WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

This is part 5 of a 5-part series on how to create an automated traffic generation system for your WordPress site. This tutorial explains how to optimize your WordPress traffic system once your WordPress site has been expertly configured and setup.

Website Traffic Blueprint Part Five - Learn How To Create An Automated Traffic Generating Machine With WordPressWelcome to Part Five of our WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to drive visitors automatically to your site using the WordPress CMS platform.

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

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

With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do to automatically drive more traffic is publish great content on a consistent basis!

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is post fresh content regularly to automatically bring more web traffic!)

In Part 2, we look at the setup phase. We explain 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 has been built using WordPress.

Where to set up WordPress on your domain

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

In Part Three, we look at important configuration decisions. We configured all the settings that can affect your website’s traffic-getting ability …

How to set up a WordPress website on your domain

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

In Part 4, we discussed ways to automate traffic to your website using WordPress plugins.

Publish content one-time, automate the rest!

(Publish content one-time, automate the rest!)

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

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Systems

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

Optimizing traffic is the result of business vision, sound planning, and great systems

(Generating consistent 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 this traffic.

These include:

  • Marketing Systems – How you drive traffic to your website.
  • Technical Systems – How you ensure that your online presence remains optimized for receiving traffic.
  • Business Systems – How you manage and respond to traffic.

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

(Use systems to grow and manage your traffic)

Let’s briefly review the above systems:

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 is your content marketing strategy/online marketing strategy?
  • How will you apply your budget and resources to these channels?
  • How will you create your content and marketing campaigns?
  • How will you 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 generate some initial intelligence. If you’re tracking your marketing campaigns correctly, this should yield some actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your website, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

Your technical systems keep your digital presence up and running for receiving new traffic. There’s no point sending traffic to your site if your site is constantly down or your web pages are taking a long time to load.

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

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

  • Who looks after my server?
  • Who is looking after my website and keeping 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 process and setup and configuration phases have been done correctly. Like all technology, however, you should expect new problems to arise. You will need the right technical systems in place to handle these.

Business Systems

You need good operational systems in place to help you manage and respond to traffic. This includes:

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

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

WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Optimizing Traffic Generation

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

Implementing an effective traffic loop

(Implementing an effective traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility Online

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

Useful Tips
  • An expertly configured WordPress site will allow you to instantly notify and publicize your content to 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 (e.g. Google AdWords) can help you generate data, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience.
  • Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
  • Continue learning about ways to attract traffic using methods like SEO, solo ads, Reddit, etc.
Tools, Plugins, & Methods

We’ve covered a number of useful tools and methods in previous sections of this tutorial series.

Also, look for plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

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

Build Authority And Credibility

Getting more of your content published is good, but to make this more effective, your content needs to be building authority and credibility with visitors.

Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting more people to share it with others and hence more traffic.

Tips
  • Focus on creating and publishing content that adds value to your audience and that showcases your expertise. This includes content that informs and educates readers, training content, case studies, adding testimonials, etc.
  • Consider publishing special guides that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.
Plugins, Tools, And Strategies

We have created a comprehensive course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, and how to never run out of ideas for content that you can plug into for free here:

Also, contact us to learn more about WordPress plugins that let you easily add the following to your website or blog:

Grow Influence & Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting a membership site.

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

Tips
  • Encourage commenting and discussions on your site.
  • Add an email training course and encourage people to subscribe.
  • Add a free or paid membership site, online forum, or social community.
  • Start or join an online group on LinkedIn.
Plugins, Tools, & Strategies

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

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

Identify Needs/Problems And Provide Solutions

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to find out what problems your visitors are trying to solve, you can have an endless funnel of ideas for developing new services and products, all of which can provide you with new opportunities for generating additional traffic.

Tips
  • Create a free or paid e-learning course.
  • Consider publishing a special report that you can sell or distribute online.
  • Consider adding e-commerce to your site.
Tools And Methods

If you plan to provide solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), then some of the more useful plugins you may want to add to your website include:

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 content that can bring you additional traffic.

Hopefully, by now you have already installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your website. 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 improve your results.

In summary:

  • Begin 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 necessary to help build authority and credibility, and also to improve 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, now you have a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress website and build a better business online.

Web Site Traffic Blueprint Part 5 - How To Turn Your WordPress Site Into An Automated Web Traffic Machine

***

"Your training is the best in the world! It is simple, yet detailed, direct, understandable, memorable, and complete." Andrea Adams, FinancialJourney.org

***

Originally published as WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization).