - you can pick up some bargain ad placements. Generating traffic for your arcade site is relatively easy, the trick is in trying to keep them on your arcade and have them coming back regularly. A good selection of games, nice design, a forum, blog etc are all enhancements which could help acheive this - in addition to such things as user scoreboards, contests etc. Before any of that, however, you need to know your market and your competition - just run a search in google for "flash arcade" and you'll see what you're up against. Retro arcades are a dime a dozen (as are all arcades these days) - so you need to look at your site and ask yourself how it stands out from the crowd. Personally i'd recommend ditching your current format and going with an arcade script such as http://www.phparcadescript.com Hope this helps
I really don't want to litter my site with banners and links but I will try some of the methods you mentioned. I also get most traffic from type-ins so people do come back to the site. I don't really want just a standard arcade, I kinda like the retro feel and I feel that arcades are a way oversaturated market without a niche. I did not know that there were so many retro arcades. Where are the most popular ones?
I would suggest moving forth on your game idea on a niche audience. So you would have something comprehensive to offer to the public. You might want to do some research on what others offer and see your advantages. Advertising brings the traffic, but sustaining the traffic you will need somewhat of a pitch or an advantage.
I had an idea that I could use some feedback on.: I have made a remake of a game with a good amount of searches each month. I made the game avaibable for download and in the game I placed a link to my site. What do you think about this idea?
banner exchanges are the best source for starting out arcades... litter your site full of them and you will get a nice amount of traffic. blitzgamer uses these quality banner exchanges. http://www.blitzgamer.com/index.php?WEBMASTERS Good luck. _Zack