Tag: Web Traffic

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to drive traffic automatically to your website using WordPress.

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

In Part 1 of this article series, we describe the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to generating automated web traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do to automatically attract more web traffic is post new content on a consistent basis!)

In Part Two, we focus on the setup phase of the traffic automation 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 with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we focus on important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three we explain how to configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, we showed you how to set up various plugins that can help bring visitors automatically to your site just by posting fresh content on a regular basis.

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

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using a number of tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress site, generating consistent traffic of high quality comes from a well-defined business vision, sound digital planning, and great systems in place.

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

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

These systems include:

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

(Systems help you grow, automate, optimize, 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 online marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What channels do you plan to use to generate traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the ROI 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 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 site, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes keep your web presence optimized for receiving new traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your pages take a very long time to load.

Your systems need to handle areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing and updating new software (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 maintained and up-to-date?
• Who will fix errors, troubleshoot problems, provide technical support and advice, etc. should problems occur?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you can expect to face new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems and processes in place to help you manage the influx of new traffic. These include:

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then you will need excellent systems in place to manage all outsourcing.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Tools & Strategies

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

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

(Implementing, optimizing and automating your traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

Step 1 of the process is to increase visibility for your website or blog.

Useful Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on places 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. Facebook ads) can help you generate some initial actionable data such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to get more traffic using methods like paid advertising, banner ads, email ads, etc.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

We’ve already covered a number of useful plugins, tools, and strategies in previous sections of this tutorial series.

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

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

Build Authority And Credibility

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

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

Useful Tips

• Create and publish content that will add value to users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Tools & Methods

We have created an entire email training series aimed at helping you come up with limitless content for posting to your website or blog:

Also, learn more about 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 building a list or starting an online community or even your own social network.

With “Traffic On Tap,” all of your traffic will come from customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate traffic with a single post or email broadcast.

Useful Tips

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid or free membership site.
• Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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

• Autoresponders (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums and Social Communities (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
• Polls & Surveys
• Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
• Comment sharing
• Add media, image galleries, etc.

Identify Problems And Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem developing new products and services, all of which provide new opportunities for generating new streams of web traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Consider creating a free or paid online training program.
• Publish a special report that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Tools & Methods

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful 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. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic lets you discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. 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 rinse and repeat, 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 traffic and generate useful data) to increase your reach and visibility online,
• Add plugins, list-building strategies, and other solutions if required to help build authority 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 automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your web site and expand your business online.

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