Help Needed Optimizing an Online Games Website

[Dakoom]

Hey there guys. So I have this website [URLnf="http://giochi.klayz.com"]here[/URLnf]

It is a gaming portal where there are a lot of free games you can play. I translate the games feed from english to italian.
I have to say that there are already a lot of portals like that in Italy.
Anyway, when I first put it online (in 2005-06) I was receiving from it something like €70 in four-five months (adsense). Now I have no visitors there, no matter how hard I try to optimize it or to make it fast or how many new games I post daily. Maybe you can suggest me something. Help me understand what is wrong with that. Last thing I did was to try adding the schema tags to the games pages (but probably I did it wrong). As for performance it's pretty good, it load quite fast and it doesn't have problems.

 

[Steve32]

Your site hasn't got any problems and you're still applying Google adsense on it.
Have game descriptions written by you? or have you copied from any sources?

 

[Dakoom]

Hi Steve32, I personally write the game descriptions everytime I add them. I translate them from their original descriptions in english into italian language, and obviously for the most of it I always customize the descriptions adding some personal suggestions for the game itself (I short-try the game before publishing it).

The fun fact is that when it was converting I wasn't adding the game descriptions in Italian. I just used the original ones. This obvioulsy can make the website to post a lof of new games in a small amount of time, but they have an english description which is obviously duplicated. But maybe... Google doesn't care about this and he likes when I post a lot of new games daily. I don't know.

 

[SEOPub]

I have no idea why you would waste time with SEO on a site like that.

I would promote it through social media and just skip any SEO efforts.

 

[Dakoom]

I have no idea why you would waste time with SEO on a site like that.

Thank you for your post SEOPub, but please explain why.

I would promote it through social media and just skip any SEO efforts.

I already post the games on Facebook/Twitter/etc. randomly. Not everytime that I publish a new game or it will be too much stressful.

 

[Developer]

Hello Dakoom, and thank you for your post. Please please PLEASE do not take my post
as an insult or as me trying to sway you away from any passion you may have, as that
is NOT my intent...

Is it possible that the site may have simply run it's course and it's time to move on to a
more stable revenue generator?

Many things that worked back in 2005/2006, or hell, even as soon as just last year, are
not working anymore...

As an entrepreneur, being successful lies in the ability to know when to hold 'em and know
when to fold 'em, sort to speak.

It's quite possible, especially with a flash gaming site, that it's hay-day is gone, you know.

If you're truly passionate about reviving the site, perhaps it may be worthwhile to find
other similar sites and do some cross promotion...

And, if you are still truly passionate about it, you have to run out there and tell, no SCREAM,
to the world about the site. Promote it EVERYWHERE you go. Get others just as excited about
it as you are...

I have to be honest though, 10 years ago, I could easily see that section being popular, but
not a days, especially with the evolution of smart phones and the like, I do not see flash games
being as successful as they once were. Too many people pulling up much better games on their
phones, tablets, etc...

If "I" were running that site, and again Dakoom, this is just MY opinion, I am NOT trying to deter
you from going after YOUR dreams or aspirations, BUT, if it were MY site, I would take the time
and spend it promoting something that I KNOW is working today.

Again Dakoom, please understand that I am not trying to deter you from doing anything that you
are passionate about. I am just giving an honest, unbias opinion.

 

[Dakoom]

Sure, and I surely appreciate your sincerity, Developer! Thank you a lot to you for your beautiful post!
I also completely understand what you mean. But... well, I have to ask you this: what do you thinks IS working today then?

Let me write down a short background of what I did for now: I created this websites network called Klayz. There I have this gaming portal at giochi.klayz, a community made with pretty old software at klayz/community (vB 3 - old, but it truly offers everything for users, and I modernized it a little bit with some custom mod), a general articles portal that I have at articoli.klayz where I post every type of articles (from web design to music, etc.), some free online tools at tools.klayz (where I have a script where users can evaluate the cost and value of any website, plus a seo tool that automatically generate a seo analysis for website, etc.), and then I also have a more "funny" portal still done with WP where I post sometimes some funny collections of pics, videos, etc. at divertente.klayz. With all these things I still get something like a max of 200 visits per day. I already optimized all these websites for SEO and for a better performance. Plus I'm also working on them on a daily basis to try to optimize them all more and more (you know, you never finish doing this). And unless I have a really bad taste, I think that the look of all of these is pretty good. But, as said... I get a really slow amount of visits. Maybe I just have to wait... I'm still a one person working on it. Now I started paying someone to post more articles, plus I have some collaborators in the community... but I really don't know what to do.

I know the rule is "never give up", but I'm pretty stressed right now.

edit: I also post on a daily basis on the social networks... even if I have not so much contacts. For FB I have something like 2500 friends, for Twitter and or Linkedin I have less.

 

[Developer]

Developer

Let me ask you this... what is it EXACTLY that you want to do? You seem to be all
over the place (and trust me when I say, of all people, I can CERTAINLY relate)...

But, if you had to pick "1" thing, 1 thing only, to be successful at with your site,
what would that 1 thing be?

Once you have given that questions some LONG thought and determined what that
1 thing is... go with THAT and ONLY that. Once that 1 thing has become successful,
then, and only then, try adding something else to the picture.

By focusing on just 1 thing at a time, you should find that

(A) you can focus more clearly (as it is only 1 thing)
(B) it will be easier to see if it is working or not
(C) you will be able to find out (much easier) what DOES work and what does NOT

Focusing on the 1 area will also enable you to spend ALL your time on that 1 aspect
which will (a) increase your productivity and (b) tell others that you are serious about
what you are doing...

The first thing I think of when I see your site is "damn, this guy is confused"... In all
honesty.

I honestly feel that you will do better narrowing down on just "1" area and focusing
solely on that area, giving it 1,000% instead of trying to spread yourself thinly across
a plethora of areas or ideas.

Then, once you have achieved success with that area, you will then have a little more
experience under your belt to embark upon another journey (adding a new section to
your now successful site).

I have watched many successful entrepreneurs come up through the ranks, and one of
the things they ALL have in common is exactly what I just explained... They started off
by focusing on ONE area alone. Once they mastered that and became successful with it,
they then had the time, knowledge AND MONEY to try the next thing...

I know this may not be what you want to hear, but I strongly suggest you take a step
back and sort of start things over again. You said yourself, your traffic at this point is
minimal, so, you will not lose much by taking a step (or two or three) back and revising
your strategy and setting an achievable plan of attack.

If you're truly committed to being successful, you have to remember to treat this as a
business... Even get some sort of business plan going so you can measure your level
of success at anytime as well as stay focused by resorting back to your business plan
when things seem to be going astray again.

You have to remain focused and disciplined in that you have to focus on the one faucet
you decide upon and STICK with IT and ONLY it...

And remember, taking a step back is NOT a sign of failure, it is a true sign of LEARNING
and anytime you can say "I learned something today" you are also saying "I've succeeded".

Just my 2¢, take it or leave it, but that is what I would do at this point.

If you're interested in having someone "coach" you along the way, send me a PM and provide
me with your email address. I'd be happy to help you out in any way I can.

 

[Dakoom]

Thank you a lot Developer, it's hard to find good people in the internet*in these days, but this is the case. Thank you again! I really appreciated your post, once again.