Category: WordPress Configuration

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to automate traffic to your website using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

In Part 1 of this series, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and 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 automatically attract more web traffic is publish web content on a consistent basis!)

In Part 2, we focus on the setup phase of the automation process. We help you understand the best way to start 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 website has been built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focused on configuring the system. We explained how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your website’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 discussed ways to automate your traffic with different plugins.

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

In this article, we look at ways to optimize traffic generation using a number of tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

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

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create new traffic for your business.
• Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to keep your digital presence up and running for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

(Use systems to grow and manage your web traffic)

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apportion to these channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the results of your campaigns?

During the setup and configuration phase, you would 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 keyword phrases 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 keep your web presence up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is down or your pages take a long time to load.

Your systems need to be able to adequately handle areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating software (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, troubleshooting, etc.

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who looks after my server?
• Who will look after my website and keep 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 planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you should expect new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough 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 enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer service/training
• etc.

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

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Tools & Methods

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is to implement, optimize, and further automate your “traffic loop”.

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

(Implementing, optimizing and automating a traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

The first step 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 automatically publish your content on places like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive visitors using methods like Pinterest, banner ads, StumbleUpon, etc.

Plugins, Tools, 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 members of your target audience.

Also, see other posts and tutorials on this site to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress site:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

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

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 & Ideas

• Create and publish content that will add value to users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

We have created a comprehensive course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, and ways to never run out of content ideas that you can plug into for free here:

Also, look for plugins that let you 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 Recognition

Grow Influence And Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting an online network.

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

Tips

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

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

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

• Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls & Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to find out what users want, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips

• Consider creating an online training course.
• Publish a “how-to” e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your site.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

If you plan to provide products and services online (as opposed to just providing information), ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your 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 interpreting 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 features and can interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the 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 solid 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 necessary to build authority and credibility, and also to increase 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 article has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your website and build a more successful business online.

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