WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to turn your website into an automated web traffic machine using the WordPress CMS platform.

So far, we have covered the following in this series:

In Part 1, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is publish content on a regular basis to start generating new traffic!)

In Part Two, we discuss critical setup decisions. We help you understand the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set everything up if you already have a site, and what to do if your site has been built using WordPress.

(In Part two we show you where to set up WordPress on your domain)

In Part Three, we focused on configuring WordPress. We configured all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 we explain how to configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we showed you how to set up various WordPress plugins that can drive visitors automatically to your site.

(Publish content once, automate the rest!)

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize your traffic using a number of tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, generating traffic successfully on a consistent basis comes from a clearly-defined business vision, great digital planning, and excellent systems and process in place.

(Automated traffic is the product of a business vision, sound planning, and systems)

Let’s review the systems that will help you grow and manage your traffic.

These include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to drive new traffic to your business.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your digital presence optimized for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to traffic.

(Systems help you grow and manage your web traffic)

Let’s briefly review the above systems:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to drive new traffic to your business. You can test your marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
• How will you apply your marketing budget and resources to these channels?
• How will you create your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the results of your campaigns?

During the setup and configuration phase, you should have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics). If you’re just starting out, you may want to consider investing in some paid advertising (e.g. Google AdWords) to help you generate some intelligence. If you’re tracking your marketing campaigns correctly, this should yield some actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your pages are taking a very long time to load.

Your technical systems include handling technical areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating software (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.

Your technical systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• Who looks after my webhosting?
• Who looks after my website and keeps my site, plugins, themes, etc. maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. if you experience difficulties?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you should expect to face new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage the influx of traffic. This includes:

• Communication systems
• Managing human and financial resources
• Handling leads and sales inquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer service/training
• etc.

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you also implement good systems for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Loops

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus on are ways to grow your “traffic loop”.

Let’s go through an example of how to implement, optimize, and further automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the processes illustrated below …

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your business and website.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on places like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content online.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help you generate data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more web traffic using methods like Pinterest, videos, joint ventures, etc.

Tools & Methods

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for a number of excellent tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, see other posts and tutorials on this site to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:

• Share your posts online with others,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for shares/likes,
• Display user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Publish and distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is great, but to make this more effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing better quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more visitors.

Traffic Ideas

• Focus on content that adds value to potential users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing an instructional e-book that can be sold or distributed online.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

We have created a comprehensive course on content creation that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, look for plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress site:

• Legal Pages
• Testimonials
• Customer Support (e.g. Helpdesk, Live Chat, etc.)
• Ratings
• User Reviews
• Badges/Certificates Of Trust

Grow Influence & Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting a group.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic will come from an audience of customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or email you send out.

Traffic Ideas

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid, free, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Start or join an online group on Facebook/LinkedIn.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

There are many solutions and plugins that can help increase your online influence and improve user engagement. For example:

• List-Building Software (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Discussion Groups (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls & Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, video galleries, etc.

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what users want, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new services and products, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional web traffic.

Useful Tips

• Consider creating a free or paid e-learning course.
• Consider publishing an instructional PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your site:

• Membership Site plugins (e.g. Wishlist Member, S2 Member, etc.)
• e-Learning Courses (e.g. Courseware)
• Event Registrations (e.g. EventEspresso)

Analyze Data & Feedback

The final step of the process is to collect and analyze data. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic lets you discover new ways to create additional traffic.

You should already have installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you understand the metrics and can interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the cycle, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and improve your results.

In summary:

• Start with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by good marketing, technical and business systems,
• Implement a content marketing strategy (consider adding some paid advertising to drive initial traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other methods as required to help build authority and credibility, and also to increase engagement with users,
• Promote any new solutions, products or services using your existing channels and strategies to generate additional streams of traffic,
• Analyse your data and your results, automate your processes wherever possible, and begin the cycle again.

Hopefully, this post has given you a blueprint that will help you drive more traffic automatically to your WordPress website and get better results online.

***

***