In Part 1 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, we explained that the key to turning a 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 is different than a professionally-configured WordPress site. An expertly configured WordPress website or blog is a web site that is not only driven by 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 can be integrated with various sites, specifically in areas like SEO, content syndication and reporting.
(With an expertly configured WordPress web site, all you have to do to drive traffic is publish content regularly!)
Once your WordPress site has been fully set up and expertly configured, all you need to do to automatically drive more web traffic is publish great content on a regular basis.
As outlined in Part 1 of this article series, the components of the automated traffic blueprint are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we discuss the “Setup” phase of this process. The focus of this section is to help you understand 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 Automation System – Setup Phase
If You Haven’t Got A Website
If you haven’t got a website yet, then it’s really quite simple … build a WordPress site!
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 see just how popular WordPress is, see this article: Some Facts And Figures About WordPress
After choosing to build your site with WordPress, the next step is to choose which type of WordPress platform you will run your web presence on.
This step is important as there are two types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
WordPress – Self-Hosted vs Hosted
(WordPress – Self-Hosted vs Hosted)
WordPress offers a “self-hosted” and a “hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option allows you to download the full-featured WordPress software 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 site for free at WordPress.com. There are, however, some limitations to what you can and can’t do with your blog 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 options by upgrading to a paid option, but then why not start off with a WordPress site hosted on your domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Already Have An Existing Web Site
If you already own an existing site, first check to see if the website has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: The Easy Way To Tell If Your Website Runs On WordPress
If your existing web site runs on 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 was built using something other than the WordPress CMS platform, then you have some decisions to make.
Take a look at the diagram below. It will help you choose where to set up a WordPress website or blog on your domain …
(Use this simple diagram to help you choose where to set up a WordPress web site on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing site so that your main website is built using WordPress, or
- Keep your existing website and add a WordPress blog. This blog will then be expertly configured and used to drive traffic to your main site.
If you choose to keep your existing site and add a WordPress blog, make sure to use the self-hosted version of WordPress, which requires a domain name and web hosting, but allows you to fully configure your site’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 (e.g. http://www.mydomainname.com).
If you already have a 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 like).
If you 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 it. This step is addressed in the next article in the series.
This is the end of Section Two
To read more, click here:
This article is part of a comprehensive series of articles aimed at helping small business owners learn how to grow their business online inexpensively with a WordPress-driven website or blog and proven marketing strategies that are easy to implement.
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