Category: Traffic Generation

Welcome to Part Five of our WordPress Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to drive new visitors automatically to your website using the WordPress CMS.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do is publish new content consistently to automatically start generating web traffic!)

In Part 2, we look at the setup phase of the traffic automation blueprint. We help 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 two we show you how to set up WordPress on your domain)

In Part 3, we discussed configuring WordPress. We configured webhosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

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

In Part Four, we showed you how to set up various plugins that can help drive traffic automatically to your website or blog just by publishing new content consistently.

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

In this article, we discuss ways to optimize traffic generation using different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, the key to generating quality traffic consistently is having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and good systems and process in place.

(Optimizing traffic is the product of a business vision, sound planning, and excellent systems)

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to drive new traffic to your business.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.

(Use systems to grow, automate, optimize, 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 methods used to drive new traffic to your business. You can test your online marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What channels do you plan to use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to your marketing channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions 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 generate some initial actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your web presence remains operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your pages take a long time to load.

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

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

• Who is looking 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. if you experience difficulties?

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

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage and respond to 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 key aspects of your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have implemented good systems for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Tools & Methods

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

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

(WordPress can help implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

Step 1 of the process is to increase visibility for your business and website.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly share your content on social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate some initial data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract visitors using methods like LinkedIn ads, solo ads, forum ads, etc.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

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

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

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

Build Authority & Credibility

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

Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more people to share it with others 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 an e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.

Tools And Strategies

We have created a comprehensive course on content creation that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, ask us about plugins that allow you to 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 tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting a community.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic comes from customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate traffic with every blog post you publish or email you send out.

Useful Tips

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

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

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

• Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (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, image galleries, etc.

Identify Problems & Provide Solutions

If you take 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 solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create a free or paid online training course.
• Consider publishing PDF guides that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Tools And Strategies

If you plan to provide products and services online (as opposed to just providing information), look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress site:

• Membership Site plugins (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. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress Traffic System – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the same process, 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 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 build authority, trust, 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 traffic automatically to your web site and build a better business online.

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