WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to automate traffic to your site using WordPress.

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

In Part 1 of this series, 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 site, all you have to do to automatically bring web traffic is post fresh content consistently!)

In Part Two, we discussed the setup phase of the automation blueprint. We helped you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set things up if you already have a website, and what to do if your site has been built using WordPress.

(In Part 2 we show you how to set up a WordPress website or blog on your domain)

In Part Three, we focus on important configuration decisions. We explained how to configure webhosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 you will configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part 4, we discussed ways to automate your traffic using WordPress plugins.

(Publish once to WordPress and automate the distribution of your content to all other channels!)

In this article, we discuss ways to optimize your traffic using a number of tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a clear business vision, sound digital planning, and great systems in place.

(Optimizing traffic is the result of having a clear business vision, sound planning, and great systems)

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – How you create new traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your digital presence remains up and running for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your content marketing strategy?
• How will you assign your budget and resources to these marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the ROI of your online campaigns?

During the setup and configuration phase, you would 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 initial data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is down or your pages are taking a long time to load.

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who will look after my webhosting?
• Who will look after my website and keep 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 problems can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, you will always run into problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

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

• Communication systems
• Resources management – human, financial
• Handling sales enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer training/service
• etc.

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then you will need to put systems in place to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Tools And Methods

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to focus on are ways to implement a “traffic loop”.

Let’s walk through an example of implementing, optimizing, and automating a traffic loop. Take a look at the chart below …

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your website or blog.

Traffic Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) can help you generate some initial 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 increase more visitors using methods like Facebook advertising, solo ads, forum ads, etc.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

We’ve covered many excellent tools and methods in earlier sections of this tutorial series.

Also, if you haven’t already, look for WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more content out there is good, but to make this activity more effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with users.

Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more traffic.

Traffic Tips

• Create and publish content that adds value to your audience and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing special guides that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

We have created a comprehensive course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, content creation tools, and ways to never run out of new content ideas that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, if you haven’t already, learn more about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Grow Influence And Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can do this by growing a list or starting an online forum, membership site, or even your own social site.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic comes 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 traffic with every post you publish, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.

Traffic Ideas

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

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

Many solutions and WordPress plugins are available that are easy to implement and can help increase your influence and improve engagement. For example:

• Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Discussion Groups (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls & Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Problems And Provide Solutions To These

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

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create an e-learning program.
• Consider publishing an instructional e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools & Methods

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to add to your website include:

• Membership Sites (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 the collection and analysis of data. By interpreting data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new ways to create additional traffic.

You should have already installed an analytics program like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Summary

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

In summary:

• Begin with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by good 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 solutions as needed 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your WordPress web site and build a better business online.

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