WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part Five of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is add web content on a consistent basis to start generating web traffic!)

In Part Two, we discuss the setup phase of the blueprint. We help you understand the best way to start 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 website was built with WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we discussed the configuration phase. We explained how to configure all the settings (hosting, WordPress and external) that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part 3 you learn how to configure all the settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate traffic generation with plugins.

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

In Part 5 of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic generation process using different tools and methods.

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

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

(Generating regular traffic is the result of a business vision, sound planning, and great systems)

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – How you drive new traffic to your business.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your online presence optimized for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

Let’s review the importance of the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods 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 drive traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you apply your budget and resources to these channels?
• Who will create your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the cost-effectiveness of your online marketing 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. Facebook ads) to help generate some 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 targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes ensure that your online presence remains operating efficiently for receiving traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your site if your site is experiencing problems or your pages take a very long time to load.

Your systems need to handle areas like webhosting, website maintenance and support, installing, configuring, and updating software (e.g. plugins), integration, customization, troubleshooting, etc.

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

• Who is looking after my server?
• Who will look after my website and keep my site, plugins, themes, etc. 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. As with all technology, however, you should expect to face problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage and respond to the influx of traffic. This includes:

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

If you intend to outsource your digital marketing and technical maintenance, then make sure you have excellent systems in place for managing all outsourcing processes.

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 your efforts on is growing, optimizing and automating a “traffic loop”.

Let’s walk through an example of how to implement, optimize, and further automate a traffic loop. Take a look at the illustration below …

(An effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

The first step of the process is to increase visibility for your website or blog.

Traffic Optimization Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically syndicate your content to sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising can help you generate some initial data, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive more web traffic using methods like Twitter advertising, podcasts, email, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

We’ve covered a number of excellent plugins, tools, and strategies in previous sections of this tutorial series.

Also, 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:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content out there is a great first step, but to make this activity more effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with users.

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.

Tips

• Focus on creating and publishing content that adds value to users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing educational guides that you can sell or distribute online.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

We have created a comprehensive course on content creation that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, look for WordPress plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your site:

• Legal Pages
• Testimonials
• Customer Support (e.g. Helpdesk, Live Chat, etc.)
• Ratings
• User Reviews
• Badges/Certificates Of Trust

Grow Influence And Engagement

At some point, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by growing a list or starting your own community.

With “Traffic On Demand,” all of your traffic comes from 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 broadcast.

Useful Tips

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free, paid, or ‘freemium’ membership site, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join an online group on Facebook.

Tools & Methods

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

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

Identify Needs & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new products and services, 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 a special report or even an e-book that you can sell or distribute online.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your site.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

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

• Membership Sites (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 tool like Google Analytics on your site. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is rinse and repeat, 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 initial 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 and credibility, and also to improve engagement with visitors,
• 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 website and improve your business online.

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