Tag: Drive More Visitors To WordPress Site

Welcome to Part Five of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to create an automated traffic machine using WordPress.

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

In Part 1 of this article series, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to automating traffic to your site …

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

In Part Two, we focus on critical setup decisions. We help you understand the best way to start if you don’t have a website yet, how to set things up if you already have a site, and what to do if your site is built using WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focus on the configuration phase. We configured all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 we show you how to configure all the settings that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we looked at ways to automate the traffic-getting process using various plugins.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize your traffic with a number of different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, the key to generating high-quality traffic on a consistent basis is having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and great systems in place.

(Automating traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and excellent systems)

Let’s review 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 – The systems and processes used to ensure that your digital presence remains up and running for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.

(Systems help you grow, automate, and manage your web traffic)

Let’s briefly review how important the above systems are:

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 channels do you plan to use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness of your online 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 data, such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

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

Your systems need to adequately handle 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 server?
• Who looks after my website and keeps my site maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. should things go wrong?

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

Business Systems

You need good operational systems to help you manage and respond to new traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical services, then you will need systems in place for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Strategies

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is to focus on growing and optimizing your “traffic loop”.

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

(Implementing, automating and optimizing your traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

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

Useful Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) can help 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 targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive more visitors using methods like Pinterest, solo ads, Reddit, etc.

Tools & Methods

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

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

• Share your posts online,
• Run contests, offer downloads or discounts for shares/likes,
• Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, 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 users.

Publishing better quality content improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more visitors.

Traffic Ideas

• Create and publish content that will add value to users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing an educational guide that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

We have created a complete email email-based training course designed to help you never run out of great content for posting to your website:

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 And 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 Tap,” your traffic will come from customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with a single blog post or broadcast.

Useful Tips

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

Tools & Strategies

Many solutions and plugins are available that are easy to implement and 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 and 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 users are searching for, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Tips

• Consider creating an online training course.
• Consider publishing an educational guide that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

If you plan to provide services and products online (as opposed to just providing information), learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress website:

• 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 interpreting data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new ways to create content that can help you generate additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the same process, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and get better 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 also investing in 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 if required 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 drive more visitors automatically to your web site and get better results online.

***

***