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Landing Page
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Elements Of A Video Game Landing Page
October 11, 2021
An effective landing page is an essential component of any successful video game launch, for it’s the landing page that ultimately convinces prospective players to download or purchase the game. If you have a forthcoming game, here are the key elements that should be included in your game website’s landing page.
The Call to Action
The sole purpose of a video game landing page is to convince visitors to download or purchase your video game, and everything on the page is geared toward that specific purpose. As a result, the call to action is the first thing that you should consider when making the page. Nothing is more important than the button that leads to a download.
The call to action is a landing page’s equivalent of a salesperson’s close. It should be direct, clear, and encourage action (download, buy, etc.). This call to action also should never be overlooked, which makes its placement critical. The site should have one main call to action, and it should be above the fold. Above the fold means it appears on a visitor’s screen without scrolling down the page.
You might have a second call to action lower down the page for visitors who do scroll down, but no one should have to scroll in order to download your game. There should be a clear button or link right on the screen that makes it as simple as possible to download.
The Navigation Menu
Navigation is actually contradictory to a landing page’s purpose. A navigation menu shouldn’t be above the fold, and can even be absent from the page altogether.
Whereas navigation menus are useful in almost every other type of web page, they only detract visitors from downloading or purchasing a game when on a landing page. This is the one time you don’t want visitors learning more about your company or trying to contact you. Those links should be discreet and well below the fold, so people focus on the call to action.
In fact, you can just include a single link at the bottom of the page to your main home page. People who are truly interested in your company will search for that link, and they can find the information they want from your main page. Everyone else can focus on the landing page’s much more prominent call to action.
The Game’s Name
The name of the game is the other essential element that must be above the fold. The top of your landing page is a natural place to display the game’s name, but you might be able to find another suitable location depending on where your call to action is and how the page is laid out. As long as the name is clearly placed somewhere above the fold, any location is fine.
The Screenshots
Video games have become highly visual, and the most successful games now feature astounding graphics.
The best way to showcase your game’s graphics is with screenshots. Take images of your best visual elements, and post a few on your landing page. They’ll help keep people on the page because images have been shown to increase time-on-page, and you can place them below the fold so that people who scroll down have something to look at.
Counterintuitively, you should avoid posting videos of your game on the landing page. These won’t show the visual elements any better since a picture displays the full beauty of your artwork. Additionally, embedded videos can cause visitors to watch videos on a third-party platform. That takes them away from your landing page where they can download the game.
The Reviews
If your game has received reviews from anyone, proudly display those on your landing page. Where they go can vary depending on your game’s exact design, and you may even want to include a few in different areas if you have multiple reviews.
Moreover, you can include both reviews from well-known critics and aggregate reviews from users. All of these can help convince visitors of your game’s quality. Just make sure you update the reviews as your game receives new ones.
The Type of Game
Landing pages don’t need a lot of explanation on them because the primary focus is downloading and not providing information. Anyone who visits the page has likely already learned something about the game from another source.
Nevertheless, there are a few basic items that your landing page should make evident. The type of game and level of expertise required should be mentioned somewhere if the visuals and other elements don’t make these details plain.
Any Links to Other Games
If you have other games, links to them can be placed toward the bottom of the page. Near the navigational link is a good spot to put these links. The focus of the page isn’t to promote your other games, but this is sometimes an effective cross-marketing approach.
For help launching a video game, contact Xsolla.
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