Tag: Web Traffic

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

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

In Part 1, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to generating automated traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do to automatically begin attracting new traffic is publish web content on a regular basis!)

In Part Two, we discussed the setup phase. We explained 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 website, and what to do if your existing site was built using WordPress.

(In Part two we show you where to set up WordPress on your domain)

In Part 3, we looked at the configuration phase. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

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

In Part Four, you learned how to set up various WordPress plugins that can get visitors automatically to your website whenever you begin adding content.

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization 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 great systems in place.

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to create traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to new traffic.

(Systems help you grow, automate, and manage your web traffic)

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

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
• How will you apply your budget and resources to these marketing channels?
• How will you create your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions 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. pay-per-click ads) to help generate some intelligence. 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 website, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your pages take a long time to load.

Your systems need to handle areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing and updating new 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 planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, you can expect to face problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage the influx of traffic. This includes:

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then you will need to put good systems in place for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Loops

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus on is growing a “traffic loop”.

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

(Implementing an effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

Step 1 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 traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) can help you generate some initial actionable and intelligent data such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more visitors using methods like Twitter advertising, solo ads, StumbleUpon, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

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

Also, if you haven’t already, learn more about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is good, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more people to link to it and share it around and hence more visitors.

Traffic Optimization Tips

• Focus on creating and publishing content that will add value to potential users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing expert guides that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle book store.

Tools & Methods

We have created a detailed email course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, and how to never run out of web content ideas that you can plug into at no cost here:

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

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

Grow Influence & Engagement

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

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic comes from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate traffic with a single post or email.

Traffic Optimization Tips

• Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid or free membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Start 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/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums & Discussion Groups (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls and 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 problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create a free or paid online training course.
• Consider publishing educational guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

If you plan to provide services, products, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful WordPress plugins you may want to add to your site 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 to collect and analyze data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic allows you to discover new traffic opportunities.

You should already have installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – 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 also investing in 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 required to build authority, trust, 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 traffic automatically to your WordPress web site and expand your business online.

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