Tag: Traffic Generation

Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to automate traffic to your site using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is add fresh content consistently to automatically drive traffic!)

In Part 2, we discuss critical setup decisions. We explain 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 website was built using WordPress.

(In Part 2 we show you how to set up a WordPress website on your domain)

In Part 3, we discussed configuring WordPress. We configured webhosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part Three we show you how to configure all the settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we looked at ways to automate traffic generation using WordPress plugins.

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

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we discuss ways to optimize traffic generation with a number of different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and good systems in place.

(Optimized traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and systems)

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – How you create new traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to keep your web presence up and running for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to traffic.

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

Let’s briefly review how important these systems are for traffic:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to create new traffic for your business. You can test your marketing systems by asking questions such as:

• What is your content marketing/online marketing strategy?
• How will you apportion your budget and resources to your marketing channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you 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. pay-per-click ads) to help you generate some 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 website, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your online presence remains operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your pages are taking a long time to load.

Your systems need to handle areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, troubleshooting, etc.

Your technical systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• Who looks 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. should things go wrong?

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. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems and processes in place to help you manage and respond to traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have implemented excellent systems to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Tools And Strategies

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is to develop and optimize your “traffic loop”.

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

(Implementing an effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

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

Useful Tips & Ideas

• 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.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate actionable and intelligent data such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to get visitors using methods like Pinterest advertising, solo ads, forum signatures, etc.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

We’ve already covered many useful tools and strategies in earlier sections of this tutorial series.

Also, contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:

• Share your comments and posts online,
• Run contests, offer downloads or discounts 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 of your content out there is great, but for this activity to be really effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting more views from social sharing and hence more visitors.

Useful Tips

• Focus on creating and publishing content that will add value to potential users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing an e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Tools & Methods

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

Also, if you haven’t already, see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

• 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 achieve this by growing a list or starting an online group.

With “Traffic On Demand,” most of your traffic will come from customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate new traffic with a single blog post or email broadcast.

Tips

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site.
• Create or join an online group on Facebook.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

Many solutions and plugins are available that are easy to implement and can help grow your influence and improve user engagement. For example:

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

Identify Problems And Provide Solutions

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating new streams of web traffic.

Traffic Optimization Tips

• Create an e-learning course.
• Publish a special report that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

• 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 to collect and analyze data. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic lets you discover new ways to create content that can generate you additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you already have 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 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 (with some paid advertising to drive traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other solutions if required to build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to increase 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 article has given you a blueprint that will help you drive more traffic automatically to your website and build a more successful business online.

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