WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, where we show you how to grow your business online automatically using the WordPress CMS platform.

So far, here is what we have covered in this article series:

In Part 1 of this series, we provided an overview of the traffic automation process, and explained why using an expertly configured WordPress site is the key to automating traffic to your site …

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

In Part 2, we discuss critical setup decisions. We help you understand the best way to start 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 website has been built with WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we focus on important configuration decisions. We explained how to configure web hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically …

(In Part 3 you learn how to configure hosting settings, internal settings, and external settings that can affect your site’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

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

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

In Part 5 of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we discuss ways to optimize the traffic system using various tools and strategies.

WordPress Web Traffic System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to having an expertly configured WordPress website, generating quality traffic consistently is the outcome of a clearly-defined business vision, careful digital planning, and great systems and process in place.

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

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – The processes and methods used to create traffic for your website.
• Technical Systems – How you keep your digital presence optimized for receiving new traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

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

Let’s briefly review how important these systems are for optimizing traffic:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and strategies used to drive new traffic to your business. 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 allocate to your marketing channels?
• Who will create and optimize your content, sales funnels, and run your marketing campaigns?
• How will you 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 initial actionable data, such as the keywords people are searching online to find your site, which you can use to create web content better targeted to your audience’s needs.

Technical Systems

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

Your technical systems need to handle technical 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 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. if you experience difficulties?

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

Business Systems

Your business systems help you manage and respond to traffic. These include:

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint – Optimizing Traffic Generation

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

Let’s go through an example of implementing, optimizing, and further automating a traffic loop. Take a look at the diagram below …

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

The first step of the process is to get your business exposed to as many members of your target audience as your time and resources will allow.

Traffic Optimization Ideas

• Your expertly configured WordPress site allows you to automatically publish your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, 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 can help you generate some initial data, which you can use to create content better targeted to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to get more web site visitors using methods like LinkedIn ads, podcasts, email ads, etc.

Tools, Plugins, & Methods

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

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

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

Build Authority & Credibility

Getting more content out there is great, but for this activity to be really effective, your content needs to build authority and credibility with your audience.

Publishing authoritative content not only helps to establish your credibility, it also improves your chances of getting it shared on other sites and hence more traffic.

Useful Tips And Ideas

• Focus on creating content that will add value to potential users and showcase your expertise. This includes content that educates and informs 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.

Tools, Plugins, & Strategies

We have created a comprehensive course on content creation that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, contact us to learn more 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 Recognition

Grow Influence And Engagement

As your business grows, you may want to consider developing “traffic on demand.” You can do this by growing a list or starting an online forum, membership site, or even your own social site.

With “Traffic On Demand,” your traffic will come from customers or subscribers – people who already know you and trust you. Your influence and reputation can be used to generate new traffic with every post you publish or email broadcast you send out.

Traffic Ideas

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

Tools, Plugins, And Strategies

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

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

Identify Needs & Provide Solutions To These

If you take advantage of incoming traffic to listen to what your visitors are looking for, you can develop new products, services, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate new streams of web traffic.

Tips

• Consider creating an e-learning course.
• Consider publishing expert guides that you can sell or distribute online.
• Add an e-commerce store to your site.

Tools And Methods

If you plan to provide products, services, and solutions online (as opposed to just providing information), look for plugins that allow you to easily add the following to your website:

• Membership Sites (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 to collect and analyze data. Learning to interpret data gathered from existing traffic gives you the opportunity to discover new opportunities to generate content that can bring you additional traffic.

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

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – 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 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 drive more traffic automatically to your web site and build a better business online.

***

***