In Part 1 of our WordPress Website Traffic Blueprint article series, 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 or blog is not the same thing as a professionally-configured WordPress website or blog. An ”expertly configured” WordPress blog is a site that is not only driven by the WordPress CMS, but has also been expertly set up and configured (either by yourself or professionally) to take full advantage of the tremendous power, features and functionality of WordPress and its integration with various sites, specifically in areas like search engine optimization, content syndication and reporting.
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do is add great content on a regular basis to bring more web traffic!)
Once your WordPress site has been expertly configured and fully set up, all you then need to do is publish great content regularly to drive web traffic.
As outlined in Part 1 of this article series, the components of the automated online traffic blueprint are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we look at the “Setup” phase of the automation process. We will help you understand the best way to get started 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 Blueprint – Setup
If You Don’t Have A Web Presence
If you haven’t got a web presence yet, it’s quite simple … build your web presence with WordPress!
WordPress is the most powerful, flexible, cost-effective and easy-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 see just how popular WordPress is with businesses around the world, see this article: WordPress Statistics
After choosing to build your website with WordPress, the next step is to decide which type of WordPress platform you will build your web presence on.
This step is important because there are 2 types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
WordPress – Self-Hosted Or Hosted?
(WordPress Self-Hosted vs WordPress Hosted)
WordPress provides users with a “self-hosted” and a “hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option means you can 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 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 are planning to build a professional web presence and you want to set up the traffic system described here, then you should choose the “self-hosted” WordPress version. The benefits of choosing the “self-hosted” option (WordPress.org) far outweigh those of hosting a free site at WordPress.com. You get to 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 own domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Already Have An Existing Website
If you already own an existing web site, check first if the website has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: How To Tell If Your Site Was Built Using WordPress
If your website 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 existing site was built using something other than WordPress, then you have to make some decisions.
Take a look at the diagram below. It will help you decide how to set up WordPress on your domain …
(Use this simple flowchart to help you choose where to set up WordPress 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 web site 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-powered 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 blog’s settings and customize the design and style of your existing website using an appropriate WordPress theme.
To use WordPress as your main website, install the software in the “root” folder of your domain (i.e. mydomainname.com).
If you already have a website, then you will want to install WordPress in a subdirectory of your domain, e.g. www.mydomainname.com/blog (you can name your subdirectory anything you like).
If you already 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 blog
Once you have set up your WordPress site, the next step is to configure its internal settings. This step is covered in the next article in the series.
This is the end of Section Two
To read the rest of this article, click here:
This article is part of a comprehensive series of tutorials designed to help site owners learn how to grow their business online inexpensively using a WordPress-driven website and proven online marketing strategies.
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