WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to grow your business online automatically using WordPress.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is post fresh content on a regular basis to start driving traffic!)

In Part 2, we discussed the setup phase. We helped 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 site, and what to do if your site was built using WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we looked at important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings that affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 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 explained how to set up various WordPress plugins that can bring traffic automatically to your site.

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

In this section of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint article series, we look at ways to optimize your traffic using different tools and methods.

WordPress Web Traffic Automation Blueprint – Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website expertly configured, generating traffic successfully on a consistent basis comes from having a clear business vision, sound digital planning, and good systems in place.

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

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

These include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and strategies used to drive new traffic to your website.
• Technical Systems – The systems and processes used to keep your web presence optimized for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – The systems used to manage and respond to traffic.

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

Let’s review the above systems briefly:

Marketing Systems

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

• What channels will you use to drive new traffic (e.g. blogging, video marketing, etc)?
• How will you apply your budget and resources to these marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you track conversions and measure the ROI 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. Google AdWords) to help you generate some results. 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 website, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience.

Technical Systems

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

Your technical 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 looks 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 any problems arise?

Many potential issues can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like all technology, however, you can expect new problems. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good business systems and processes to help you manage and respond to the influx of new traffic. This includes:

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

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

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Traffic Optimization

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

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

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

Increase Reach & Visibility Online

The first step of the process is to expose your business to as many members of your target audience as possible.

Useful Tips & Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly notify and publicize your content to traffic-getting sources like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The easiest way to increase your reach and visibility online, therefore, is to simply publish more content on your site.
• As mentioned earlier, investing in some paid advertising (e.g. Google AdWords) can help you generate actionable and intelligent data, which you can use to create 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 attract more traffic using methods like Twitter ads, YouTube, cross promotions, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

See earlier sections of this tutorial series for a number of useful tools and strategies we’ve already covered to help you reach more members of your target audience.

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

• Share your posts online,
• Run contests, offer discounts/downloads for likes/shares,
• Add 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 published is good, but to make this activity more effective, your content also needs to be building authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and viewed by more people and hence more traffic.

Tips

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

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

We have created a comprehensive course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, content creation tools, and ways to never run out of new ideas for web content that you can plug into at no cost 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 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 group.

With “Traffic On Tap,” all of your traffic will come from an audience of existing customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and credibility can be used to generate new traffic with every post you publish or email you send out.

Useful Tips

• Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
• Add an autoresponder newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
• Add a free or paid membership site.
• Create or join an online group on LinkedIn/Facebook.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

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

• List-Building Software (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, etc.)
• Contact Forms, Live Chat
• Forums and Discussion Groups (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 find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can develop new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating new streams of traffic.

Traffic Tips

• Create a free or paid e-learning course.
• Publish a special report or PDF guide that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.
• Add e-commerce to your business.

Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

If you plan to provide services, products, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), see other posts and tutorials on this site to learn more about plugins that let you easily add the following to your site:

• 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 the collection and analysis of data. By learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic, you can discover new opportunities to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.

You should already have installed an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics) on your website. Make sure you can also understand the data.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Summary

Once you implement the above strategies, all you have to do is repeat the cycle, fine-tuning and refining your methods as you go to grow your traffic and get better your results.

In summary:

• Begin 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 if required to help build authority and credibility, and also to increase 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 post has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your website and get better results online.

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