So you have started to get yourself a small, but not insignificant following on Twitch (or perhaps you have gone down the Mixer route instead). The viewer numbers are starting to grow, and you are wondering what you should do next to make sure you capitalize on your burgeoning viewership? Well, there are a few things that should be at the top of your list, should you want to turn your gaming into something slightly more significant than the hobby that it currently is, but the most important one is to lock down your brand identity with a website.
Your website as a central hub
It is a great idea for small to medium-sized Twitch streamers to have a website. The reasons for this are two-fold. Firstly, it can become a place for new viewers to find out where all of your content resides online. If someone finds your Youtube videos, you want them to also easily be able to find your Twitter or Snapchat account. If they found you on Twitch, you will probably want them to also follow you on social media at some point, and what better way to have all of your online footprints in one place, than owning your own website. These days, with so many options for cheap web hosting on offer, anyone who is looking to take their game streaming to the next level should be looking at owning their website, and making it as easy as possible for fans to consume their brand.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
The bigger the online footprint, the bigger the visibility
Which leads us nicely on to the second reason that you should be thinking about owning a website. With so much money involved at the top end of game streaming, you really should be looking to make your brand as visible as possible whenever someone searches for anything close to you or your brand name. The easiest way to do this, as well as being active on various social media platforms (which you should engage with in the same way any business would), is to have a website, and preferably one that you update from time to time. An active website, similar to an active social media account, will help your brand climb the all-important Google rankings, bringing more visibility to you and your stream, and if your content is worthy, bring in more ‘eyeballs’. There is also the added bonus of being able to monetise your website too with banner ads, which is always a good thing, especially when your viewership gets into the tens of thousands (which is when the amount you should receive from this advertising becomes quite significant).
Nail down your online brand
Finally, those that don’t take the right steps to push their brand as far and wide as possible, can run the risk of having another streamer (or company) take their name and do it instead. If you happen to have a rather catchy name, it is best to get your brand to be ‘front and centre’ of any online discussion surrounding the name, thus putting off any would-be ‘name-thieves’, or URL squatters (yes, there are people out there who make a living from buying URLs that brands desire). As your brand becomes more notorious, the chances of this happening increase exponentially, so get that website nailed down quickly, even if you don’t plan have much else on the site other than a few links to your stream and Twitter account. You can always spend more time on it later when it becomes necessary. Once it is done, and you have all the basics set up, you can get back to creating the content which got you noticed in the first place, streaming your gaming sessions!
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