Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to turn a site into an automated traffic generation machine using WordPress.
So far, here is what we have covered in this series:
In Part 1 of this series, we described the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to generating automated traffic …
(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do is publish great content on a consistent basis to attract traffic!)
In Part 2, we discussed the setup phase. We explained 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 website was built with WordPress.
(In Part 2 we show you how to set up WordPress on your domain)
In Part Three, we focused on the configuration phase of the automation system. We explained how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …
(In Part 3 you learn how to configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)
In Part 4, we discussed ways to automate your traffic using a number of plugins.
(Publish once to WordPress and automate the distribution of your content to all other marketing channels!)
In Part 5 of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize your traffic using various tools and strategies.
WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems
In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, generating consistent traffic of high quality is the result of a clearly-defined business vision, sound digital planning, and good systems and process in place.
(Consistent 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 new traffic.
These include:
- Marketing Systems – How you create new traffic for your website.
- Technical Systems – How you ensure that your online presence remains operating efficiently for receiving new traffic.
- Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.
(Systems help you grow, automate, optimize, and manage your traffic)
Let’s briefly review how important the above systems are for traffic:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to create traffic for your website. You can test your marketing systems by asking questions such as:
- What is your online marketing strategy?
- What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these channels?
- How will you create your content and marketing campaigns?
- How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness 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 to help generate some actionable data, such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is down or your web pages take a 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 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 issues arise?
Many potential problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, there will always be new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.
Business Systems
Your business systems help you manage new traffic. These include:
- Communication systems
- Resources management – human, financial
- 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 implemented good systems for managing all outsourcing processes.
WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization
With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus your efforts on is implementing and optimizing a “traffic loop”.
Let’s walk through an example of implementing, optimizing, and further automating a traffic loop. Take a look at the illustration below …
(WordPress can help you implement, optimize, and automate your traffic loop)
Increase Reach And Visibility Online
Step 1 of the process is to increase visibility for your website or blog.
Tips
- Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically distribute your content to sites like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 some initial actionable data such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
- Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to drive visitors using methods like Facebook, social media, email ads, etc.
Plugins, Tools, And Methods
We’ve already covered a number of useful plugins, tools, and strategies in previous sections of this article series.
Also, learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your site:
- Share your posts online,
- Run contests, offer discounts or downloads for shares/likes,
- Display user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Publish and distribute content online in other media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more content published is great, but to make this more effective, your content needs to be building authority and credibility with visitors.
Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more visitors.
Useful Tips
- Create and publish content that adds value to your audience and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing instructional PDF guides or special reports that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
Tools And Strategies
We have created a detailed email course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, and ways to never run out of content ideas that you can plug into at no cost here:
Also, if you haven’t already, learn more 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 Trust
Grow Influence And Engagement
At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can do this by growing a list or starting an online community or even your own social site.
With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic comes from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
- Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
- Add a paid or free membership site.
- Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.
Plugins, Tools, And Methods
Many solutions and plugins are available that are easy to implement and can help increase your online influence and improve user engagement. For example:
- List-Building Tools (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
- Contact Forms, Live Chat
- Forums and Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
- Polls & Surveys
- Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
- Comment sharing
- Add media, video galleries, etc.
Identify Problems & Provide Solutions To These
By taking advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can develop new products, services, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.
Traffic Optimization Tips
- Consider creating a free or paid e-learning course.
- Publish PDF guides that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
- Add e-commerce to your site.
Tools, Plugins, & Strategies
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 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. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic lets you discover new traffic opportunities.
Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.
WordPress Traffic Blueprint – 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 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 methods if needed to build authority 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 article 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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"I have used the tutorials to teach all of my clients and it has probably never been so easy for everyone to learn WordPress ... Now I don't need to buy all these very expensive video courses that often don't deliver what they promise." - Stefan Wendt, Internet Marketing Success Group
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