Leaderboard Maker: Create Custom Leaderboards Easily
Leaderboards have long been a staple in sports and education, serving as a great tool to motivate athletes and students alike. But these tools aren’t just for students — leaderboards are a game changer for businesses, too.
When used effectively, a leaderboard maker can boost engagement and performance within teams, for example, motivating a thriving sales manager. Tracking individual and team progress through leaderboards works great in driving healthy competition, encouraging employees to outperform their peers, and fostering professional growth.
Whether it’s motivating students or helping a team reach its targets, leaderboards have proven to be a versatile tool across industries. Read on to learn how to leverage a leaderboard maker and Bettermode's templates to playfully drive your team to success.
What is a leaderboard?
Leaderboards are a popular form of community gamification in which the top-performing members are displayed according to their contribution to the community. How rankings are determined depends on the values and priorities of the community, but they are typically the result of various actions that have been quantified into points.
Some examples of points-worthy activities include creating, replying or engaging with a post, visiting a new community, inviting other members to a community, and taking part in an online community forum. In most cases, administrators do not receive points for their activities and, hence, do not rank on the leaderboard.
Leaderboards and customer engagement
Like badges, leaderboards can encourage community member engagement but need to be handled carefully. Community managers should confirm that scoring aligns with their organization’s goals and monitor discussion around the leaderboard closely to ensure that it is not alienating lower-ranked members.
Bettermode's customer, WebinarNinja has built an active customer community, and they extensively use the leaderboard to recognize members as well as foster engagement.
How can leaderboards help grow online communities?
Here are some of the ways in which leaderboards can contribute to the growth and success of online communities:
1. Encourages competition
Leaderboards bring a competitive edge to online communities by creating a sense of rivalry among members. This helps to keep members active and motivated to perform better, thus increasing the level of engagement and overall activity within the community. The thrill of climbing up the ranks and being recognized as one of the top performers is a powerful motivator for many individuals and can lead to increased contributions and participation.
Duolingo's leaderboard is an amazing example of motivating customer community members through competition.
2. Fosters recognition and reward
Being recognized as one of the top performers on a leaderboard can be a source of pride and satisfaction for members. This recognition can act as a reward for their efforts, further increasing their motivation and drive to continue contributing to the community. Leaderboards can also help to establish a culture of recognition and reward within a community, where members are encouraged to celebrate each other's successes and accomplishments.
3. Improves transparency
Leaderboards can also improve the transparency of online communities by providing clear and objective criteria for ranking members. This allows community leaders and members to easily track progress and see who is contributing the most to the community. This transparency can also help to build trust among members, as it ensures that everyone has a clear understanding of how their contributions are being evaluated and rewarded.
4. Increases visibility
The presence of a leaderboard can also increase the visibility of online communities, as it attracts new members and showcases the top performers. This can help to grow the community and bring in new talent, which in turn can lead to new ideas and perspectives. This increased visibility can also help to establish the community as a valuable resource and attract the attention of potential sponsors or partners.
5. Facilitates collaboration
Leaderboards can also facilitate collaboration among members, as it provides a platform for members to connect with each other and work towards a common goal. The competition for higher rankings can drive members to collaborate and support each other, leading to greater cooperation and teamwork within the community.
How do you make your own leaderboard?
With Bettermode as your online leaderboard maker, you will create leaderboards within minutes. Here's how:
Step1 - Create a free Bettermode account
Just sign up with your email or Google account to get access to your free leaderboard maker.
Step 2 - Pick a leaderboard template
Create custom leaderboards from scratch or start with one of Bettermode's many templates available.
For this leaderboard example, we will use Basebook template, a user-friendly community leaderboard generator.
Step 3 - Customize your online leaderboard
As soon as you open the template, you will see a community platform with a leaderboard that is already made and located on the right side of the dashboard, under your profile section.
To begin customizing the platform and create a leaderboard, hit the "C" button to open the customizer.
Customize your new leaderboard
Bettermode enables you to find the leaderboard by opening the Side > Leaderboard section, or by clicking directly on the Leaderboard within the dashboard.
To set up the details you need for a friendly competition, go to the Settings icon next to the Leaderboard section.
Explore leaderboard generator settings
Leaderboard settings within Bettermode's online community include the following options:
- Naming the Leaderboard (eg Champions' Circle, Top Guns, The Glory Board)
- Deciding on the number of members to include (eg top 5, top 10)
- Enabling for the actual score to be visible
- Excluding the admins from the game.
Furthermore, you can select the spaces where your members will be considered for the leaderboard (choose from a dropdown menu).
Moreover, you are able to decide whether you are making the leaderboard that features the best members each week, month, or across the entire membership.
Name your community
Go to Settings > Site Settings to name your community.
Set up member settings
Go to People > Profile fields to set up member fields such as profile pictures, birthdays, and social media links to make the game more fun.
Step 4 - Moderate interpersonal settings
Bettermode helps you create leaderboards that are more than just competitions. You can add an event organizer and host live events with ready-made solutions for better community management. Leverage moderation settings to decide whether members can message each other or be flagged when needed.
Step 5 - Brand your community
Bettermode enables various branding features you can find under Appearance to make your space feel more like home.
Step 6 - Leverage analytics within the online leaderboard maker
Reports and analytics are fantastic tools and will help you edit the online leaderboard to motivate users even more.
Step 7 - Send out invitations
Send out invitations via email directly from Bettermode's online leaderboard generator and start hosting healthy tournaments from day one.
Conclusion
A leaderboard is a fun way to track scores and rank members based on their contributions to a community. It provides a clean look at top-performing members, motivating participation. Students love leaderboards for their competitive element, and they can serve as an effective engagement tool in any community setting.
A great example is WebinarNinja, a Bettermode customer that uses a leaderboard to foster an active community. Their scoring system motivates members to stay engaged, participate more actively, and build meaningful connections within the community. WebinarNinja's leaderboard is not just a way to display scores — it plays a vital role in shaping a thriving community.
Ready to start the spark and gamify your workplace?
Sign up and build your first leaderboard for free!
This article was originally published on June 16th, 2021, and was updated on November 3rd, 2024.
FAQ
What is a leaderboard?
A leaderboard is a visual display that ranks participants based on specific criteria, such as performance, points, or achievements. It’s commonly used in competitions, sports, games, and business settings to foster engagement and track progress by showing top performers in a ranked format.
How to make a leaderboard?
To create a leaderboard, follow these steps:
- Define the metrics (e.g., points, sales, hours logged)
- Select participants (e.g., players, employees, or students)
- Determine ranking rules - Establish how scores will be calculated
- Design the layout - Use Google Sheets or a leaderboard maker
- Update regularly - Keep the leaderboard dynamic with real-time updates
- Share with participants - Display it on dashboards, websites, or screens for participants to see their progress.
What is a leaderboard in games?
A leaderboard in games is a feature that ranks players based on their achievements, points, or progress in a game. It creates competition among players by showing how their performance compares with others, often encouraging them to improve. Leaderboards are commonly found in multiplayer games, mobile apps, or online competitions to track high scores or win/loss ratios.
What is a leaderboard banner?
A leaderboard banner is a type of online advertisement displayed across the top of a browser over a scoreboard.
