WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

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

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

In Part One of this series, we describe the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to automating traffic to your site …

(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do to automatically start driving web traffic is publish web content regularly!)

In Part 2, we look at critical setup decisions. We explain the best way to get started 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 website was built using WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focused on the configuration phase. We explained how to configure 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 can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

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

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

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system with a number of different tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, generating consistent traffic of high quality is the outcome of a clear business vision, great digital planning, and great systems and process in place.

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

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

These systems include:

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

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

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

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you allocate your marketing budget and resources to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you 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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) to help you generate some initial 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 website, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

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

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

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

• Who is looking after my server?
• 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. if you experience difficulties?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you will run into new problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems and processes in place to help you manage the influx of new traffic. These include:

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you have implemented excellent systems for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – 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 is implementing and optimizing your “traffic loop”.

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many traffic generation sites and channels as your resources allow.

Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on sites 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 can help generate data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract more traffic using methods like SEO, YouTube, updates, etc.

Tools And Methods

We’ve covered a number of excellent plugins, tools, and strategies in earlier sections of this tutorial series.

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

• Share your posts online with others,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for likes/shares,
• Accept user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content published is good, but to make this more effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more visitors.

Useful Tips And Ideas

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

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

We have created an entire email series designed to help you never run out of content ideas for your website or blog:

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

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

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 community.

With “Traffic On Tap,” all of your traffic will come from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate traffic with a single post or broadcast.

Traffic Optimization Tips

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

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

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

• List-Building Solutions (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls and Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new products, services, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Traffic Optimization Ideas

• Consider creating a free or paid e-learning course.
• Consider publishing instructional PDF guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Tools & Strategies

If you plan to provide products, services, and 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 WordPress website or blog:

• Membership Sites (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 gather and interpret data from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – 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 get better 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 initial traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other solutions if 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, this post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your web site and build a better business online.

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