Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS platform.
So far, here is what we have covered in this article series:
In Part One of this series, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to automating traffic to your website …
(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do to automatically begin bringing new traffic is post great content on a regular basis!)
In Part Two, we discussed the setup phase. We helped you understand the best way to start if you don’t have a website yet, how to set everything up if you already have a website, and what to do if your existing website was built using WordPress.
(In Part two we show you how to set up WordPress on your domain)
In Part 3, we look at the configuration phase of the blueprint. We configured web hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …
(In Part Three we show you how to configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)
In Part 4, we showed you how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help get traffic automatically to your website or blog just by posting content.
(Publish once to WordPress and automate the distribution of your content to all other marketing channels!)
In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize the traffic system with a number of different tools and methods.
WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems
In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a clear business vision, sound digital planning, and excellent systems and process in place.
(Generating regular traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and excellent systems)
Let’s review the systems that will help you grow and manage new traffic.
These systems include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to create new traffic for your website.
- Technical Systems – How you ensure that your digital presence remains operating efficiently for receiving new traffic.
- Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to new traffic.
(Use systems to grow, automate, and manage your web traffic)
Let’s review the above systems briefly:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to drive new traffic to your website. You can test your online marketing systems by asking questions such as:
- What channels will you use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, facebook advertising, video marketing, etc)?
- What resources and portion of your budget will you apply to these channels?
- How will you create your content and marketing campaigns?
- How will you track conversions and measure the results of your 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. Facebook ads) to help you generate some results. 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.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your pages take too long to load.
Your systems include handling areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating software (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.
Your technical systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- Who will look 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 any issues occur?
Many potential issues can be minimized if your planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect new problems to arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.
Business Systems
Your business systems and processes help you manage and respond to the influx of new traffic. These include:
- Communication systems
- Resources management – human, financial
- Handling leads and sales enquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer service/training
- etc.
If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have systems in place for managing all outsourcing.
WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Strategies
If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to do is focus on growing 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 …
(An effective traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility
The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your business and website.
Useful Tips And Ideas
- Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically syndicate your content to places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content on your site.
- As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help generate data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
- Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to drive web visitors using methods like Twitter, podcasts, updates, etc.
Tools And Methods
See previous sections of this article series for a number of excellent tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.
Also, see other posts on this site to learn more about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress website:
- 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 other media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more content published is great, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to build 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 views from social sharing and hence more traffic.
Traffic Optimization Tips
- Create and publish content that adds value to your audience and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing expert guides that can be sold or distributed online.
Tools, Plugins, And Methods
If you need endless content ideas for your website, then subscribe to our FREE email training series here:
Also, if you haven’t already, ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress site:
- 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 building a list or starting your own community.
With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic comes from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate traffic with a single blog post or email.
Useful Tips
- Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
- Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
- Add a paid, free, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
- Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.
Tools & Methods
There are many solutions and WordPress plugins that can help increase your online influence and improve engagement. For example:
- Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (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 And Provide Solutions To These
By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what problems your users are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.
Traffic Tips
- Create a free or paid e-learning program.
- Consider publishing PDF guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
- Add an e-commerce store to your business.
Tools, Plugins, And Strategies
If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), contact us to learn more about WordPress 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. Learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic allows you to discover new ways to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.
You should already have installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.
WordPress Web Traffic System – 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 solid 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 as 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your web site and grow your business online.
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"This is an awesome training series. I have a pretty good understanding of WordPress already, but this is helping me to move somewhere from intermediate to advanced user!" - Kim Lednum
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