Category: WordPress Optimization

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to turn your website into an automated traffic generation machine using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do to automatically start attracting web traffic is post great content regularly!)

In Part Two, we focus on critical setup decisions. We help you understand 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 site, and what to do if your website has been built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focused on the configuration phase. We explained how to configure all the settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you will configure all the settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, we explained how to set up various plugins that can get new traffic automatically to your website simply by adding new content regularly.

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

In this article, we look at ways to optimize traffic to your website using different tools and methods.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

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

(Generating regular 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 methods used to drive new traffic to your website.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your online presence remains 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 briefly review the above systems:

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your content marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you allocate to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the ROI of your online 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 generate some initial 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 digital presence up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is experiencing problems or your pages take a long time to load.

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

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

• Who is looking 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. when issues occur?

Many potential problems can be minimized if your planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, there will always be new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems in place to help you manage new traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you have systems in place to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Optimizing Traffic Generation

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

Let’s go through an example of how to implement, optimize, and further automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the processes illustrated below …

(Implementing and optimizing a traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

Step 1 of the process is to increase visibility for your website.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow 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 generate 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.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more traffic using methods like Twitter ads, podcasts, Reddit, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

See previous sections of this article series for many excellent tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is good, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and hence more visitors.

Tips

• Focus on creating content that adds value to users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

We have created a detailed email course on content creation that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, look for WordPress plugins that allow you to 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 & Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting an online forum, membership site, or even your own social network.

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 reputation can be used to generate traffic with every post you publish or broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• 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.
• Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools & Methods

There are many solutions and WordPress plugins that are easy to implement and can help grow your influence and improve user engagement. For example:

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

Identify Problems & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your users are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for new services, products, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create an e-learning course.
• Publish a training guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Tools And Strategies

If you plan to provide products and services 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-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. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new ways to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.

You should already have installed an analytics program like Google Analytics on your website. Make sure you understand the metrics and features and can interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the cycle, 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 good 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 methods as required to build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to improve 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you drive more visitors automatically to your website and grow your business online.

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