Category: WordPress Configuration

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

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do to generate more web traffic is add web content regularly!)

In Part Two, we discussed critical setup decisions. We helped you understand the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set things up if you already have a site, and what to do if your existing site has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focus on the configuration phase of this blueprint. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 we explain how to configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, you learned how to set up various plugins that can help drive visitors automatically to your website when you begin adding content.

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

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

(Automated traffic is the result of having a clear business vision, planning, and great systems)

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – How you create new traffic for your business.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your online presence optimized for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

(Use systems to grow, automate, optimize, 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 create traffic for your business. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
• How will you apply your budget and resources to your marketing channels?
• Who will create your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the ROI of your online 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) to help generate some 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 targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your digital presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your web pages are taking a very long time to load.

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

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

• Who looks after my server?
• Who looks after my website and keeps my site maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. should anything go wrong?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, you can expect new problems. 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 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 support, then you will need to put good systems in place for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Loops

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to focus your efforts on is developing 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 …

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

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

Useful Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically syndicate your content to places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 you generate actionable and intelligent 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.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to increase traffic using methods like Twitter, PPC advertising, cross promotions, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

See earlier sections of this article series for many excellent tools and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

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

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

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content published is a great first step, but to make this activity more effective, your content 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 adds value to potential visitors and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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

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

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

Grow Influence & Engagement

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

With “Traffic On Tap,” all of your traffic will come 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 broadcast you send out.

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, online forum, or social community.
• Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

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

• List-Building Tools (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/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what users are searching for, you can develop new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Useful Tips

• Consider creating a free or paid online training program.
• Consider publishing an instructional PDF guide that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Add an e-commerce store to your business.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

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

• 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 to collect and analyze data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic lets you discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is rinse and repeat, 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 traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other methods if required to help build authority 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 traffic automatically to your WordPress web site and build a better business online.

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