Tag: Traffic Generation

Welcome to Part Five of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to drive new visitors automatically to your site using WordPress.

So far, here is what we have covered in this article series:

In Part 1, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to generating automated traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is publish great content on a consistent basis to automatically generate more traffic!)

In Part 2, we looked at the setup phase. We helped you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set everything up if you already have a site, 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 focused on configuring WordPress. We configured hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 you will configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we showed you how to set up various plugins that can help bring traffic automatically to your website.

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

In this section 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 getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a clearly-defined business vision, sound digital planning, and great systems in place.

(Generating automated traffic is the product of having a clear business vision, planning, and excellent systems)

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

These include:

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

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

Let’s review the importance of the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your marketing budget will you apply to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize 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 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) to help generate some initial intelligence. If you’re tracking your marketing campaigns correctly, this should yield some actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your digital presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is constantly down or your web pages take too long to load.

Your technical systems include handling areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing and updating software (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 maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. if you experience difficulties?

Many potential problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, you should expect new problems to arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems to help you manage traffic. These include:

• Communication systems
• Resources management – human, financial
• Handling sales enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer training/service
• etc.

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you have good systems in place for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Tools & Strategies

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

Let’s walk through an example of how to implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the diagram below …

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your business and website.

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 through your expertly configured WordPress site.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help you generate actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring traffic using methods like paid ads, videos, StumbleUpon, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

See earlier sections of this article series for a number of excellent tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

Also, learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

• Share your comments and posts online,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for likes/shares,
• Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Distribute content online in other media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more content out there is good, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared around and hence more traffic.

Tips

• Create and publish content that will add value to your audience and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing special guides that you can sell or distribute online.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

We have created a detailed email course on content creation that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, if you haven’t already, look for plugins that let you 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 tap.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting a community.

With “Traffic On Tap,” your traffic will come from an audience of customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate traffic with every post you publish or email broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email training course and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join an online group on LinkedIn.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

Many solutions and plugins are available that can help grow your online influence and improve engagement. For example:

• List-Building Software (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Discussion Groups (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls & Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Needs & Provide Solutions To These

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what your visitors are looking for, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new services and products, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create an e-learning program.
• Consider publishing expert guides that you can sell or distribute online.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your site.

Tools & Methods

If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to add to your website 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 to collect and analyze data. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the process over and over again, 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 (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 if necessary 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, this information has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your WordPress website and build a better business online.

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