WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part Five of our WordPress Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to grow your business online automatically using WordPress.

So far, here is what we have covered in this series:

In Part One, we provide an overview of the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your site …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do to begin bringing traffic is post content on a consistent basis!)

In Part 2, we discuss critical setup decisions. We explain the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set everything up if you already have a website, and what to do if your existing website has been built with WordPress.

(In Part 2 we show you where to set up WordPress on your domain)

In Part 3, we discuss the configuration phase of the traffic automation system. We explained how to configure web hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part Three you will configure all the settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we looked at ways to automate the traffic system with WordPress plugins.

(Publish content once and automate your content distribution to all other services!)

In this article, we look at ways to optimize traffic to your website with a number of different tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, the key to generating successfully on a consistent basis is having a well-defined business vision, sound digital planning, and excellent systems and process in place.

(Generating regular traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and great systems)

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create new traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to ensure that your online presence remains up and running for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.

(Systems help you grow, automate, and manage your traffic)

Let’s review the importance of the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels do you plan to use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, facebook advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these marketing channels?
• Who will create your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the results of your online 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 to help generate some intelligence. If you’re tracking your marketing campaigns correctly, this should yield some actionable data, such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your web presence remains up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is down or your pages are taking too long to load.

Your systems need to handle technical areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who is looking after my webhosting?
• Who looks after my website and keeps my site maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. should anything go wrong?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, there will always be problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good business systems and processes to help you manage and respond to the influx of traffic. This includes:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is focus on developing a “traffic loop”.

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

(An effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as your time and resources will allow.

Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content on your site.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help you generate some initial data, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive more web site visitors using methods like LinkedIn, solo ads, forum signatures, etc.

Tools & Methods

We’ve covered a number of useful tools and methods in earlier sections of this article series.

Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

• Share your posts online,
• Run contests, offer downloads or discounts for shares/likes,
• Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Distribute content online in other media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, audio, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more content published is good, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing authoritative content improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more traffic.

Traffic Tips

• Create and publish content that will add value to your audience and showcase your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a special report or PDF guide that can be sold or distributed online.

Tools & Strategies

We have created an entire email training series aimed at helping you come up with limitless content for posting to your website or blog:

Also, learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your 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 tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting your own community.

With “Traffic On Tap,” your traffic will come from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already like 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 broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips

• Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free or paid membership site.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

There are many solutions and WordPress plugins that are easy to implement and can help grow your influence and improve user engagement. For example:

• Autoresponders (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls and Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, video galleries, etc.

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your users are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new products and services, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Consider creating an online training program.
• Consider publishing an e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your business.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

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

Analyze Data & Feedback

The final step of the process is the collection and analysis of data. Learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics program like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you understand the metrics and features and can interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Summary

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

In summary:

• Start with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by solid marketing, technical and business systems,
• Implement a content marketing strategy (consider also investing in some paid advertising to drive traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other methods as needed to help build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to improve engagement with visitors,
• 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you drive more traffic automatically to your WordPress website and get better results online.

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