Welcome to Part 5 of our WordPress 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 One of this article series, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your site …
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is add new content regularly to automatically start driving web traffic!)
In Part 2, we focus on the setup phase of the blueprint. We explain the best way to get started 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 site has been built with WordPress.
(In Part two we show you where to set up WordPress on your domain)
In Part Three, we focused on the configuration phase. We explained how to configure webhosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …
(In Part 3 we explain how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)
In Part Four, we explained how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help drive new visitors automatically to your website.
(Publish content one-time and automate your content distribution to all other marketing channels!)
In Part Five 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 Traffic System – Systems
In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a clearly-defined business vision, careful digital planning, and excellent systems and process in place.
(Automated traffic is the product of having a clear business vision, sound planning, and great systems)
Let’s review the systems that will help you grow and manage your traffic.
These systems include:
- Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to create new traffic for your business.
- 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 traffic.
(Use systems to grow and manage your web traffic)
Let’s briefly review the above systems:
Marketing Systems
Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to drive traffic to your business. Your marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:
- What channels do you plan to use to drive traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
- What resources and portion of your marketing budget will you allocate to these channels?
- How will you create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
- How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness of your 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 to help you generate some data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.
Technical Systems
Your technical systems keep your online presence operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is constantly down or your pages take a long time to load.
Your systems include handling areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new applications (e.g. plugins), customization, integration, troubleshooting, etc.
You can test your technical systems by questions such as:
- Who is looking 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 problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, you should expect new problems. Your technical systems need to be robust enough to handle these.
Business Systems
You need good operational systems in place to help you manage the influx of traffic. This includes:
- Communication systems
- Resources management – human, financial
- Handling sales inquiries
- Order fulfillment
- Customer training/service
- etc.
If you plan to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you also implement great systems to manage all outsourcing.
WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization
If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to focus on are ways to develop your “traffic loop”.
Let’s walk through an example of how to implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the illustration below …
(An effective traffic loop)
Increase Reach & Visibility Online
The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your business and website.
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 (e.g. pay-per-click ads) can help generate some initial data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
- Repurpose your content to leverage the power, appeal, and reach of different media formats.
- Continue learning about ways to get more website traffic using methods like SEO, PPC advertising, Reddit, etc.
Plugins, Tools, & Methods
See previous sections of this article series for many excellent plugins, tools, and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.
Also, ask us about WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:
- Share your posts online,
- Run contests, offer downloads or discounts for shares/likes,
- Add user generated content, feeds, etc.
- Publish and distribute content online in other media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, infographics, etc.)
Build Authority & Credibility
Getting more content out there is good, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.
Publishing higher quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and hence more traffic.
Traffic Ideas
- Focus on creating content that adds value to potential visitors and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
- Consider publishing expert reports that you can sell or distribute online.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods
If you need ideas for content that you can post on your website or blog, then subscribe to our FREE email training series here:
Also, if you haven’t already, learn more 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 Recognition
Grow Influence & Engagement
As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting a forum or network.
With “Traffic On Tap,” all of your traffic comes from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every post you publish or email broadcast you send out.
Traffic Ideas
- Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
- Add an autoresponder training course and encourage people to subscribe.
- Add a free or paid membership site.
- Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.
Tools, Plugins, And Methods
There are many solutions and plugins that can help grow your influence and improve user engagement. For example:
- List-Building Tools (e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.)
- Contact Forms, Live Chat
- Forums and Discussion Groups (e.g. bbPress, BuddyPress)
- Polls & Surveys
- Webinars (e.g. Webinar JEO)
- Comment sharing
- Add media, video galleries, etc.
Identify Needs/Problems And Provide Solutions To These
By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what users want, you can develop new solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating additional web traffic.
Useful Tips & Ideas
- Create a free or paid online training course.
- Consider publishing an e-book that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
- Consider adding an e-commerce store to your business.
Tools And Methods
If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), ask us about plugins that let you easily add the following to your site:
- 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. Gathering and interpreting data from existing traffic lets you discover new traffic opportunities.
Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you understand the metrics and can interpret the data.
WordPress Web Traffic System – 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 (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 necessary 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, this post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress web site and improve 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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