In Part One of our Web Site Traffic Blueprint article series, we explained that the key to turning your site into an automated 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 website or blog. An ”expertly configured” WordPress web site is a site that is not only powered by WordPress, but has also been expertly set up and configured (either by yourself or professionally) to take full advantage of the tremendous power, ease-of-use and built-in functionality of WordPress and the way it integrates with various sites, specifically in areas like SEO, 3rd-party site syndication and reporting.
(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do is publish great content regularly to drive more web traffic!)
Once your WordPress site has been expertly configured and fully set up, all you need to do to automatically generate more web traffic is add content on a regular basis.
As outlined in Part 1 of this article series, the components of the automated web traffic machine are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we discuss the “Setup” phase of the automation 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 Blueprint – Setup Phase
If You Don’t Have 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 easy-to-use content management system available. We provide loads of 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: How Popular Is It? Useful Statistics About WordPress
After making the choice to build your web presence with WordPress, the next step is to choose which type of WordPress platform you will use to build your web presence on.
This step is very important as there are 2 types of WordPress platforms available …
WordPress Hosted vs WordPress Self-Hosted
(Self-Hosted Or Hosted WordPress?)
WordPress offers both a ”hosted” and a “self-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 hosts 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 platform 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 Website
If you already own an existing site, check 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 Blog Runs On The WordPress CMS Platform
If your existing website runs on the WordPress CMS platform, 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 is not a WP web site, you have to make some choices.
Take a look at the diagram below. It will help you decide where to set up WordPress on your domain …
(Use the above flowchart to help you decide how to set up a WordPress website on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing web site so that your main website is built using WordPress, or
- Keep your existing web site and add a WordPress blog. Your WordPress blog will then be used to drive traffic to your main website.
If you choose to keep your existing site and add a WordPress-driven blog, make sure to use the self-hosted version of WordPress, which requires your own domain name and web hosting, but allows you to fully configure your site’s settings and customize the look and feel of your existing web site using a closely-matching theme for WordPress.
To use WordPress for your main site, install it in the “root” directory of your domain name (i.e. 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 like).
If you have a 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 it. This step is covered in the next article in the WordPress Traffic Blueprint series.
This is the end of Section 2
To read more, click here:
This article is part of a comprehensive article series designed to help you learn how to grow your business online with a WordPress-powered website or blog and proven marketing methods that are easy and quick to implement.
Get Notified When New Tutorials Are Published – Subscribe To Our Site!
***
"I was absolutely amazed at the scope and breadth of these tutorials! The most in-depth training I have ever received on any subject!" - Myke O'Neill, DailyGreenPost.com
***