Tag: Drive More Traffic To Website

Welcome to Part Five of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to automate traffic to your site using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

In Part 1 of this series, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to generating automated web traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do to attract traffic is publish fresh content on a consistent basis!)

In Part 2, we look at critical setup decisions. We help you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set everything up if you already have a website, and what to do if your site was built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focused on the configuration phase of the automation system. We configured all the settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part Three we explain how to configure all the settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate the traffic-getting process with different WordPress plugins.

(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 the traffic system with different tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website expertly configured, generating consistent traffic of high quality comes from having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and good systems and process in place.

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to drive new traffic to your business.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your online presence operating efficiently for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to traffic.

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

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

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to drive traffic to your business. You can test your online marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What channels do you plan to use to drive new traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apportion to these marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) to help generate some initial 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 site, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes keep your online presence optimized for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is constantly down or your pages are taking a very long time to load.

Your systems include handling areas like webhosting, site 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. should anything go wrong?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, you will run into problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems and processes help you manage and respond to new traffic. These include:

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then you will need to put excellent systems in place 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 focus on are ways to implement your “traffic loop”.

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

(Implement, automate, and optimize your traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your website.

Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) can help you generate data, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to increase more visitors using methods like Twitter ads, banner ads, forum ads, etc.

Tools And Strategies

See previous sections of this tutorial series for many excellent tools and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

Also, contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more content out there is good, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting it shared around and hence more visitors.

Tips

• Create and publish content that adds value to users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a special report or even an e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Tools And Strategies

We have created an entire email course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, and ways to never run out of new web content ideas that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, if you haven’t already, see other posts and tutorials on this site to learn more about WordPress plugins that let you 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 Trust

Grow Influence & Engagement

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

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic comes 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 blog post you publish, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder training course and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid, free, or ‘freemium’ membership site.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools And Strategies

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

• Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (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 find out what problems your users are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for new products, services, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities to generate additional web traffic.

Useful Tips

• Consider creating a free or paid online training program.
• Publish an e-book that can be sold or distributed online.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your 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 the collection and analysis of data. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

You should have already installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do 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 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 methods as necessary to build authority 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 information has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your web site and build a better business online.

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