Welcome to Part Five of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to drive visitors automatically to your site using the WordPress CMS.
So far, we have covered the following in this article series:
In Part One, we explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to automating traffic to your site …
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is post web content on a consistent basis to begin bringing new web traffic!)
In Part 2, we focused on critical setup decisions. We explained the best way to start 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 website was built using WordPress.
(In Part 2 we show you how to set up a WordPress website on your domain)
In Part Three, we discuss important configuration decisions. We configured hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …
(In Part Three we explain how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)
In Part Four, we explained how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help bring web traffic automatically to your website or blog.
(Publish once to WordPress and automate your content distribution to all other services!)
In this article, we look at ways to optimize the traffic generation process using various tools and methods.
WordPress Traffic System – Systems
In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, the key to generating targeted traffic on a consistent basis is having a well-defined business vision, great digital planning, and excellent systems in place.
(Generating automated traffic is the result of a business vision, planning, and systems)
Let’s briefly review the systems that will help you grow and manage this traffic.
These include:
- Marketing Systems – How you drive traffic to your business.
- Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to keep your web presence operating efficiently for receiving new traffic.
- Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to new traffic.
(Systems help you grow, automate, optimize, and manage your traffic)
Let’s review the above systems briefly:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to create traffic for your business. Your marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- What is your content marketing strategy?
- What resources and portion of your budget will you allocate to these channels?
- How will you create your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
- How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness of your 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. Google AdWords) to help you generate some data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems keep your online presence operating efficiently for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is experiencing problems or your pages are taking too long to load.
Your technical systems include handling areas like webhosting, site 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 server?
- 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. when issues occur?
Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.
Business Systems
You need good business systems and processes in place to help you manage and respond to the influx of new traffic. These include:
- Communication systems
- Managing human and financial resources
- Handling leads and sales enquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer service/training
- etc.
If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you also implement great systems for managing all outsourcing processes.
WordPress Traffic System – Optimizing Traffic Generation
With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is focus on developing, optimizing and automating a “traffic loop”.
Let’s go through an example of how to implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the illustration below …
(Implement and optimize your traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility Online
The first step of the process is to get your business exposed to as many potential users as you can.
Traffic Tips
- An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content.
- As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate some initial 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.
- Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to increase more traffic using methods like Twitter, PPC advertising, email ads, etc.
Plugins, Tools, & Methods
We’ve already covered many useful plugins, tools, and strategies in earlier sections of this tutorial series.
Also, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress website:
- Share your comments and posts online,
- Run contests, offer discounts or downloads for shares/likes,
- Accept user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Publish and distribute content online in other media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, audio, 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 higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more views from social sharing and hence more traffic.
Tips
- Focus on content that adds value to potential visitors and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing an instructional PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
If you need great content ideas for your site, we recommend subscribing to our FREE email training series here:
Also, if you haven’t already, look for plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress website:
- Legal Pages
- Testimonials
- Customer Support (e.g. Helpdesk, Live Chat, etc.)
- Ratings
- User Reviews
- Badges/Certificates Of Recognition
Grow Influence And Engagement
At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by growing 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 reputation can be used to generate traffic with every post you publish, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
- Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
- Add a free or paid 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, image galleries, etc.
Identify Needs & Provide Solutions
If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what users are searching for, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.
Tips
- Create a free or paid e-learning program.
- Consider publishing a training guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.
- Consider adding e-commerce to your business.
Tools And Methods
If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to 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. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new ways to generate additional traffic.
You should have already installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.
WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Summary
Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the same process, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and improve 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 help build authority 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 WordPress web site and build a more successful business online.
***
"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
***