Category: WordPress Configuration

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

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do to bring more traffic is publish new content regularly!)

In Part Two, we looked at 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 website, and what to do if your existing website has been built with WordPress.

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

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

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

In Part 4, we looked at ways to automate the traffic system using a number of plugins.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using various tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating successfully on a consistent basis is having a clear business vision, sound digital planning, and great systems in place.

(Generating consistent traffic is the product of having a clear business vision, planning, and great systems)

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to create new traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your digital presence optimized for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to traffic.

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

Let’s briefly review how important these systems are for optimizing traffic:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to create traffic for your business. You can test your online marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What channels do you plan to use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the results 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 to help generate some initial results. 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 content better targeted to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

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

Your technical systems include handling areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing 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 looks after my website and keeps my site, plugins, themes, etc. maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. if problems occur?

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 always arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems and processes help you manage and respond to new traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you also implement good systems for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Optimizing Traffic Generation

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to do is to focus on developing and optimizing a “traffic loop”.

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

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

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

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

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly notify and publicize your content to traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 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 attract more web visitors using methods like LinkedIn ads, YouTube, joint ventures, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for many excellent plugins, tools, and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, if you haven’t already, learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is great, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with users.

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting more views from social sharing and hence more traffic.

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, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that you can sell or distribute online.

Tools & Strategies

If you need great content ideas for your site, we recommend subscribing to our email training series here:

Also, ask us about plugins that let you 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

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can do this by growing a list or starting a group.

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic will come from an audience of customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every post you publish or broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips & Ideas

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

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (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, video galleries, etc.

Identify Needs & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what your visitors are searching for, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new products, services, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Traffic Tips

• Consider creating a free or paid e-learning course.
• Publish an instructional e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website:

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

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your website. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the same 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 (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 methods if needed to build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to increase 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you drive more visitors automatically to your website and build a more successful business online.

***

***