Here is some of what we have learned in the past about marketing your site. This is by no means an exhaustive list, we are still adding to it.
- Sign up to TopLists
You can sign up to toplists. A list can be found on the resource page, link is in the menu.
This will allow people who are looking for arcades, to look at a list of arcades and they may chose yours by chance, or if your in 1st position. You will get more clicks than others.
Remember, Even if you don't get many hits form the toplist, others are linking to it.
This means search engines will also spider your site, because it is listed.
- Sign up to Link Exchanges
You will find link exchanges on peoples arcades, they are a great way to gain traffic. People who are already on arcades, may click on your link.
There are link exchanges though that help webmasters exchange links with many many sites at once. Here is one for example:
We are looking for more to add to the list.
The higher pr the site, the more PR added to your site goes the theory. You will also get search engine traffic through these links.
- Sign up to banner swaps
These display your banner on other peoples websites. The more clicks you send them, the more you get in return (or something like that).
Check out the list in the resource page elsewhere on this site.
These are a great way to get traffic in, although the visitors may not stay. You should keep your banner up, to keep swapping traffic with other sites.
- Get Listed In Arcade Directories
These are like search engines, but they are in categories, and people browse through them.The best directory is ours of course but there are other arcade oriented though, and we are building a list of them. Again, the link is in the menu
Then of course there are non arcade oriented ones such as these:
- Submit To Search Engines
By submitting yourself to a search engine, the search engine knows that you want to be spiderd, and adds you to its list.
Will submit you to many search engines for free. (ONLY SUBMIT ONCE EVERY 2MONTHS OR SO.)
- Social Networking Sites
Sites like digg.com and del.icio.us can bring in good traffic. You can bookmark your own, and trade bookmarks with other site owners. There are a few places where you can buy the services of people to bookmark your site as well.
- Get a sitemap going
These are a list of all the items on your site, with a URL to where they go to.
You can submit this to Google sitemaps, or to MSN submit. To get your pages listed.
- Get an RSS feed going
Most new arcade scripts have an RSS feed built in already. If yours does not, we can help add one, or you can upgrade to a script that already does. One way or another, get it going, and register it.
- Bribe Big Webmasters
I have managed to bribe some big website masters, into linking to me in exchange of designs (when i did them), or PHP scripting. In return, they put me a link on their site. High traffic websites, bring lots of search engines, and they will come visit you as well.
- Paid advertising
You don't need to pay for advertising to succeed. It does help though. Many sites never ever paid for advertising, yet are getting many visitors each day. MySpace & Google never advertised either, they are big. So advertising may help you, but you got to get the right advertisement to the right place.
- Classified ads
Find classified ads in various free ad sites. We are working on a list, if you have a favorite site, please send it to us.
- Forum/blog/MySpace/etc profiles/signatures.
When you sign up for a forum/blog/MySpace/Yahoo/etc, put your site in the profile/signature. Every time you post in a forum that allows you to do so, it puts a link for people to read. Same for most blogscripts. Search engines also pick them up.
- Fresh content.
We can not stress this enough, UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! Search engine spiders love fresh food, feed them. Get new games. Expand your site with new ideas. GROW. This keeps the visitors from growing bored, and feeds the search engine spiders.
Here is a list people have submitted. I have not tried them all, but it may be worth the look at them at least.
If you have more to add, please forward them to me.
- Make or sponsor a game
Make or sponsoring a game, and then distributing it, is one of the best ways to promote your arcade. Submit it to other arcades, and to portals like our own. Expect more info on this soon.
- Learn learn learn.
These are not an exhaustive list, learn more ways. Hang out with people who are doing the same. Talk new ideas out and test some of them. Here is a list of sites to try, it is not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination:
If you have an idea, or would like to add to these, please let us know.
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