Tag: Traffic Generation

Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to turn a website into an automated web traffic generating machine using WordPress.

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

In Part One, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to generating automated web traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do is post content regularly to automatically begin attracting new traffic!)

In Part 2, we look at the setup phase of this blueprint. We help you understand 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 site has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focus on configuring the system. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you learn how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part 4, we explained how to set up various plugins that can bring traffic automatically to your website or blog whenever you begin posting content.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize traffic to your website with a number of different tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, generating consistent traffic of high quality is achieved by having a clearly-defined business vision, careful digital planning, and good systems in place.

(Optimizing traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and excellent systems)

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

These systems include:

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

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

Let’s briefly review the above systems:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you allocate your budget and resources to these channels?
• Who will create your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the cost-effectiveness of your online 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 generate some initial actionable data, such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems keep your web presence operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is down or your pages are taking too long to load.

Your systems include handling technical 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 is looking after my server?
• Who looks after my website and keeps 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 issues can be minimized if your website planning process and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, there will always be problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

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

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

If you plan to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you have systems in place to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Strategies

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

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

(Implementing an effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as your time and resources will allow.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) can help you generate actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive visitors using methods like LinkedIn, solo ads, joint ventures, etc.

Tools & Strategies

We’ve already covered a number of 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 site:

• Share your comments and posts online with others,
• Run contests, offer discounts or downloads for likes/shares,
• Accept user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Publish and distribute content online in different media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more content published is good, but for this activity to be really effective, your content needs to be building authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing better quality content improves your chances of getting more shares and views and hence more traffic.

Traffic Ideas

• Focus on creating and publishing content that will add value to your audience and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing instructional PDF guides or special reports that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

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

Also, contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to 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

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting a group.

With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic comes 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, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.

Tips

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

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & 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 To These

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to find out what users are searching for, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for new services and products, all of which provide new opportunities for generating new sources of web traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Consider creating an online training course.
• Publish instructional PDF guides that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), contact us to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website or blog:

• Membership Site plugins (e.g. Wishlist Member, S2 Member, etc.)
• e-Courses (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 allows you to discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is rinse and repeat, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and improve your results.

In summary:

• Begin 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 methods if needed to build authority and credibility, and also to increase 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, this article has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your WordPress website and get better results online.

***

***