Welcome to Part Five of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to create an automated traffic generation machine using WordPress.
So far, we have covered the following in this article series:
In Part One of this series, we provide an overview of the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to automating traffic to your website …
(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do to start generating more traffic is publish fresh content on a consistent basis!)
In Part Two, we looked at the setup phase of the blueprint. 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 site, and what to do if your existing website has been built using WordPress.
(In Part 2 we show you how to set up a WordPress website or blog on your domain)
In Part Three, we focus on important configuration decisions. We explained how to configure all the settings that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …
(In Part 3 we show you how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)
In Part Four, you learned how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help drive web traffic automatically to your site.
(Publish content once and automate your content distribution to all other channels!)
In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize the traffic system with a number of different tools and strategies.
WordPress Web Traffic System – Systems
In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress site, generating high-quality traffic consistently is the result of having a well-defined business vision, great digital planning, and excellent systems in place.
(Generating regular traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and systems)
Let’s briefly review the systems that will help you grow and manage this traffic.
These systems include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create new traffic for your business.
- Technical Systems – The systems used to ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic.
- Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to traffic.
(Systems help you grow, automate, and manage your traffic)
Let’s review the above systems briefly:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to create traffic for your business. Your online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- What channels do you plan to use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
- How will you apportion your budget and resources to your marketing channels?
- How will you create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
- How will you track conversions and measure the results 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 generate some actionable data, such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems keep your online presence operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your pages are taking too long to load.
Your technical systems need to be able to adequately handle 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 will look after my webhosting?
- Who will look after my website and keep my site, plugins, themes, etc. 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 website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed 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 help you manage new traffic. These include:
- Communication systems
- Resources management – human, financial
- Handling sales inquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer service/training
- etc.
If you intend to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have excellent systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.
WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization
If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to do is focus on how to implement, optimize, and automate your “traffic loop”.
Let’s go through an example of how to implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the diagram below …
(WordPress can help you implement, automate, and optimize your traffic loop)
Increase Reach And Visibility Online
The first step of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as your resources allow.
Useful Tips And Ideas
- Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically syndicate your content to places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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. Facebook ads) can help you generate some initial data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
- Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to increase more web visitors using methods like Pinterest, podcasts, cross promotions, etc.
Tools & Strategies
See previous sections of this article series for a number of useful plugins, tools, and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.
Also, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress website or blog:
- Share your comments and posts online with others,
- Run contests, offer downloads or discounts for likes/shares,
- Accept user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Distribute content online in various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, audio, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more of your content out there is a great first step, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with visitors.
Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more people to share it with others and hence more traffic.
Tips
- Focus on 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 that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
If you need endless content ideas for your site, then subscribe to our email training course on content marketing here:
Also, look for 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 Trust
Grow Influence And Engagement
As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting an online group.
With “Traffic On Tap,” all 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 traffic with every post you publish or broadcast you send out.
Useful Tips And Ideas
- Encourage commenting and 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.
- Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.
Tools & Strategies
Many solutions and WordPress plugins are available that are easy to implement and can help grow your influence and improve engagement. For example:
- Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
- Contact Forms, Live Chat
- Forums and 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
If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what users are looking for, you can develop new products and services, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional traffic.
Traffic Ideas
- Consider creating an e-learning course.
- Consider publishing instructional PDF guides or special reports that can be sold or distributed online.
- Consider adding an e-commerce store to your site.
Plugins, Tools, & Strategies
If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), ask us about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:
- Membership Sites (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 gives you the opportunity to discover new traffic opportunities.
Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you understand the metrics and features and can interpret the data.
WordPress 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 get better your results.
In summary:
- Start with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by good marketing, technical and business systems,
- Implement a content marketing strategy (consider adding 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 needed to help build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to improve 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, 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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"Wow! I never knew there's so much to learn about WordPress! I bought one of the WordPress for Dummies three years ago, such authors need to be on this course!" - Rich Law, Create A Blog Now
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