Category: WordPress Configuration

Welcome to Part Five of our WordPress Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to automate traffic to your website using the WordPress CMS.

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

In Part One, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to generating automated traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is add content on a consistent basis to automatically start generating new traffic!)

In Part 2, we focused on critical setup decisions. We helped you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set everything 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 where to set up WordPress on your domain)

In Part 3, we focus on the configuration phase. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 you will configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, you learned how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help drive new traffic automatically to your website or blog.

(Publish content one-time, automate the rest!)

In Part 5 of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we look at ways to optimize the traffic system using a number of tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, the key to generating successfully on a consistent basis is having a well-defined business vision, great digital planning, and good systems in place.

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your web presence remains optimized for receiving 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 strategies used to drive traffic to your website. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What channels do you plan to use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness of your online 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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) to help you generate some initial data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes keep your online presence optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is down or your pages are taking a very long time to load.

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who looks 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 process and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, new problems will always arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good business systems to help you manage new traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you have systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Optimizing Traffic Generation

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to focus on is how to grow, optimize, and automate a “traffic loop”.

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

(Implement, automate, and optimize a traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your website.

Useful Tips

• 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 online.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more web traffic using methods like paid advertising, banner ads, forum signatures, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

See previous sections of this tutorial series for many useful tools and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, if you haven’t already, ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

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

Publishing higher 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

• Focus on creating and publishing content that adds value to potential users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing an e-book that can be sold or distributed online.

Tools And Methods

We have created an entire email email-based training course designed to help you come up with endless content for posting to your site:

Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your 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

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 group.

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

Traffic Optimization Ideas

• Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

There are many solutions and plugins that are easy to implement and can help grow your 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, video galleries, etc.

Identify Needs & Provide Solutions

If you take 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 for generating new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Create a free or paid online training program.
• Publish special guides that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

If you plan to provide services, products, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

• 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 the collection and analysis of data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic allows you to discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the process over and over again, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and get better your results.

In summary:

• Start 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 traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other solutions if needed 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 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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