In Part 1 of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, we explained that the key to creating an automated web traffic generation machine is to use an “expertly configured” WordPress website.
As we also explained, an expertly configured WordPress web site is different than a professionally-configured WordPress web site. An ”expertly configured” WordPress blog is a web site that is not only built with the WordPress CMS platform, 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 how it integrates with other services, specifically in areas like search engine optimization, 3rd-party site notification and reporting.
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do to generate web traffic is publish great content on a regular basis!)
Once your WordPress site has been expertly configured and fully set up, all you then need to do to drive more traffic is publish content on a regular basis.
As outlined in Part One of this article series, the components of this automated website traffic blueprint are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we look at the “Setup” phase of the traffic automation process. You will learn the best way to start if you don’t have a web presence yet, or if you already have an existing site that may or may not have been built using WordPress.
WordPress Web Traffic Automation System – Setup
If You Haven’t Got A Website
If you haven’t got a web presence yet, then it’s really quite simple … build a site with WordPress!
WordPress is the most powerful, flexible, cost-effective and easy-to-use content management system on the planet. We provide many articles, tips, and tutorials about the benefits and advantages of using WordPress to grow your business online.
For example, to learn just how popular WordPress is around the world, see this article: WordPress: Useful Facts And Figures
After choosing to build your website with WordPress, the next step is to decide which WordPress platform you will run your web presence on.
This step is very important because there are two types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
Hosted Or Self-Hosted WordPress Site?
(WordPress Self-Hosted vs WordPress Hosted)
WordPress offers both a “self-hosted” and a “hosted” option.
With the “self-hosted” option you can 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 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 blog at WordPress.com. You can fully customize 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 by hosting a WordPress site on your domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Have An Existing Site
If you already have an existing site, check if the 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 Using WordPress
If your website was built with 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 website is not a WP web site, then you have some choices to make.
Take a look at the simple diagram below …
(Use the above flowchart to decide how to set up a WordPress web site on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing website so that your main website is built with WordPress, or
- Keep your existing site 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 a domain name and webhosting, but allows you to fully configure your site’s settings and customize the design and style of your existing site using a closely-matching theme for WordPress.
To use WordPress as your main website, install the software in the “root” directory of your domain name (e.g. http://mydomainname.com).
If you 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 anything you want).
If you already have an existing website 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 it. This step is covered in the next article in the WordPress Traffic Blueprint series.
This is the end of Section Two
To read more, click on the link below:
This tutorial is part of a comprehensive tutorial series aimed at helping small business owners learn how to grow their business online cost-effectively and drive traffic organically using a WordPress-powered website and proven web marketing methods.
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