Tag: Increase Web Traffic

Welcome to Part 5 of our WordPress Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to automate traffic to your website using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

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

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

In Part Two, we focus on critical setup decisions. We explain the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set things up if you already have a site, and what to do if your existing site has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we looked at the configuration phase of the automation blueprint. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you learn how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, we looked at ways to automate your traffic with different WordPress plugins.

(Publish content once, automate the rest!)

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website expertly configured, generating traffic successfully on a consistent basis is achieved by having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and excellent systems and process in place.

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

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

(Systems help you 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 methods used to drive new traffic to your business. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What channels will you use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your marketing budget will you allocate to these channels?
• How will you create your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the results of your online campaigns?

During the setup and configuration phase, you should 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 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 content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your web pages are taking a very long time to load.

Your technical systems include handling technical areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, troubleshooting, etc.

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who is looking after my server?
• Who looks after my website and keeps 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 issues can be minimized if your planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage and respond to new traffic. This includes:

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

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

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Optimizing Traffic Generation

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

Let’s walk through an example of how to implement, optimize, and further automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the diagram below …

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

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

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

Useful Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically distribute your content to sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, 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 can help generate data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more traffic using methods like Facebook ads, YouTube, email ads, etc.

Tools And Methods

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

Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

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

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.

Tips

• Focus on creating content that will add value to potential visitors and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing a PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online.

Tools And Strategies

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

Also, see other posts and tutorials on this site to learn more about WordPress 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 building a list or starting a network.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic will come from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate traffic with a single blog post or broadcast.

Useful Tips & Ideas

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

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

There are many solutions and plugins that are easy to implement and can help grow your online influence and improve engagement. For example:

• Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Discussion Groups (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls and Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Needs & Provide Solutions To These

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

Tips

• Consider creating an online training course.
• Consider publishing a PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your business.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

If you plan to provide services, products, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to add to your website or blog 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 gives you the opportunity to discover new ways to create content that can generate you additional traffic.

You should already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is rinse and repeat, 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 adding 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 help build authority 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your website and grow your business online.

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