In Part 1 of our WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint article series overview, we explained that the key to creating an automated traffic generation machine is to use an “expertly configured” WordPress website.
As we also explained, an expertly configured WordPress website is different than a professionally-configured WordPress website or blog. An expertly configured WordPress web site is a website or blog that is not only powered by the WordPress CMS, but has also been expertly set up and configured (either by yourself or professionally) to take full advantage of the enormous power, features and functionality of WordPress and how it integrates with various services, specifically in areas like SEO, 3rd-party site notification and analytics.
(With an expertly configured WordPress website or blog, all you have to do is add content on a regular basis to drive traffic!)
Once you have your WordPress site expertly configured and fully set up, all you then need to do to automatically generate more web traffic is publish great content regularly.
As outlined in Part One of this article series, the components of this automated online traffic blueprint are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we discuss the “Setup” phase of this process. You will learn the best way to start if you don’t have a website yet, or if you already have an existing site that may or may not have been built using WordPress.
WordPress Web Traffic System – Setup Phase
If You Haven’t Got A Website
If you don’t have a website yet, it’s quite simple … get WordPress!
WordPress is the most powerful, flexible, cost-effective and the easiest to use content management system on the planet. We provide many articles, tips, and tutorials on this site about the benefits and advantages of using WordPress to grow your business online.
For example, to see just how popular WordPress is as a platform for web businesses, see this article: How Popular Is WordPress? Useful Statistics About WordPress
After choosing to build your web presence with WordPress, the next step is to choose which type of WordPress platform you will build your web presence on.
This step is very important because there are 2 types of WordPress platforms available …
Self-Hosted vs Hosted WordPress
(WordPress.org vs WordPress.com)
WordPress provides users with a ”hosted” and a “self-hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option allows you to download the full-featured WordPress CMS application for free from WordPress.org and host a WordPress site or blog using your own domain name.
With the “hosted option”, WordPress will host your site for free at WordPress.com. There are, however, a number of limitations to what you can and can’t do with your site when it is hosted for free at WordPress.com.
If you plan to build a professional business presence online and you want to set up the traffic system described here, then you should choose the “self-hosted” WordPress platform. The benefits of choosing the “self-hosted” option (WordPress.org) far outweigh those of hosting a free site at WordPress.com. You have full control over your web presence and avoid the limitations of the hosted option. Keep in mind that You can overcome the limitations of the free hosting platform by upgrading to a paid option, but then why not start off with a WordPress site hosted on your own domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Have An Existing Site
If you already have an existing site, check if your website has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: How To Tell If A Web Site Was Built With WordPress
If your existing web site runs on WordPress software, move to the next step, and make sure that your site’s internal settings have been properly configured. We cover this step in more detail in another tutorial.
If your site uses a platform technology other than WordPress, you have some decisions to make.
Take a look at the diagram below …
(Use this simple flowchart to choose how to set up WordPress on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing website with a WordPress-driven site, or
- Keep your existing website and add a WordPress-driven blog. Your WordPress blog will then be used to drive traffic to your main site.
If you choose to keep your existing web site and add a WordPress-driven blog, make sure to use the self-hosted version of WordPress, which requires your own domain name and webhosting, but allows you to fully configure your blog’s settings and customize the design of your existing website using a closely-matching WordPress theme.
To use WordPress as your main website, install the platform in the “root” folder of your domain name (i.e. mydomainname.com).
If you already have an existing website, then you will want to install WordPress in a subfolder of your domain, e.g. www.mydomainname.com/blog (you can name the subfolder whatever you like).
If you already have a site that you don’t want to delete or replace with a WordPress site, you can choose to set up your WordPress site or blog on an entirely different domain.
This way:
- mydomainname.com – goes to your existing website
- myotherdomain.com – goes to your WordPress site
Once you have set up your WordPress site, the next step is to configure its internal settings. This step is covered in the next article in the WordPress Traffic Blueprint series.
This is the end of Part Two
To read more, click here:
This tutorial is part of an article series designed to help you learn how to grow your business online cost-effectively and drive traffic organically using a WordPress website or blog and proven marketing strategies that are easy and quick to implement.
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