Welcome to Part Five of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to automate traffic to your site using the WordPress CMS platform.
So far, we have covered the following in this article series:
In Part One, we described 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 website or blog, all you have to do is add web content on a consistent basis to start generating web traffic!)
In Part 2, we discuss the setup phase. We help you understand the best way to start 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 existing site is built using WordPress.
(In Part two we show you how to set up a WordPress website or blog on your domain)
In Part Three, we focused on the configuration phase of the automation blueprint. We configured all the settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …
(In Part 3 you learn how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)
In Part Four, we looked at ways to automate the traffic-getting process using a number of plugins.
(Publish once to WordPress and automate the distribution of your content to all other services!)
In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we look at ways to optimize your traffic using different tools and strategies.
WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems
In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, generating quality traffic consistently is achieved by having a well-defined business vision, careful digital planning, and excellent systems and process in place.
(Optimized traffic is the product of having a clear business vision, planning, and systems)
Let’s review the systems that will help you grow and manage this traffic.
These include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to drive new traffic to your business.
- Technical Systems – How you keep your web presence optimized for receiving 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 the above systems are for optimizing traffic:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to create traffic for your website. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- What is your content marketing strategy?
- What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these marketing channels?
- How will you create and optimize your content and marketing campaigns?
- How will you test and measure the results of your 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 actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content better targeted 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 site if your site is down or your pages are taking a long time to load.
Your systems include handling technical areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new software (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, troubleshooting, etc.
Your technical systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- Who looks after my server?
- 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. when issues arise?
Many potential problems can be minimized if your planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect new problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.
Business Systems
Your business systems help you manage traffic. These include:
- Communication systems
- Resources management – human, financial
- Handling leads and sales inquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer service/training
- etc.
If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you have implemented good systems for managing all outsourcing processes.
WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Tools And Strategies
With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus on is how to develop, optimize, and further automate a “traffic loop”.
Let’s go through an example of implementing, optimizing, and automating a traffic loop. Take a look at the processes illustrated below …
(Implementing an effective traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility Online
The first step of the process is to expose your business to as many traffic generation sites and channels as possible.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content online.
- As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising (e.g. Facebook ads) can help you generate data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.
- Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to attract traffic using methods like Pinterest ads, social media, forum ads, etc.
Plugins, Tools, & Strategies
We’ve already covered many excellent tools and strategies in earlier sections of this tutorial series.
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,
- Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Distribute content online in different media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)
Build Authority And Credibility
Getting more content out there is good, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with users.
Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more traffic.
Traffic Optimization Ideas
- Focus on creating and publishing content that will add value to users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing a “how-to” e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.
Tools And Strategies
If you need endless ideas for posting content on your site, then subscribe to our FREE email training series here:
Also, look for 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 Recognition
Grow Influence And Engagement
At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting your own online community or social network.
With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic comes from customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate new traffic with every post you publish or email broadcast you send out.
Useful Tips
- Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
- Add an autoresponder training course and encourage people to subscribe.
- Add a paid, free, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
- Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.
Tools, Plugins, And Strategies
Many solutions and plugins are available that are easy to implement and can help increase your online influence and improve engagement. For example:
- List-Building Software (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
- Contact Forms, Live Chat
- Forums and Discussion Groups (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 looking for, you should have no problem developing new solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate new sources of web traffic.
Useful Tips And Ideas
- Consider creating an online training course.
- Publish an e-book that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.
- Add e-commerce to your business.
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 WordPress plugins you may want to consider adding to your site include:
- Membership Sites (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. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new traffic opportunities.
Hopefully, by now you already have 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
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:
- Begin with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by good marketing, technical and business systems,
- Implement a content marketing strategy (consider adding 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 if required to help 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 post has given you a blueprint that will help you drive more traffic automatically to your WordPress website and grow your business online.
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"This is an awesome training series. I have a pretty good understanding of WordPress already, but this is helping me to move somewhere from intermediate to advanced user!" - Kim Lednum
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