In Part One of our WordPress Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series overview, 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 site is different than a professionally-configured WordPress web site. An ”expertly configured” WordPress website or blog is a website or blog that is not only built with 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 built-in functionality of WordPress and how it can be integrated with various services, specifically in areas like SEO, content syndication and analytics.
(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do to drive traffic is publish great content on a regular basis!)
Once your WordPress site has been fully set up and expertly configured, all you need to do is publish great content regularly to bring more web traffic organically.
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 the automation process. You will learn 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 Blueprint – Setup
If You Have No Web Presence Yet
If you don’t have a web presence yet, then it’s really quite simple … build a web presence with WordPress!
WordPress is the most powerful, flexible, cost-effective and the easiest to use content management system available. We provide many articles, tutorials, and tips about the benefits and advantages of using WordPress to grow your business online.
For example, to learn just how popular WordPress has become around the world, see this article: Statistics And Market Share About WordPress
After choosing to build your site with WordPress, the next step is to choose which WordPress platform you will use to build your web presence on.
This step is important as there are two types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
Hosted Or Self-Hosted WordPress?
(WordPress – Hosted vs Self-Hosted)
WordPress offers website owners a ”hosted” and a “self-hosted” option.
WordPress.org allows you to download the full-featured WordPress software at no cost and host a WordPress site or blog under your own domain name. This is the “self-hosted” WordPress option.
In the “hosted option”, WordPress hosts your blog for free at WordPress.com. There are, however, some limitations on what you can and can’t do with your site when WordPress.com hosts it at no cost.
If you are planning to build a professional web presence and you want to set up the traffic system described here, then choose the “self-hosted” WordPress version. 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 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 website, check to see if it has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: The Easy Way To Tell If Your Web Site Runs On WP Software
If your website is a WP site, 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 site is not a WP web site, then you have some choices to make.
Take a look at the simple flowchart below. It will help you choose how to set up a WordPress website on your domain …
(Use this simple diagram to choose where to set up WordPress on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing site with a WordPress-powered site, or
- Keep your existing web 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 website and add a WordPress 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 site’s settings and customize the design and style of your existing web site using an appropriate theme.
To use WordPress as your main website, install the software in the “root” folder of your domain name (i.e. http://mydomainname.com).
If you have an existing website, then you will want to install WordPress in a subdirectory of your domain, e.g. www.mydomainname.com/blog (you can name the subfolder anything you like).
If you already have an existing website 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 its internal settings. This step is addressed in the next article in the series.
This is the end of Part 2
To read more, click here:
This article is part of a comprehensive tutorial series aimed at helping you learn how to grow your business and drive traffic sustainably using a WordPress-powered website or blog and proven marketing strategies that are easy to implement.
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