In Part 1 of our WordPress Web Traffic Blueprint article series, we explained that the key to turning your website into an automated web traffic generation machine is to use an “expertly configured” WordPress website.
As we also explained, an expertly configured WordPress website or blog is not the same thing as a professionally-configured WordPress web site. An expertly configured WordPress site is a blog that is not only driven by the WordPress CMS, but has also been expertly set up and configured (either by yourself or professionally) to take advantage of the tremendous power, features and functionality of WordPress and its integration with various sites, specifically in areas like SEO, content syndication and analytics.
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is add content on a regular basis to bring traffic!)
Once you have your WordPress site fully set up and expertly configured, all you then need to do to generate web traffic is add great content regularly.
As outlined in Part One of this article series, the components of this automated website traffic machine are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we discuss the “Setup” phase of the blueprint. We will help you understand the best way to get started 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 Traffic Automation System – Setup Phase
If You Have No Web Presence Yet
If you haven’t got a web presence yet, then it’s really quite simple … get a WordPress site!
WordPress is the most powerful, flexible, cost-effective and the easiest to use content management system on the planet. We provide many articles, tutorials, and tips on this site about the benefits and advantages of using WordPress to grow your business online.
For example, to learn just how popular WordPress has become with businesses around the world, see this article: WordPress Statistics
After making the choice to build your website with WordPress, the next step is to choose which WordPress platform you will build your web presence on.
This step is important because there are 2 types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
WordPress – Self-Hosted Or Hosted?
(WordPress – Hosted vs Self-Hosted)
WordPress offers both a “self-hosted” and a “hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option lets you download the full-featured WordPress application at no cost from WordPress.org and host a WordPress site or blog under your own domain name.
In the “hosted option”, WordPress will host your blog for free at WordPress.com. There are, however, some limitations on 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 web presence 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 blog at WordPress.com. You get to have complete control over your web presence and avoid the limitations of the hosted option. Keep in mind that the free hosting limitations can be overcome by upgrading to a paid option, but then why not just start off with a WordPress site hosted on your domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Already Have An Existing Site
If you already own an existing website, check to see if your site has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: How To Tell If Your Web Site Is A WordPress Web Site
If your existing site is powered by WordPress, 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 existing web site was built using something other than WP software, then you have to make some decisions.
Take a look at the flowchart below. It will help you decide how to set up a WordPress website on your domain …
(Use this simple diagram to decide where to set up a WordPress website on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing web site with a WordPress-powered site, or
- Keep your existing web site and add a WordPress blog. Your WordPress blog will then be expertly configured and used to drive traffic to your main website.
If you choose to keep your existing web site and add a WordPress blog, make sure to use the self-hosted version of WordPress, which requires a domain name and webhosting, but allows you to fully configure your site’s settings and customize the design and style of your existing web site using an appropriate theme for WordPress.
To use WordPress as your main website, install it in the “root” directory of your domain (e.g. www.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 your subdirectory whatever you like).
If you already have an existing site that you don’t want to delete or replace with a WordPress site, the other option you have is 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 it. This step is addressed in the next article in the series.
This is the end of Part Two
To read the rest of this article, click here:
This tutorial is part of a comprehensive series of articles designed to help you learn how to grow your business with a WordPress-powered website and proven online marketing strategies.
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