A game’s Steam page (or any platform, for that matter) is crucial as it can influence potential players to wishlist and buy your game. Although setting one up can be quite overwhelming, especially to newcomers, due to its many elements, it’s essentially a fundamental part of launching your video game on the most accessible platform. This article will summarize the important points if you’re setting up your first (or next) game Steam page, so keep reading!
The Steam Funnel
Before we head to the tips, you need to understand what the Steam funnel is. Marketing can be visualized as a funnel, with casual interest at the top and a purchase at the bottom:
Impression is when someone sees your game’s capsule/image somewhere on Steam when they’re browsing.
When they click the image that directs them to the Steam page, it becomes a click-through rate, also known as CTR.
Once they land on your fully loaded game page, this is a visit.
If they like your game after seeing the page, they can then wishlist or purchase, a conversion.
It’s important to note that impression is something that’s rather hard to control, but not impossible. Its algorithm is highly dependent on each player’s game preference, or when you’re participating in an event on Steam. One way to catch the potential players’ attention is by making your game capsule stand out.
Now, the question is, when should you start focusing on your Steam page to increase the chances of getting wishlisted?
When To Set Up Your Steam Page
Once your game is ready to be shown to the public, or when there will be a major announcement, you should start working on your Steam page. In short, the answer to this is as soon as possible so that people can get directed from external sources (social media promotion) or funneled from Steam itself. However, you must note that setting up a page years in advance with a few wishlists could potentially be harmful. Set up a realistic timeline for your game development with plenty of key milestones along the way, and you’ll be good to go!
Aside from the game’s official website (if there is one), players should be able to find all the information about your game on the Steam page. This is particularly important for content creators or influencers who come across your game, because they may be able to promote it even before you start marketing efforts. From there, you can direct them to your social media accounts outside of Steam. The earlier you set up your page, the better your chances of getting more wishlists!
How To Improve Your Steam Page
There are a few points to which you need to pay attention when you’re setting up your Steam page, from the text, image, as well as other social links so that all information on your game is published in the same place. In this part, we will give you some tips, from the top to bottom.
Header and screenshots
These are essentially the very first thing player sees in your page, which needs to show what your game is as a whole to hook them. The header (or capsule image) on the right usually includes an iconic character and the game logo/title that should be easily seen and understood from the color scheme and asset positioning. Many game developers debate this little detail because people tend to identify with faces but, ultimately, this image represents your game at a glance. It’s very important as it will show up in a list of games alongside other titles, so you need to make sure it catches the eye!
For the screenshots, we recommend including no more than two short videos (including a trailer) in the list. If you’re adding a video, make sure to show the gameplay in the first 3 seconds so that players can immediately know what the gameplay is about. You need to capture their interest in how it plays immediately. Be sure to showcase different areas and features to effectively highlight your game's content in the screenshots!
Short description
Located right below the header, this part is extremely crucial according to No More Robots’ Mike Rose as it should contain a hook and a kicker to captivate your players - something that people are already familiar with, but with a twist. For example, “Studio Ghibli meets zombie survival”. Ideally, a short description should also include the game’s genre, subgenre, or the overall experience of the game. You can take a look at one of our clients’ games: Ghost On The Shore’s description where they describe what the players can expect from the game:
Tags
After the short description, you can see several tags that are associated with the game. It includes genre, online/offline information, single or multiple player information, visual style, mood/theme, and so on. Tags are really important in terms of helping people find the game, which can be incredibly useful for Steam searches and recommendations. Ensure to have a strong variety of categories; the genre, subgenre, how people play the game (controller or keyboard), whether it’s singleplayer or multiplayer, the artstyle, the tone etc.
Long description
After you’re finished with the top area, you can now elaborate further, with more screenshots, gifs, or art related to the game! The long description can be used to provide a list of contents in your title, additional pieces of information, press reviews, and key features. To add more visuals outside of the screenshot list, you can take an example of one of our clients, Over the Alps, where we add more images of the game in the Key Features section in the long description as well as a roadmap. Having a key features section can help in breaking down the game in a more detailed way to provide a better understanding of your game to the players!
Links to socials
Before this update, indie devs could add and customize social media links in the long description. Previously, it was preferable to do this so players could be exposed to your other channels, such as Discord, Twitter, or even your game’s official page. Now that Steam have updated the policy, you no longer can add those in the description, only in the socials section on the right here:
Even so, make sure to include all of your social media channels there!
Reviews and accolades
As mentioned above, if your game has been positively reviewed by the press before during, or outside of events, make sure to put this as well to boost your recognition! Even early preview quotes or logos will be a huge help in proving your worth.
Localization information
If your game will be released in multiple languages, make sure to include this as well in the languages section! It’s worth translating your Steam page into multiple languages as early as possible as those are missing players you’re not reaching, otherwise.
Controller support
Similar to number 7, if your game supports other controllers, don’t forget to put up this information as well!
We hope that our short guide helps in upgrading your game’s Steam page to the next level. Of course, feel free to contact us if you’re unsure on any of these points and we can help guide you on them in more detail!