Players would be surprised to know how much effort is required to build a successful online casino. And how much effort does it take to create a new design on top of someone’s white-label? Tremendous amount of money, time, and professionals. Today, we explore the key principles for creating a complex gambling site template or website.
The difference between grey and white brands in design
In conjunction with regulatory requirements, particularly those of authorities such as the UKGC, many UK players tend to seek more accessible options. What does it mean for design specifically?
The overall idea behind the site must be clear, adaptive, but still entertaining. Casinos not on GamStop have a more vibrant design than regulated ones with regional authorities. Also, I advise you to check the list of casinos not on Gamban to compare these to the most popular online casinos that operate under the UKGC license.
The main point difference between these gambling sites includes:
- Vibrant design integration with simple animations
- Gamifications for daily login
- Adaptive design for mobile browsers
- Customizable icons for mobile and desktop
- Game library with customizable canvas
All these points can also be part of the design of regulated casinos, but the most likely scenario is that you can’t see their fancy animations, because the main purpose of these sites is a fast downloading speed.
Design and interface
The aesthetics are important, something that many platform operators often dismiss or do not pay much attention to. Your home page is your first impression. Try to avoid using a lot of colors and animations, flashing lights, and popping windows. It may work for land-based casinos, but when we talk about online gambling, keep in mind that users will stay for hours staring at their laptop or smartphone screens. Too bright and dazzling a display will make them tired, leading them to leave your site for good.
Smooth navigation and UX
Your site needs to not only look unique and easy on the eyes, but it also needs to be easy to navigate and fully equipped with necessary and simple-to-use UX elements. Players need to be able to find what they are seeking quickly. Smooth and simple process of registration, intuitive interface, and useful tools for optimized search, like filters, video guides, etc. The user must be able to navigate your site as if it were their place.
Promotions and special events
Welcome bonuses and special promotions, like slots tournaments in collaboration with prominent game providers, are good reasons for players to sign up for your platform. Make sure that these promotions are well displayed, without hiding crucial terms that may impact players’ decisions to stick with your platform. Once they feel deceived, you will never see them again. A lot of online casino operators offer generous bonuses for signing up to the platform, but wager requirements turn out to be impossible to meet by users, leading them to frustration and leaving them for good.
Mobile optimisation
More and more players choose mobile devices to play and to bet through online platforms. An increase in the number of online stakes that has been noticed lately is coming from mobile players. Your site must be fully responsive for both types of screens, without changing the levels of UX quality.
The mobile version will also be designed differently; the menus must fit in smaller screens, and the necessary buttons to be placed on one side of the site so the user can navigate the site with one hand.
Customer support
Your client needs to have 24/7 access to your customer support team, better via live chat, so they can reach you any time they’re facing difficulties while playing, depositing, or withdrawing their winnings.
Live chat should be available for unregistered users also, since some players may have questions that need to be answered before they proceed with registration and first deposits. Plus sufficient and responsive team creates a better first impression on someone who is seeking for reliable gambling platform.
A variety of payment options
Security of transactions is the number one factor for most of the players, which must be easy and fast as well. A wide variety of payment options, such as e-wallets, bank transfers, and blockchain, is a good reason for players to choose your platform. It’s important to notify the users about the personal data that is required to be shared with the platform, the process of ID verification, which needs to be completed before the first withdrawal. Not all users are aware of these obvious surface-level rules. You need to establish a balance between security requirements and players’ privacy, which will help you to avoid possible scammers but keep players interested in continuing to play at your platform.
Licensing
One thing that catches the eye, especially of an experienced player, is the license that the site operates under. Licensed casinos do not hide the data related to the license. The authority’s insignia is usually placed in a visible part of the front page, and by clicking it, players can find the number and its validity period.
Long-term goals and market research
The reason why so many online bookies and casino operators didn’t pass the test of time, and had to close so quickly, lies in a lack of understanding of what their client expects from online gambling, and who they are in a nutshell.
Smart questions provide smart answers. What you need to ask yourself before starting a business like online betting or a casino platform is where you’re aiming? Make profit, increase your brand awareness, or capture market share?
Secondly, you must make some effort to get to know your clients and what they expect from you. Fast payouts, big game variety, or sports events?
And last but not least, you need to set the budget and limits you can operate with. Without knowing your boundaries, you won’t be able to understand your possibilities on the market.
Market research is a necessary condition to start any business, especially when it comes to the highly competitive field of iGaming.
Possible mistakes to avoid
Don’t fall into the trap, like many online platforms do, by dismissing certain clients’ needs that can damage your reputation.
- Prolonged registration process, with extensive forms that require a lot of personal details. No one is ready to spend more than 2 minutes of their time to create an account, providing more personal details than is required for the sake of signing the form.
- Lack of an optimized mobile version, an advanced edition for smartphones is crucial for most of the players; your website needs to be easy to navigate from any device.
- Fast complaint response, regardless of how much you try to keep and listen to your client, there will always be a negative comment that you will find online. Many rating sites, like Trustpilot, AskGamblers, and Casino Guru, provide an opportunity for platform owners to provide their official responses to their unhappy customers. Don’t neglect them. Not only does it make your platform seem more reliable, but the unhappy clients will help you to understand your flaws better and improve them accordingly.
Does the right design mean better SEO?
A fast, stable, and well-constructed website that operates smoothly with all internal processes optimized properly receives high scores from Google. As long as visitors are willing to stay at your site, navigating, playing, and investigating promotions, the Google scores will read it as more reliable and will push them to the top. Seamless experience on mobile devices also plays a positive role in this process, helping you to reach top positions.