Tag: Increase Web Traffic

Welcome to Part 5 of our WordPress Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to automate traffic to your website using WordPress.

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

In Part One, we explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is publish web content consistently to attract new web traffic!)

In Part 2, we looked at critical setup decisions. We helped you understand 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 site, and what to do if your site was built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we discuss important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part Three you will configure all the settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)

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

(Publish content one-time 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 system using various tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, generating traffic successfully on a consistent basis is the product of a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and good systems in place.

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

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

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

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

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your online marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you allocate to these channels?
• How will you create your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the ROI 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 to help you generate some initial results. If you’re tracking your marketing campaigns correctly, this should yield some actionable data, such as the keyword phrases 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 digital presence remains up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your web pages are taking a long time to load.

Your technical systems need to adequately handle areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, 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 is looking after my website and keeping my site, plugins, themes, etc. 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 done correctly. Like all technology, however, new problems will always arise. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems and processes help you manage and respond to the influx of traffic. This includes:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you also implement good systems to manage all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Optimizing Traffic Generation

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to focus your efforts on is growing, optimizing and automating a “traffic loop”.

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

(WordPress can help implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to get your business exposed to as many potential users as your resources allow.

Useful Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly notify and publicize your content to 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 data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract visitors using methods like LinkedIn advertising, YouTube, updates, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for a number of useful tools and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

Also, if you haven’t already, look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more of your content published is great, but to make this activity more effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing better quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more views from social sharing and hence more visitors.

Useful Tips And Ideas

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

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

We have created a complete email course designed to help you never run out of great content ideas for your web site:

Also, ask us 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 Recognition

Grow Influence And Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can do this by building a list or starting a group.

With “Traffic On Demand,” most of your traffic comes from an audience of customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate traffic with a single blog post or broadcast.

Traffic Optimization Tips

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join an online group on LinkedIn/Facebook.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

There are many solutions and WordPress plugins that 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 & Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, video galleries, etc.

Identify Needs And Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new products, services, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities to generate additional web traffic.

Traffic Ideas

• Create a free or paid e-learning course.
• Publish an instructional e-book that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

If you plan to provide services and products online (as opposed to just providing information), ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

• Membership Site plugins (e.g. Wishlist Member, S2 Member, etc.)
• Learning Management Systems (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 lets you discover new ways to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.

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

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the same 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 (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 if required to help build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to increase engagement with visitors,
• 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 article has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your WordPress web site and build a better business online.

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