WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part Five of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain 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 1 of this article series, we explained why using an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is the key to automating traffic to your website …

(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do is post web content consistently to automatically begin bringing traffic!)

In Part Two, we discuss the setup phase of the blueprint. We help 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 site is built using WordPress.

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

In Part 3, we discussed the configuration phase of the blueprint. We configured all the settings that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three we explain how to configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability)

In Part Four, we looked at ways to automate the traffic-getting process with plugins.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using various tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, the key to generating consistent traffic of high quality is having a clear business vision, careful digital planning, and great systems in place.

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

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to create new traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you ensure that your web presence remains up and running for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

(Systems help you grow, automate, optimize, and manage your traffic)

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What is your content marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you apportion to these channels?
• How will you create your content, sales funnels, and marketing campaigns?
• How will you test and measure the results 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. Facebook ads) to help you generate some initial 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’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems and processes keep your web presence optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is down or your pages take too long to load.

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

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

• Who will look 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. should any issues arise?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. As with all technology, however, you can expect problems. Your technical systems need to be able to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems to help you manage traffic. These include:

• Communication systems
• Managing human and financial resources
• Handling leads and sales enquiries
• Order fulfillment
• Customer service/training
• etc.

If you intend to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical support, then you will need to put good systems in place to manage all outsourcing processes.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Traffic Loops

If your business objectives are clear and your systems and processes are in place, all you need to do is focus on developing, optimizing and automating 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 diagram below …

(Implement, optimize, and automate a traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

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

Traffic Ideas

• An expertly configured WordPress site allows 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 and intelligent data such as the keyword phrases people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create web content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to drive more web visitors using methods like Pinterest, PPC advertising, email ads, etc.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

See previous sections of this tutorial series for many useful tools and methods we’ve already covered to help you reach more potential users.

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

• Share your comments and posts online with others,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for likes/shares,
• Display 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 a great first step, but to make this more effective, your content also needs to build authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing authoritative content improves your chances of getting it shared around 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 a PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.

Tools & Strategies

If you need help coming up with great ideas for content that you can post on your site, then subscribe to our FREE email training series here:

Also, look for plugins that allow you to 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 demand.” You can do this by building a list or starting your own community.

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic comes from customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with a single blog post or email.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an email training course and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a paid or free membership site.
• Start or join an online group on LinkedIn/Facebook.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

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

• Autoresponders (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, 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/Problems & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to discover what problems your users are trying to solve, you should have no problem developing new products, services, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Consider creating an online training course.
• Consider publishing special guides that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on Amazon.
• Add e-commerce to your site.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

If you plan to provide services and products online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful WordPress plugins you may want to consider adding to your site include:

• 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 learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

Hopefully, by now you already have installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your site. 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 get better your results.

In summary:

• Start with an expertly configured WordPress site backed by solid 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 methods if required to help build authority, trust, 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, this information has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your web site and build a better business online.

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