Category: WordPress Optimization

Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to grow your business online automatically using WordPress.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is add content regularly to automatically start attracting traffic!)

In Part Two, we focus on critical setup decisions. We explain 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 website has been built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we look at the configuration phase. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 you learn how to configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate your traffic with different WordPress plugins.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize traffic generation using different tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, generating consistent traffic of high quality is the product of a clearly-defined business vision, great digital planning, and excellent systems in place.

(Consistent traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and excellent systems)

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to drive traffic to your website.
• Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to ensure that your digital presence remains operating efficiently for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to traffic.

(Use systems to grow, automate, optimize, and manage your traffic)

Let’s briefly review how important the above systems are for traffic:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to drive traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you assign your budget and resources to your marketing channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness of your marketing 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 generate some intelligence. 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 website, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

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

Your technical systems include handling areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (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 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 and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, you will run into new problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.

Business Systems

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

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you also implement great systems to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Optimizing Traffic Generation

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

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

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

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

Step 1 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 will allow you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) can help you generate actionable and intelligent 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.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract more web traffic using methods like Facebook advertising, solo ads, email, etc.

Tools & Methods

We’ve covered many excellent tools, plugins, and methods in earlier sections of this tutorial series.

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

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

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is great, but to make this more effective, your content needs to be building authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared around and hence more visitors.

Tips

• Create and publish content that adds value to potential visitors and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a “how-to” e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

If you need great content ideas for your website or blog, we recommend subscribing to our email training course on content marketing here:

Also, contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to 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 Recognition

Grow Influence And Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting an online forum, community, or even your own social network.

With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic will come from 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, forum post you add, or email broadcast you send out.

Tips

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

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

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

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

Identify Needs/Problems And Provide Solutions

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your users are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Create an online training program.
• Consider publishing a “how-to” e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website or blog:

• Membership Site plugins (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. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new ways to create additional traffic.

You should have already installed an analytics program like Google Analytics on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do 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 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 as 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 post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress web site and get better results online.

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