Category: WordPress Optimization

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

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

In Part One, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is add web content regularly to automatically drive more web traffic!)

In Part 2, we focused on the setup phase. We explained 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 site, and what to do if your site was built with WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focused on the configuration phase. We configured web hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 you will configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part 4, we looked at ways to automate traffic generation with different 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 your traffic using different tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Systems

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

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

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – How you drive new traffic to your website.
• Technical Systems – The systems used to ensure that your web presence remains up and running 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 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 marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these channels?
• Who will create your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the cost-effectiveness of your online 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) to help you 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.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your digital presence remains operating efficiently for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your 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.

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who looks after my webhosting?
• 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. if you experience difficulties?

Many potential problems 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. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems and processes help you manage the influx of traffic. These include:

• Communication systems
• Managing human and financial resources
• Handling sales inquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer service/training
• etc.

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then you will need excellent systems in place for managing all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization

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

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

(An effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as you can.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly notify and publicize your content to social media accounts 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 generate actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract more traffic using methods like paid ads, YouTube, email, etc.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

See previous sections of this article series for a number of excellent plugins, tools, and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

Also, contact us to 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 likes/shares,
• Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Publish and distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more content published is great, but to make this activity more effective, your content needs to be building authority and credibility with users.

Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more views from social sharing and hence more traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create and publish content that will add value to potential users and showcase 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.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

We have created a comprehensive email course on content creation that you can plug into for free here:

Also, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your site:

• 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 demand.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting your own community.

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

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email training course and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site.
• Create or join an online group on LinkedIn.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (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

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what users are looking for, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new products and services, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of web traffic.

Traffic Optimization Tips

• Consider creating an e-learning program.
• Publish a special report or even an e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

If you plan to provide services, products, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress 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 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 already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the process over and over again, 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 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 visitors to your WordPress web site and get better results online.

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