This post was most recently updated on September 5th, 2019
Just recently I ran across a study from comScore about how large the market is in the gaming industry. These games can either be flash, browser games, real-time strategy games, or massive multiplayer online games (MMOG) like Diablo or Final Fantasy.
This study was conducted in 2013 and they found out that there were about 671 million people who played an online pc game in a month. About 22% of those are avid gamers playing on a daily basis.
Bottom line is, the market is huge and the engagement is high. This is one of the main reason why publishers choose to do Flash game sites instead of entertainment or news sites – which are more content-demanding. But just like any other niche, there are still guidelines and policies to follow when monetizing your site.
Related Read: How to Monetize Game Sites with Ads
If you intend to use AdSense, then there are just two simple rules:
Rule #1: General rule is to make sure that your content is family-safe and of course, legal.
Your gaming sites should be free from any of the following items in the list below:
- Adult or any mature content not deemed family safe
- Content that promotes illegal activity or infringement of other’s legal rights
- Attacks and violence against any individual, group, or organization
- Copyrighted content, unless you’re given the necessary rights to display the said content
Your demographics depend on the type of games you have on your site. Regardless of the audience, the rule still applies.
Rule #2: Avoid misleading and deceptive ad implementation that can result in accidental clicks.
AdSense for Content can be implemented at least 150 pixels away from the game. Google considers this as the acceptable distance to minimize accidental clicks and invalid activity as the majority of the games sites require lots of mouse movement and clicks, and users can accidentally click on the adjacent ad.
Play buttons should be placed in an obvious location and should not lead to an interstitial ad page.
A more extensive list of the guidelines is available in the Google Terms of Service – Videos and Games policies.
These are the basic reminders to take note of when monetizing a game site. If you have any questions or you need expert advice on ad implementation, contact us for a free consultation today.
Kean Graham is the CEO and founder of MonetizeMore & a pioneer in the Adtech Industry. He is the resident expert in Ad Optimization, covering areas like Adsense Optimization,GAM Management, and third-party ad network partnerships. Kean believes in the supremacy of direct publisher deals and holistic optimization as keys to effective and consistent ad revenue increases.