Tag: Drive More Visitors To WordPress Site

Welcome to Part Five of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to automate traffic to your website using WordPress.

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

In Part One, we explained 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 is add content regularly to automatically begin bringing new web traffic!)

In Part 2, we discussed critical setup decisions. We explained the best way to get started if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set everything up if you already have a website, and what to do if your site has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we look at configuring WordPress. We configured all the settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 you will configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

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

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

In this article, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic-getting process with a number of different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

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

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create new traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your web presence optimized for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

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

Let’s review the importance of the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your online marketing strategy?
• How will you allocate your budget and resources to these marketing channels?
• How will you create your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and 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. pay-per-click ads) to help generate some initial 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.

Technical Systems

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

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who looks after my webhosting?
• 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. if you experience difficulties?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you should expect new problems to arise. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good business systems and processes to help you manage and respond to new traffic. This includes:

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

If you plan to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have good systems in place to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization

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

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

(Implement, optimize, and automate your traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to get your business exposed to as many traffic generation sites and channels as you can.

Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly share your content on traffic-getting sources 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 some initial data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more web traffic using methods like Twitter, PPC advertising, StumbleUpon, etc.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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

Also, see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content published is a great first step, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more traffic.

Useful Tips

• Create and publish content that adds value to potential visitors and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a special report that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

We have created a complete email email-based training course aimed at helping you never run out of great content for posting to your site:

Also, if you haven’t already, ask us about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress site:

• 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 demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting a forum or network.

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic comes from customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate traffic with every post you publish or email broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips

• 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.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (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

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem developing new products and services, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of web traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Consider creating an e-learning program.
• Consider publishing an e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools And Strategies

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 consider adding to your site include:

• 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 to collect and analyze data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic allows you to discover new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the process, 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 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 solutions if necessary to build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to increase 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 post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress web site and expand your business online.

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