WordPress Traffic Automation Blueprint – Part 5 (Optimization)

Welcome to Part 5 of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, where we explain how to create an automated traffic machine using the WordPress CMS.

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

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

(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is publish fresh content regularly to start generating new web traffic!)

In Part 2, we discussed the setup phase of this blueprint. 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 website, and what to do if your site has been built with WordPress.

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

In Part Three, we look at important configuration decisions. We configured web hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that affect your site’s traffic-getting ability …

(In Part Three you will configure hosting settings, WordPress settings, and external settings that can affect your website’s ability to generate traffic automatically)

In Part Four, we discussed ways to automate your traffic using a number of WordPress plugins.

(Publish once, automate the rest!)

In Part 5 of the WordPress web traffic automation blueprint series, we look at ways to optimize the traffic generation process with different tools and strategies.

WordPress Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization Systems

In addition to getting your WordPress website or blog expertly configured, the key to generating high-quality traffic consistently is having a clear business vision, great digital planning, and great systems in place.

(Consistent traffic is the product of a business vision, planning, and systems)

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

These systems include:

• Marketing Systems – How you drive traffic to your website.
• Technical Systems – The systems used to keep your digital presence operating efficiently for receiving traffic.
• Business Systems – How you manage and respond to new traffic.

(Use systems to grow and manage your web traffic)

Let’s briefly review how important these systems are:

Marketing Systems

Your marketing systems consist of the processes and methods used to drive new traffic to your business. Your marketing systems can be tested by asking questions such as:

• What is your online marketing strategy?
• What resources and portion of your budget will you assign to these channels?
• How will you create your content and marketing campaigns?
• How will you measure the cost-effectiveness of your online marketing campaigns?

During the setup and configuration phase, you should 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. pay-per-click ads) 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 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 website if your site is constantly down or your web pages take a long time to load.

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

You can test your technical systems by questions such as:

• Who will look after my webhosting?
• 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 you experience difficulties?

Many potential problems can be minimized if your website planning and setup and configuration phases have been completed correctly. Like 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 and respond to the influx of traffic. This includes:

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

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

WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Traffic Optimization

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

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

(Traffic loop)

Increase Reach And Visibility

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

Useful Tips And 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 generate actionable data, which you can use to create content targeted specifically to your audience’s needs.
• Repurpose your content to leverage the power and reach of different media formats.
• Continue learning about ways to bring more visitors using methods like LinkedIn ads, social media, joint ventures, etc.

Tools & Strategies

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

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

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

Build Authority And Credibility

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

Publishing higher quality content improves your chances of getting more people to link to it and share it around and hence more traffic.

Useful Tips

• Focus on creating 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 PDF guides that you can sell or distribute online (e.g. sell on on the Amazon Kindle store.

Plugins, Tools, And Methods

We have created a detailed email course on how to develop a content marketing strategy, how to promote your business with content, and ways to never run out of new ideas for web content that you can plug into at no cost here:

Also, if you haven’t already, learn more about 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 tap.” You can achieve this by building a list or starting a forum or network.

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

Traffic 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.
• Create or join a Facebook/LinkedIn Group.

Plugins, Tools, & Methods

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

• Autoresponders/Email Newsletters (e.g. Aweber, MailChimp, 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

By taking advantage of incoming traffic to discover what your visitors are looking for, you should have no problem coming up with ideas for new services, products, and solutions, all of which can provide you with new opportunities to generate additional traffic.

Useful Tips

• Consider creating a free or paid online training program.
• Consider publishing a special report that can be sold or distributed online (e.g. sell on Clickbank.
• Consider adding an e-commerce store to your business.

Tools And Strategies

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

• Membership Sites (e.g. Wishlist Member, S2 Member, etc.)
• Learning Management Systems (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 opportunities to create content that can help you generate additional traffic.

You should have already installed an analytics tool like Google Analytics on your website. Make sure you also learn how to interpret the data.

WordPress Traffic Blueprint – Summary

All you have to do once you implement the above strategies is rinse and repeat, 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 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 methods if required to 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 information has given you a blueprint that will help you automate and optimize the process of driving traffic to your WordPress web site and get better results online.

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