WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to drive new traffic automatically to your website using the WordPress CMS.

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

In Part 1, we explain why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to generating automated web traffic …

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

In Part 2, we focus on the setup phase of the automation system. We help you understand the best way to get started if you don’t have a website yet, how to set everything up if you already have a website, and what to do if your existing website was built with WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focused on configuring WordPress. We explained how to configure all the settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part Three we explain how to configure all the settings (hosting, internal and external) that affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part 4, we showed you how to set up various WordPress plugins that can help bring web traffic automatically to your website just by posting content on a consistent basis.

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

In Part Five of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize your traffic with different tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, generating traffic successfully on a consistent basis is achieved by having a clear business vision, great digital planning, and excellent systems in place.

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

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

These systems include:

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

(Use systems to grow, automate, optimize, and manage your traffic)

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to drive new traffic (e.g. blogging, facebook advertising, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you allocate your budget and resources to these channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content 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 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 to help you generate some data, such as the keywords 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 and processes ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly experiencing problems or your pages are taking a very long time to load.

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who will look after my webhosting?
• 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 problems occur?

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

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage new traffic. These include:

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

If you intend to outsource key aspects of your digital marketing and technical services, then you will need good systems in place for managing all outsourcing.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Optimizing Traffic Generation

With clear business objectives and great systems in place, all you need to focus on is how to implement and optimize a “traffic loop”.

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach & Visibility

The first step of the process is to get your business exposed to as many traffic generation sites and channels as possible.

Traffic Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on 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 generate actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to get more web site traffic using methods like Facebook ads, podcasts, forum ads, etc.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

We’ve already covered a number of excellent tools and strategies in previous sections of this article series.

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

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more content out there is a great first step, but for this activity to be really effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with users.

Publishing better quality content improves your chances of getting it shared around and hence more traffic.

Tips

• Create and publish content that will add value to your audience and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
• Consider publishing PDF guides that can be sold or distributed online.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

If you need endless content ideas for your website or blog, we recommend subscribing to our FREE email training series here:

Also, if you haven’t already, 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 Trust

Grow Influence And Engagement

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

With “Traffic On Tap,” most of your traffic comes from an audience of customers or subscribers – people who already like you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate new traffic with every blog post you publish, forum post you add, or email broadcast you send out.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Encourage visitors to leave comments and start discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free or paid membership site.
• Start or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Tools, Plugins, And Methods

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

• List-Building Software (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, 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 To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can develop new services, products, and solutions, all of which provide new opportunities for generating additional traffic.

Tips

• Consider creating an e-learning course.
• Publish a special report that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful WordPress plugins you may want to add 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 the collection and analysis of data. By interpreting data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new traffic opportunities.

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

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the process, 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 good marketing, technical and business systems,
• Implement a content marketing strategy (consider adding 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 if necessary 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, this information 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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