WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to automate traffic to your site using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

In Part 1, we provide an overview of the traffic automation process, and explain why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your website …

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

In Part Two, we focused on 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 things up if you already have a website, and what to do if your website has been built using WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we looked at configuring WordPress. We explained how to configure webhosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three you will configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we explained how to set up various plugins that can drive new traffic automatically to your site just by publishing web content.

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

In this article, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress site expertly configured, the key to generating targeted traffic consistently is having a clearly-defined business vision, great digital planning, and good systems in place.

(Automating traffic is the product of having a clear business vision, sound planning, and great systems)

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

These include:

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

(Systems help you grow, automate, optimize, 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 strategies used to drive 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, video marketing, etc)?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the results 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 data, such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving new traffic. There’s no point driving traffic to your website if your site is experiencing problems or your web pages are taking a very long time to load.

Your technical systems include handling areas like webhosting, website 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 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. if you experience difficulties?

Many potential problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. As with all technology, however, you will run into new 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 new traffic. These include:

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Methods

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

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

(Implementing, optimizing and automating a traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

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

Tips

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to instantly share your content on traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to attract more web visitors using methods like Facebook ads, social media, StumbleUpon, etc.

Tools And Strategies

See earlier sections of this article series for many excellent tools, plugins, and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

Also, if you haven’t already, contact us to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your WordPress website:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

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

Publishing better quality content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared around and viewed by more people and hence more visitors.

Traffic Ideas

• Focus on creating content that adds value to users and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, user reviews, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing special reports that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

We have created an entire email series designed to help you never run out of content for your website or blog:

Also, ask us about plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your WordPress site:

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

Grow Influence & Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting an online forum or network.

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 new traffic with a single post or email.

Traffic Optimization 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, online forum, or social community.
• Create or join an online group on Facebook.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

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

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

Identify Needs/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new sources of web traffic.

Tips

• Create an e-learning program.
• Publish an instructional e-book that can be sold or distributed online.
• Consider adding e-commerce to your business.

Tools & Methods

If you plan to provide services, products, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to add 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 the collection and analysis of data. Learning to gather and interpret data from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new ways to generate additional traffic.

You should already have installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation 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:

• 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 methods as required to help 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 drive more traffic automatically to your web site and build a more successful business online.

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