If you are a web developer, one of your main motives for making a mobile game is to profit from it. Even if you are developing games out of pure love, the process is long and costly, so you should think about how to recover your investments.
There are numerous ways in which you can earn from mobile games. If it becomes popular and you’ve done monetization right, there’s room to make a lot of money.
So, check out our two cents on this matter and your bank account should start filling up quickly.
Make User Experience a #1 Priority
The only way you’re going to earn money from the games you make is to attract people to play them. Therefore, when thinking about monetization, make sure to prioritize user experience. If your monetization solutions are too intrusive, annoying, or impractical, you will start losing a lot of loyal and regular players. We’re not saying that it’s easy to balance between monetization and user experience, but it’s the only way to succeed.
Choose the Right Type of Ads
Not all kinds of ads are going to be accepted equally well by your players. The way to keep players happy and ensure they continue playing your game is to include ads that are relevant to them and that reward them for participating. Here are a couple of options to consider:
- Rewarded Videos
Rewarded videos are a great way to monetize your games and retain your players by helping them progress. Offer in-game items or hints to players if they choose to watch a video ad. This way, they will have a choice whether to do it or not, as well as to feel rewarded for their effort.
- Ad Banners
Ad banners are the oldest way of game monetization, but it is still a very effective method. If you manage to include a banner that is small enough to fit on the screen without obstructing the game itself, your users will not mind it and you will have a steady flow of cash coming in.
- Native Ads
This is the best choice to make as it is the least intrusive to players. Try to implement ads into your app in an organic way so that they are informative and appear to be a part of the game. Your profit might be lower but you will lose the least number of players this way.
Create Fair In-app Purchases
On average, less than 2% of mobile game users convert and make an in-game purchase. Not that they think virtual resources are useless, but in most cases, they are unreasonably expensive. Therefore, it is much better to put a lower price tag on virtual items in the game and have more conversions than vice versa. Any price point above $10 has shown to deter players.
Identify Your Target Audience
Who are you trying to reach with the ads you implement and with other monetization strategies? You need to analyze your target demographics and then act accordingly to maximize your success with them.
Combine Different Monetization Strategies
In order to have the best results, don’t implement just one strategy – combine more of them. This way, you will increase your chances of conversion if you do it right. Test different combinations and see which one has the fewest leaks in the funnel.