Tag: Increase Web Traffic

Welcome to Part Five of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS platform.

So far, we have covered the following in this article series:

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do to automatically drive traffic is publish web content regularly!)

In Part Two, we discussed the setup phase of this system. We helped you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set things up if you already have a website, and what to do if your existing site was built with WordPress.

(In Part 2 we show you where to set up a WordPress web site on your domain)

In Part Three, we discuss the configuration phase. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you will configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we explained how to set up various plugins that can drive web traffic automatically to your website or blog.

(Publish once and automate your content distribution to all other services!)

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

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, the key to generating targeted traffic on a consistent basis is having a clear business vision, sound digital planning, and excellent systems in place.

(Optimized traffic is the product of having a clear business vision, sound planning, and great systems)

Let’s review the systems that will help you grow and manage your new traffic.

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – How you create new traffic for your business.
• Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to keep your online presence optimized for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to new traffic.

(Use systems to grow, automate, and manage your web traffic)

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to drive new traffic to your website. Your marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What channels will you use to drive traffic (e.g. blogging, facebook advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you allocate to your marketing channels?
• How will you create your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the cost-effectiveness of your marketing 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 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 targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your digital presence remains up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your pages take a long time to load.

Your systems need to be able to adequately handle 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, plugins, themes, etc. maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. if any problems occur?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you should expect to face new problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems to help you manage and respond to the influx of new traffic. These include:

• Communication systems
• Managing human and financial resources
• Handling sales enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer training/service
• etc.

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you also implement good systems for managing all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Loops

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

Let’s walk through an example of implementing, optimizing, and further automating a traffic loop. Take a look at the chart below …

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

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

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

Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly share your content on social media accounts 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 some initial actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create 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 increase more traffic using methods like LinkedIn ads, PPC advertising, forum signatures, etc.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for a number of useful tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

Also, ask us about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress site:

• Share your posts online with others,
• Run contests, offer discounts or downloads for likes/shares,
• Add 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 of your content published is a great first step, but to make this more effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more visitors.

Useful 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, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

We have created a detailed email course on content creation that you can plug into for free here:

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

• Legal Pages
• Testimonials
• Customer Support (e.g. Helpdesk, Live Chat, etc.)
• Ratings
• User Reviews
• Badges/Certificates Of Recognition

Grow Influence & Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can do this by growing a list or starting a community.

With “Traffic On Demand,” most of your traffic comes 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 new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder training course and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid or free membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, 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, image galleries, etc.

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what your visitors want, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new products, services, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new sources of web traffic.

Useful Tips

• Create a free or paid e-learning course.
• Consider publishing special guides that you can sell or distribute online.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your business.

Tools And Strategies

If you plan to provide services and products online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to consider adding to your website include:

• Membership Site plugins (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. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic lets you discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you understand the metrics and features and can interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the cycle, 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 as required to build authority 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 get better results online.

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