WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

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

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

In Part One, we explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website is the key to automating traffic to your site …

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is post fresh content consistently to automatically start driving traffic!)

In Part 2, we focus on the setup phase. We explain the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set things up if you already have a site, and what to do if your existing website 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 focused on important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 we show you how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, you learned how to set up various WordPress plugins that can get visitors automatically to your site whenever you begin to publish new content consistently.

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

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we look at ways to optimize the traffic-getting process using different tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website expertly configured, generating consistent traffic of high quality comes from having a clearly-defined business vision, careful digital planning, and great systems and process in place.

(Optimizing traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and excellent 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 – The systems used to keep your web presence up and running for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems and processes used to manage and respond to new traffic.

(Systems help you grow, automate, 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 website. Your online marketing systems can be tested 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 assign to these channels?
• Who will create your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the cost-effectiveness 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 (e.g. Facebook ads) 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 content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems keep your online presence optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is constantly down or your pages are taking too long to load.

Your systems include handling areas like webhosting, site maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating new software (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, 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 planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, there will always be problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems to help you manage and respond to the influx of traffic. These include:

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

If you plan to outsource your digital marketing and technical support, then make sure you have implemented good systems 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 do is to implement a “traffic loop”.

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

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

Increase Reach And Visibility

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

Useful Tips & Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly share your content on traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, 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 can help 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 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 increase more web site traffic using methods like LinkedIn ads, banner ads, Reddit, etc.

Tools & Methods

We’ve covered a number of excellent tools, plugins, and methods 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 allow you to easily add the following to your website or blog:

• Share your posts online,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for likes/shares,
• Accept user generated content, feeds, etc.
• Publish and distribute content online in different media formats (e.g. videos, PDF guides, slides, etc.)

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more content out there is a great first step, but to make this activity more effective, your content 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 more shares and views and hence more traffic.

Tips

• Create and publish content that adds value to your audience and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that you can sell or distribute online.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

We have created an entire email course on content creation that you can plug into for free 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 And Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting a group.

With “Traffic On Tap,” 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 every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or email broadcast you send out.

Tips

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

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

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

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

Identify Needs And Provide Solutions

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what problems your users are trying to solve, you can develop new services and products, all of which provide new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Create an online training program.
• Consider publishing a special report that can be sold or distributed online.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your site.

Tools And Methods

If you plan to provide 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. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new ways to create content that can generate you additional traffic.

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

WordPress Web 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 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 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 as necessary to build authority, trust, and credibility, and also to improve 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 article has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving visitors to your website and get better results online.

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