WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part Five 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 is the key to generating automated web traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do to begin attracting more 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 website, and what to do if your site has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we looked at the configuration phase of the automation process. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 we explain how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part 4, we showed you how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help bring traffic automatically to your website or blog when you begin posting content.

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

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

WordPress Traffic System – Systems

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

(Optimized traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and excellent systems)

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

These include:

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

(Use systems to grow, automate, optimize, and manage your traffic)

Let’s briefly review the above systems:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to drive traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these marketing channels?
• How will you create your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness of your 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 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 ensure that your online presence remains operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is down or your web pages are taking too long to load.

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who is looking after my webhosting?
• Who is looking after my website and keeping 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 problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect to face new problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.

Business Systems

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

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

If you plan to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you also implement great systems for managing all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is focus on growing and optimizing a “traffic loop”.

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

Step 1 of the process is to get your business exposed to as many potential users as your time and resources will allow.

Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly share your content on traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, 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. Facebook ads) can help generate some initial actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive traffic using methods like Twitter ads, social media, forum signatures, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

See previous sections of this article series for a number of useful tools, plugins, and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, if you haven’t already, look for plugins that let you easily add the following to your site:

• Share your 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 different media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

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

Publishing authoritative content improves your chances of getting more views from social sharing and hence more visitors.

Traffic Optimization Ideas

• Create and publish content that adds value to potential visitors and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a “how-to” e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

If you need great content ideas for your web site, then subscribe to our email training series on growing your business online with content marketing here:

Also, look for 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 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 a membership site.

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

Traffic Tips

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

Tools And Strategies

Many solutions and WordPress plugins are available that can help grow your influence and improve user engagement. For example:

• List-Building Solutions (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums and Discussion Groups (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 users need, you can develop new solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Consider creating an e-learning course.
• Consider publishing PDF guides or special reports that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Add an e-commerce store to your site.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

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

• 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. Learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic lets you discover new traffic opportunities.

You should have already installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Traffic 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 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 (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 methods as required to help 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, this information has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress web site and build a better business online.

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