Welcome to Part Five of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to turn your site into an automated web traffic machine using WordPress.
So far, we have covered the following in this article series:
In Part 1 of this series, we explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your site …
(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do to automatically start generating traffic is publish new content on a consistent basis!)
In Part 2, we look at the setup phase of the blueprint. We help you understand the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set everything up if you already have a website, and what to do if your site has been built using WordPress.
(In Part two we show you how to set up WordPress on your domain)
In Part 3, we focused on the configuration phase. We explained how to configure webhosting settings, WordPress 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 that affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)
In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate the traffic-generation process with different WordPress plugins.
(Publish content one-time and automate your content distribution to all other services!)
In this article, we discuss ways to optimize traffic generation using different tools and strategies.
WordPress Traffic System – Systems
In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, generating targeted traffic consistently comes from a clear business vision, great digital planning, and good systems and process in place.
(Optimized traffic is the result of a business vision, planning, and systems)
Let’s briefly review the systems that will help you grow and manage your traffic.
These systems include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to drive traffic to your website.
- Technical Systems – The systems used to ensure that your web presence remains up and running for receiving traffic.
- Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.
(Systems help you grow and manage your web traffic)
Let’s review the above systems briefly:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to drive traffic to your website. You can test your online marketing systems by asking questions such as:
- What is your content marketing strategy?
- What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these channels?
- How will you create your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
- How will you track conversions and measure the cost-effectiveness of your online marketing 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. pay-per-click ads) 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 content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems ensure that your digital presence remains up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is experiencing problems or your pages take a long time to load.
Your systems include handling technical areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing and updating new software (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, troubleshooting, etc.
You can test your technical systems by questions such as:
- Who is looking 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 issues can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you will always run into problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.
Business Systems
Your business systems and processes help you manage traffic. This includes:
- Communication systems
- Managing human and financial resources
- Handling sales enquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer service/training
- etc.
If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you have excellent systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.
WordPress Traffic System – Optimizing Traffic Generation
With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus your efforts on is growing and optimizing your “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, optimizing and automating your traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility Online
Step 1 of the process is to get your business exposed to as many potential users as your resources will allow.
Useful Tips
- Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically distribute your content to places 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) can help you generate some initial data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
- Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to get more traffic using methods like LinkedIn advertising, banner ads, updates, etc.
Tools, Plugins, And Strategies
See previous sections of this tutorial series for a number of useful tools, plugins, and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.
Also, if you haven’t already, look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website or blog:
- Share your comments and posts online with others,
- Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for shares/likes,
- Display user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Publish and distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more content out there is great, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with users.
Publishing authoritative content improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more traffic.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Focus on content that adds value to potential users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing an instructional e-book that can be sold or distributed online.
Tools, Plugins, & Strategies
If you need great content ideas for your website or blog, we recommend subscribing to our email training course on growing your business with content marketing here:
Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website or blog:
- Legal Pages
- Testimonials
- Customer Support (e.g. Helpdesk, Live Chat, etc.)
- Ratings
- User Reviews
- Badges/Certificates Of Trust
Grow Influence & Engagement
As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting an online community or even your own social network.
With “Traffic On Tap,” your traffic will come from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or email you send out.
Useful Tips And 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.
- Create or join an online group on LinkedIn/Facebook.
Tools & Strategies
Many solutions and WordPress plugins are available that can help increase your influence and improve user engagement. For example:
- Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
- Contact Forms, Live Chat
- Forums & Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
- Polls and Surveys
- Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
- Comment sharing
- Add media, video galleries, etc.
Identify Needs & Provide Solutions To These
By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem developing new services and products, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate new sources of traffic.
Traffic Tips
- Create a free or paid e-learning program.
- Consider publishing expert guides that can be sold or distributed online.
- Add an e-commerce store to your site.
Plugins, Tools, And Methods
If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:
- Membership Site plugins (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 the collection and analysis of data. By interpreting data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new ways to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.
Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics program like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.
WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – 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:
- Begin with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by solid marketing, technical and business systems,
- Implement a content marketing strategy (with 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 as required to help 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, this post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress website and expand your business online.
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"I am beyond impressed with what you have put together. I can tell that you put a ton of hard work into building what you have. You have the absolute best content on WordPress I have ever seen!" - Robert T. Jillie
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