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 generating machine using WordPress.
So far, here is what we have covered in this series:
In Part 1 of this article series, 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 website or blog, all you have to do is post web content regularly to drive more web traffic!)
In Part 2, we focus on the setup phase of the automation process. 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 site, and what to do if your website was built with WordPress.
(In Part 2 we show you how to set up a WordPress site on your domain)
In Part Three, we discuss the configuration phase. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your site’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 4, we explained how to set up various plugins that can help drive traffic automatically to your site.
(Publish once to WordPress and automate the distribution of your content to all other channels!)
In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we look at ways to optimize traffic generation with different tools and strategies.
WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Systems
In addition to getting your WordPress website expertly configured, generating traffic successfully on a consistent basis is the outcome of a clear business vision, great digital planning, and great systems in place.
(Optimized 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 include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to drive new traffic to your website.
- Technical Systems – How you ensure that your web presence remains optimized for receiving new traffic.
- Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to new 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 methods used to drive traffic to your business. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- What is your online marketing strategy?
- How will you apportion your marketing budget and resources to these channels?
- Who will create your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
- How will you measure the cost-effectiveness of your 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) to help you 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 web content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems ensure that your web presence remains up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is constantly down or your web pages are taking a long time to load.
Your systems need to adequately handle areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, 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, plugins, themes, etc. maintained and up-to-date?
- Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. if issues occur?
Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect new problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.
Business Systems
You need good business systems in place to help you manage the influx of traffic. This includes:
- Communication systems
- Resources management – human, financial
- Handling leads and sales inquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer training/service
- etc.
If you intend to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then you will need to put excellent systems in place for managing all outsourcing.
WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Tools And Methods
With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is to implement and optimize a “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 …
(WordPress can help implement and optimize a traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility
Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as possible.
Useful Tips And Ideas
- An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically distribute your content to sites like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content through your expertly configured WordPress site.
- As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate data, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.
- Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to bring more web site traffic using methods like Twitter advertising, YouTube, cross promotions, etc.
Plugins, Tools, And Strategies
See earlier sections of this article series for many useful tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.
Also, if you haven’t already, see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:
- Share your comments and posts online,
- 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, infographics, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more of your content published is a great first step, 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 more shares and views and hence more traffic.
Tips
- Focus on creating and publishing content that adds value to users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing a special report or PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
We have created an entire email series aimed at helping you never run out of great content for posting to your site:
Also, ask us about 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 Trust
Grow Influence And Engagement
As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can do this by building a list or starting an online community.
With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic will come from customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish or email broadcast you send out.
Traffic Optimization Tips
- Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
- Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
- Add a paid or free membership site.
- Start or join an online group on LinkedIn.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
Many solutions and WordPress plugins are available that can help grow your influence and improve user engagement. For example:
- List-Building Solutions (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, 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 And Provide Solutions To These
By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what your visitors need, you should have no problem developing new products and services, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new sources of traffic.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Create a free or paid e-learning course.
- Publish instructional PDF guides or special reports that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
- Add e-commerce to your site.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), look for plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress site:
- 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 generate additional traffic.
Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.
WordPress Traffic 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 (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 solutions as necessary to build authority and credibility, and also to increase 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, this post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your website and build a more successful business online.
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"These tutorials have so much information and are easy to understand. If you use WordPress or plan to in the future these will help you with everything you need to know." - Valisa (Mesa, Arizona)
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