Tag: Web Traffic

Welcome to Part 5 of our WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to turn a site into an automated traffic generation machine using WordPress.

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

In Part 1 of this article series, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is publish great content on a regular basis to start driving traffic!)

In Part 2, we looked at the setup phase. We helped 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 was built using WordPress.

(In Part two we show you how to set up a WordPress web site on your domain)

In Part 3, we focus on the configuration phase. We configured all the settings that affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 we explain how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate traffic to your website using a number of plugins.

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

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

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

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

These include:

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

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

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

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you assign your budget and resources to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions 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. pay-per-click ads) to help you generate some results. 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 and processes ensure that your digital presence remains up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your website if your site is experiencing problems or your web pages take a very long time to load.

Your systems include handling areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new software (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.

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

• Who is looking 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. 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 can expect new problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

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

• Communication systems
• Managing human and financial resources
• Handling sales enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer training/service
• etc.

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

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Loops

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

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

(Implement, optimize, and automate your traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

The first step of the process is to expose your business to as many traffic generation sites and channels as you can.

Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically syndicate your content to places 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) can help generate data, which you can use to create 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 attract web traffic using methods like paid ads, podcasts, forum signatures, etc.

Tools & Methods

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

Also, ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

• Share your posts online with others,
• Run contests, offer discounts or downloads for likes/shares,
• Display user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Distribute content online in different media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, 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 users.

Publishing better quality content improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and hence more visitors.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Focus on creating content that will add value to potential visitors and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that can be sold or distributed online.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

If you need help coming up with great topics for content that you can post on your web site, then subscribe to our FREE email training series on content marketing here:

Also, if you haven’t already, look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:

• 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 demand.” You can do this by growing a list or starting a community.

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

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free or paid membership site.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

Many solutions and plugins are available that can help grow your influence and improve 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 Problems & Provide Solutions To These

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new services and products, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.

Useful Tips

• Create a free or paid e-learning course.
• Publish a special report that can be sold or distributed online.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

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

• 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 to collect and analyze data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new ways to create additional traffic.

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

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the same process, 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 (consider also investing in 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 as required to help 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you drive more traffic automatically to your WordPress web site and get better results online.

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