Tag: Drive More Traffic To Website

Welcome to Part Five of our Web 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 article series:

In Part 1 of this series, we describe the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do is add great content consistently to automatically generate more web traffic!)

In Part 2, we focus on the setup phase of the automation process. We help you understand the best way to get started 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 was built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focus on important configuration decisions. We explained how to configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 you learn how to configure all the settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we showed you how to set up various WordPress plugins that can drive new traffic automatically to your site just by adding web content.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic generation process using a number of tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, the key to generating quality traffic consistently is having a clear business vision, sound digital planning, and great systems in place.

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

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

These systems include:

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

(Systems help you grow and manage your web traffic)

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

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels do you plan to use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you apply your budget and resources to your marketing channels?
• Who will create your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the results 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 to help you generate some initial actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your digital presence remains up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your web pages take a long time to load.

Your technical systems include handling areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing and updating software (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, 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 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 completed correctly. Like all technology, however, you should 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
• Managing human and financial resources
• Handling sales enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer service/training
• etc.

If you intend to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you also implement great systems for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Loops

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

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

(Implementing, automating and optimizing a traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as your time and resources will allow.

Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically distribute your content to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help you generate actionable and intelligent 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.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract visitors using methods like Facebook, banner ads, Reddit, etc.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for a number of useful plugins, tools, and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, ask us about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

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

Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more people to share it around and hence more traffic.

Tips

• Focus on content that adds value to potential users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing an instructional PDF guide that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

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

Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to 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 And Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting an online community.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic comes from an audience of existing 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 or broadcast you send out.

Tips

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

Tools & Strategies

There are many solutions and 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, video galleries, etc.

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what your visitors are looking for, you should have no problem developing new solutions, all of which provide new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Useful Tips

• Create an e-learning program.
• Publish an educational guide that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools And Methods

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to add to your site include:

• Membership Site plugins (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 to collect and analyze data. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – 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:

• 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 initial traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other methods as needed 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your web site and build a better business online.

***

***