WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part Five of our Web 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 is the key to automating traffic to your site …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do is add great content consistently to attract traffic!)

In Part Two, we discussed critical setup decisions. We explained the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set things up if you already have a site, and what to do if your existing site was built with WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focus on important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(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 Four, we discussed ways to automate the traffic-generation process with different plugins.

(Publish once, automate the rest!)

In this article, we look at ways to optimize traffic generation using various tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic System – Systems

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

(Generating consistent 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 – The processes and strategies used to create traffic for your business.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your web presence operating efficiently for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – How you 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 new traffic to your website. You can test your marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
• How will you assign your budget and resources to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the ROI of your marketing 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) to help you generate some initial actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems keep your digital presence optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your web pages are taking a long time to load.

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

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

• Who will look 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, new problems will 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 new traffic. This includes:

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you have good systems in place for managing all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus on is how to develop your “traffic loop”.

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

(Implementing an effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

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

Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly notify and publicize your content to traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content through your expertly configured WordPress site.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract more traffic using methods like Pinterest, PPC advertising, Reddit, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for a number of excellent tools and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

Also, if you haven’t already, see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

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

Publishing authoritative content improves your chances of getting more people to link to it and share it with others and hence more traffic.

Tips

• Create and publish content that will add value to users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a “how-to” e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

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

Also, if you haven’t already, learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress 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 demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting your own online community or social network.

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

Tips

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site.
• Start or join an online group on LinkedIn/Facebook.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

Many solutions and plugins are available that can help increase your online influence and improve engagement. For example:

• Autoresponders (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums and Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls and 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 your visitors want, you should have no problem developing new products, services, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.

Tips

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

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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 consider adding to your website or blog 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 to collect and analyze data. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new opportunities to create additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you have already 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 Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do 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 (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 solutions as needed to build authority 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 visitors automatically to your WordPress web site and build a better business online.

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