Tag: WordPress Traffic

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS.

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

In Part One of this article series, we described the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to generating automated web traffic …

(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do is add content consistently to automatically attract more traffic!)

In Part 2, we discussed critical setup decisions. We helped you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a web presence yet, how to set everything up if you already have a site, and what to do if your existing website was built using WordPress.

(In Part 2 we show you how to set up a WordPress site on your domain)

In Part 3, we discussed configuring the system. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you will configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate the traffic system with different WordPress plugins.

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

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 Automation Blueprint – Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating successfully on a consistent basis is having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and great systems in place.

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

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

These include:

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

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

Let’s briefly review how important these systems are for traffic:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels do you plan to use to generate new traffic (e.g. blogging, PPC advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you allocate to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the ROI 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. Google AdWords) to help generate some actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is down or your pages are taking a long time to load.

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who looks 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. if you experience difficulties?

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

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage and respond to traffic. These include:

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

If you intend to outsource areas of your digital marketing and technical services, then make sure you have implemented great systems for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to do is to implement, optimize, and further automate your “traffic loop”.

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

Step 1 of the process is to expose your business to as many traffic generation sites and channels as your resources allow.

Useful Tips

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to automatically publish your content on 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. Google AdWords) can help you generate some initial 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 more traffic using methods like SEO, podcasts, StumbleUpon, etc.

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

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

Also, see other posts on this site to learn more about WordPress 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 various media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)

Build Authority & Credibility

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

Publishing better quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and hence more visitors.

Traffic Ideas

• Create and publish content that will add value to potential visitors and showcase your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

If you need topics for posting content on your website, then subscribe to our email training series on growing your business with content marketing here:

Also, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

• 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 an online forum or network.

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

Useful Tips & 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.
• Create or join an online group on LinkedIn.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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

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

Identify Problems & Provide Solutions

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem developing new products and services, all of which provide new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Consider creating an online training course.
• Consider publishing PDF guides or special reports that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your business.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

If you plan to provide services and products online (as opposed to just providing information), contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your website:

• 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. By interpreting data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new ways to generate additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics program (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation 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 improve 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 adding 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 required 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 WordPress web site and expand your business online.

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