Welcome to Part Five of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to automate traffic to your site using the WordPress CMS.
So far, we have covered the following in this series:
In Part One of this article series, we provide an overview of the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to generating automated web traffic …
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do to begin bringing more traffic is add content on a regular basis!)
In Part Two, we looked at the setup phase. We helped you understand the best way to get started 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 site was built using WordPress.
(In Part two we show you how to set up a WordPress web site on your domain)
In Part Three, we focused on important configuration decisions. We configured hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …
(In Part Three we show you how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)
In Part 4, we explained how to set up various plugins that can help get traffic automatically to your site when you begin to post new content.
(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 discuss ways to optimize the traffic system with different tools and methods.
WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Systems
In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, generating consistent traffic of high quality is the result of having a well-defined business vision, careful digital planning, and great systems and process in place.
(Generating automated traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and great systems)
Let’s review briefly the systems that will help you grow and manage all traffic.
These systems include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create traffic for your business.
- Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to keep your digital presence optimized for receiving traffic.
- Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.
(Systems help you grow, automate, optimize, and manage your web traffic)
Let’s briefly review how important these systems are for traffic:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods 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 new traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
- What resources and portion of your marketing budget will you apply to these channels?
- How will you create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
- How will you 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 you 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’s needs.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems keep your web presence up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is experiencing problems or your pages take too long to load.
Your systems include handling areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.
You can test your technical systems by questions such as:
- Who will look after my server?
- Who is looking after my website and keeping my site maintained and up-to-date?
- Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. should anything go wrong?
Many potential issues can be minimized if your planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you should expect new problems to arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.
Business Systems
Your business systems help you manage 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 areas of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you have excellent systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.
WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Methods
With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus your efforts on is growing and optimizing a “traffic loop”.
Let’s go through an example of how to implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the flowchart below …
(Implementing, automating and optimizing a traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility
Step 1 of the process is to get your business exposed to as many traffic generation sites and channels as your resources allow.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly notify and publicize your content to social media accounts 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 can help generate data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.
- Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to attract web traffic using methods like SEO, videos, Reddit, etc.
Plugins, Tools, & Strategies
See previous sections of this tutorial series for a number of excellent tools, plugins, and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.
Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress website:
- Share your posts online with others,
- Run contests, offer discounts or downloads for likes/shares,
- Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more of your content published is a great first step, but to make this more effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.
Publishing better quality content improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more visitors.
Traffic Ideas
- Focus on creating content that will add value to your audience and showcase your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing PDF guides or special reports that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
Tools And Methods
We have created an entire email training series aimed at helping you come up with limitless content ideas for posting to your website:
Also, learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:
- 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 achieve this by building a list or starting a group.
With “Traffic On Demand,” 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 a single post or broadcast.
Traffic Optimization Tips
- Encourage users 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.
- Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
There are many solutions and WordPress plugins that can help increase your influence and improve user engagement. For example:
- Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (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, image galleries, etc.
Identify Problems & Provide Solutions To These
By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what your visitors want, you can develop new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating additional traffic.
Useful Tips
- Create a free or paid e-learning course.
- Consider publishing special reports that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
- Consider adding an e-commerce store to your business.
Tools, Plugins, & Strategies
If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to consider adding to your website or blog include:
- 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 learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.
Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.
WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Summary
Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the process over and over again, 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 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 as needed to build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to improve 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 drive more visitors automatically to your web site and grow your business online.
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"This is AMAZING! I had learnt about how to use WordPress previously, but this covers absolutely everything and more!! Incredible value! Thank you!" - Monique, Warrior Forum
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