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 the WordPress CMS platform.

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

In Part One of this series, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do to begin attracting more web traffic is publish fresh content on a regular basis!)

In Part 2, we discuss the setup phase. We help you understand the best way to get started 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 existing site has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we discuss the configuration phase. We configured all the settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three we show you how to configure all the settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we showed you how to set up various plugins that can drive new visitors automatically to your website or blog.

(Publish once, automate the rest!)

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize traffic to your website with different tools and methods.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating high-quality traffic on a consistent basis is having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and good systems in place.

(Generating regular 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 all traffic.

These include:

• Marketing Systems – How you create traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your digital presence up and running for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to new traffic.

(Use systems to grow and manage your web 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 new traffic to your website. You can test your online marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your marketing budget will you assign to these channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the cost-effectiveness of your 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 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 optimized for receiving new traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is down or your pages are taking too long to load.

Your technical 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 looks after my server?
• 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 problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you should expect new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

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

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

If you plan to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then you will need to put systems in place for managing all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Strategies

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

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

(Implement and optimize a traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

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

Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) can help you generate actionable data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to increase visitors using methods like paid ads, podcasts, email, etc.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

We’ve already covered many useful plugins, tools, and strategies in previous sections of this article series.

Also, look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is great, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with users.

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

Traffic Optimization Ideas

• Create and publish content that will add value to potential visitors and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a special report that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

We have created an entire email series designed to help you never run out of great content ideas for posting to your site:

Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that let you 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 And Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can do this by building a list or starting your own community.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic comes from customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate traffic with a single post or broadcast.

Useful Tips

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free or paid membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools And Methods

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

• List-Building Software (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums and Discussion Groups (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 listen to what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional web traffic.

Tips

• Create a free or paid e-learning course.
• Publish educational guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your site.

Tools And Strategies

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

• Membership Site plugins (e.g. Wishlist Member, S2 Member, etc.)
• e-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 allows you to discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress 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 good marketing, technical and business systems,
• Implement a content marketing strategy (consider adding 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 necessary to 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 article has given you a blueprint that will help you drive more visitors automatically to your WordPress website and improve your business online.

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