Category: WordPress Optimization

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

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

In Part One, we provide an overview of the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do to automatically begin attracting new web traffic is publish content on a regular basis!)

In Part Two, we focus on the setup phase of the traffic automation blueprint. We help you understand the best way to start if you don’t have a website yet, how to set things up if you already have a website, and what to do if your existing site has been built with WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we discuss important configuration decisions. We explained how to configure webhosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

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

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

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

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using various tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website expertly configured, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a well-defined business vision, great digital planning, and great systems and process in place.

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.

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

Let’s review the importance of 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 is your content marketing/online marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these marketing channels?
• How will you create your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the ROI of your online marketing 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 you generate some results. 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 site, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems 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 pages are taking a very long time to load.

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

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

• Who will look after my server?
• Who is looking after my website and keeping 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 issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you should expect new problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good business systems and processes in place to help you manage the influx of traffic. This includes:

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is focus on implementing, optimizing and automating your “traffic loop”.

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

Step 1 of the process is to get your business exposed to as many traffic generation sites and channels as your resources will allow.

Useful Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly notify and publicize your content to traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) can help generate some initial actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive more web visitors using methods like LinkedIn advertising, banner ads, email, etc.

Tools & Strategies

We’ve already covered many useful tools, plugins, and strategies in earlier sections of this article series.

Also, if you haven’t already, look for 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,
• Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Publish and distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, audio, etc.)

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more of your content published is great, but for this activity to be really effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing better quality content improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and hence more traffic.

Tips

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

Tools And Strategies

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

Also, see other posts and tutorials on this site to learn more 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 Recognition

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 membership site.

With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic comes from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or email broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips

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

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

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

• List-Building Solutions (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls and Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Needs And Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what problems your users are trying to solve, you can develop new products and services, all of which provide new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Traffic Tips

• Create an e-learning course.
• Consider publishing a special report that you can sell or distribute online.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your business.

Tools And Strategies

If you plan to provide services and products online (as opposed to just providing information), look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

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

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is rinse and repeat, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and improve 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 traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other methods as required to help 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 automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress website and get better results online.

***

***