Category: Traffic Generation

Welcome to Part Five of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do is add fresh content on a consistent basis to attract new web traffic!)

In Part 2, we look at critical setup decisions. We help you understand 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 existing website has been built with WordPress.

(In Part 2 we show you how to set up WordPress on your domain)

In Part Three, we focus on configuring WordPress. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you learn how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, you learned how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help get traffic automatically to your website.

(Publish content one-time and automate your content distribution to all other marketing channels!)

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress site, generating consistent traffic of high quality is achieved by having a clearly-defined business vision, sound digital planning, and good systems in place.

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

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

These include:

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

(Use systems to grow and manage your web traffic)

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

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your content marketing strategy?
• How will you apply your budget and resources to these marketing channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the results 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 results. If you’re tracking your marketing campaigns correctly, this should yield some actionable 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 and processes keep your online presence up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your web pages take a long time to load.

Your technical systems need to handle technical areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, 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, plugins, themes, etc. maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. should anything go wrong?

Many potential problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, there will always be problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems and processes to help you manage and respond to new traffic. These include:

• 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 maintenance, then make sure you have systems in place for managing all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Optimization

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

Let’s walk through an example of how to implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the flowchart 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 possible.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly notify and publicize your content to 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 on your site.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help you 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 bring more traffic using methods like Twitter, banner ads, email ads, etc.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

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

Also, learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

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

Publishing better quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more visitors.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Focus on creating and publishing content that will add value to users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

We have created a detailed course on content creation that you can plug into for free here:

Also, learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress site:

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

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 a group.

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

Traffic Ideas

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid or free membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Start or join an online group on LinkedIn/Facebook.

Tools & Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (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

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your users are trying to solve, you should have no problem developing new solutions, all of which provide new opportunities to generate new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips

• Consider creating an e-learning program.
• Publish PDF guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools, Plugins, 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 add to your site include:

• 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 to collect and analyze data. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you understand the metrics and can interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the process, 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 adding 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 as needed 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 drive more visitors automatically to your web site and build a more successful business online.

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