WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our WordPress Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

In Part One, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to generating automated traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do to automatically generate web traffic is post new content on a regular basis!)

In Part 2, we focused on the setup phase. We helped you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set everything up if you already have a site, and what to do if your website was built using WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focused on important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

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

In Part Four, we looked at ways to automate traffic generation with WordPress plugins.

(Publish content one-time and automate your content distribution to all other marketing channels!)

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we look at ways to optimize traffic generation with different tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a well-defined business vision, sound digital planning, and good systems in place.

(Generating consistent traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and systems)

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – How you drive traffic to your website.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your online presence operating efficiently for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to new traffic.

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

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to drive traffic to your website. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apportion to your marketing channels?
• How will you create your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you test 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) to help you generate some data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

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

Your systems need to be able to adequately handle areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing and updating new software (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who looks after my webhosting?
• Who is looking after my website and keeping 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 website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect new problems to arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems and processes help you manage and respond to traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical support, then you will need excellent systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to do is to develop, optimize, and further automate a “traffic loop”.

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as your resources allow.

Useful Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly share your content on social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) can help you generate some initial actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to get visitors using methods like Facebook, YouTube, email, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

We’ve covered a number of excellent tools and strategies in previous sections of this article series.

Also, ask us about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

• Share your posts online,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for likes/shares,
• Display user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Distribute content online in various 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 needs to be building authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing authoritative content improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more traffic.

Tips

• Create and publish content that adds value to potential users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing expert guides that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Tools & Methods

We have created an entire email email-based training course aimed at helping you come up with unlimited content ideas for your web site:

Also, if you haven’t already, learn more about 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 And Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting an online group.

With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic comes from customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate new traffic with a single post or email broadcast.

Tips

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an email training course and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid, free, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

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

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

Identify Problems & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your users are trying to solve, you can develop new products, services, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional web traffic.

Tips

• Consider creating a free or paid e-learning course.
• Consider publishing PDF guides that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your business.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

If you plan to provide products and services online (as opposed to just providing information), learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:

• 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 to collect and analyze data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic lets you discover new ways to create additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do 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 solid marketing, technical and business systems,
• Implement a content marketing strategy (with 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 if required to help build authority and credibility, and also to improve 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 automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress web site and expand your business online.

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