Tag: WordPress Traffic Blueprint

Welcome to Part Five of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to turn a site into an automated web traffic machine using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

In Part 1 of this 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 site …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is publish web content consistently to start driving traffic!)

In Part 2, we focused on critical setup decisions. We explained the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set things up if you already have a site, and what to do if your existing site was built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we look at important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

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

In Part Four, we showed you how to set up various plugins that can help bring traffic automatically to your site just by adding web content.

(Publish once to WordPress 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 to your website with a number of different tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, generating targeted traffic consistently is the outcome of a clear business vision, great digital planning, and good systems and process in place.

(Optimized traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and great systems)

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

These systems include:

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

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

Let’s briefly review the above systems:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to drive traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you allocate your marketing budget and resources to these channels?
• How will you create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the ROI 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 to help generate some initial 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 web content better targeted to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems keep your web presence up and running for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is down or your web pages take too long to load.

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

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

• Who will look 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 anything go wrong?

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 should expect new problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems in place to help you manage and respond to traffic. This includes:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then you will need to put excellent systems in place for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic System – Traffic Optimization

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

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

(WordPress can help implement, optimize, and automate your traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many potential users as your resources allow.

Useful Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 you generate some initial actionable data such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web 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 increase more web traffic using methods like LinkedIn, social media, forum ads, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

See previous sections of this tutorial series for a number of useful plugins, tools, and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

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

• Share your comments and 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, slides, etc.)

Build Authority & Credibility

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

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

Useful 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 a special report or PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online.

Tools And Strategies

We have created an entire course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, content creation tools, and ways to never run out of new ideas for web content that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, ask us about WordPress 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 Recognition

Grow Influence & Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can do this by growing a list or starting an online network.

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic comes from an audience of customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips

• Encourage users to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid, free, or ‘freemium’ membership site.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

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

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

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your users are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new products and services, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional traffic.

Useful Tips

• Create an e-learning program.
• Consider publishing a “how-to” e-book that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add an e-commerce store to your business.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful WordPress plugins you may want to consider adding to your website include:

• Membership Site plugins (e.g. Wishlist Member, S2 Member, etc.)
• e-Learning Courses (e.g. Courseware)
• Event Registrations (e.g. EventEspresso)

Analyze Data & Feedback

The final step of the process is to collect and analyze data. By interpreting data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new opportunities to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you 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 Automation System – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is repeat the process over and over again, 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 (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 solutions if required to build authority, trust, 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 drive more traffic automatically to your WordPress website and expand your business online.

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