In Part 1 of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series overview, we explained that the key to creating an automated 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 website. An ”expertly configured” WordPress site is a blog that is not only built using 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 built-in functionality of WordPress and its integration with other services, specifically in areas like search engine optimization, content syndication and analytics.
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do to start driving web traffic is publish great content on a regular basis!)
Once you have your WordPress site expertly configured and fully set up, all you need to do to drive web traffic is publish great content regularly.
As outlined in Part One of this article series, the components of the automated online traffic machine are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we look at the “Setup” phase of the traffic automation process. We will help you understand 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 System – Setup
If You Don’t Have A Web Presence
If you don’t have a web presence yet, it’s quite simple … build your site 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 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, see this article: Useful Statistics About WordPress
After choosing to build your website with WordPress, the next step is to choose which WordPress platform you will use to build your web presence on.
This step is very important because there are 2 types of WordPress platforms available …
WordPress Hosted vs WordPress Self-Hosted
(Hosted Or Self-Hosted WordPress?)
WordPress offers both a ”hosted” and a “self-hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option lets you download the full-featured WordPress application for free from WordPress.org and host a WordPress site or blog using your own domain name.
In the “hosted option”, WordPress hosts your blog 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 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 Already Have An Existing Website
If you already own an existing website, check to see if the web site has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: Tell-Tale Signs It’s A WordPress Web Site And Free WordPress-Checking Tools
If your site is a WordPress website, 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 web site was built using something other than WordPress, then you will need to make some decisions.
Take a look at the simple flowchart below. It will help you decide where to set up a WordPress site on your domain …
(Use this simple diagram to decide where to set up WordPress on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing website with a WordPress website, or
- Keep your existing website and add a WordPress-powered blog. This blog will then be used to drive traffic to your main website.
If you choose to keep your existing site and add a WordPress-powered 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 of your existing web site using a closely-matching WP theme.
To use WordPress for your main site, install it in the “root” directory of your domain (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 subdirectory anything you want).
If you have a 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 blog
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 2
To keep reading, click here:
This tutorial is part of an tutorial series designed to help business owners learn how to grow their business online cost-effectively using a WordPress website and proven marketing strategies that are easy and quick to implement.
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