Conversions...

Why won't they Play my Game?

I've been researching how to convert users for my browser based game Battle Forces Online. Well the first thing I had to do was to deiced what a "conversion" meant. After much labor and hard thought (30 to 40 seconds) I came to the brilliant conclusion that there are 3 different things I want from players.

Players
I want players to hit my landing page and start playing the game. I consider a user who creates an account and adds a Blade to the battle field. I consider these my players.

Voters
In order to generate more players, I need players to vote on one or more listing sites. This seems to drive more users then any other action that I can do. This is a sort of secondary conversion as this can not be done by a user, but can be done by a player (person with an account).

Buyers
The hardest sell. There is/will be an upgrade feature which will allow players to purchase items within the game. A conversion would be getting a player to buy this item.

In my next post, I will follow up with how I can make modifications to my landing page to facilitate these conversions.

So How can I optimize the Landing Page

Large Images
Large images placed in the center of the page that contrast with the background draw the eye. Currently I have a large image that spans 75% of the landing page, I am going to restrucutre this to have the "Play Now" button in the middle of the page.

Contact Information
Potential players are much more comfortable when they know they can contact the developer or support team for the game. Since this is the case, I will add a send message form where users can send me a message and I get it via email.

Screenshots
Potential players love screenshots as do reviewers. I have screenshots on the page so I will keep them, however I must remember to not let them overshadow the "Play Now" button.

Registering
Registration should be as simple and as accessible as possible. I think I will add both a login and a register form to the entrance page.

Headline
Users will read the first headline on your page 90% of the time...what is mine?

Tracking
In order to test these changes, I plan on creating a folder called "Landing", I will then figure out which of the landing pages convert the best.

KISS
Keep it as simple as possible, classy but simple.

Interesting Items to Follow Up With:

• How to convert players to payers