In Part 1 of our 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 as a professionally-configured WordPress website or blog. An ”expertly configured” WordPress web site is a website 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 full advantage of the tremendous power, ease-of-use and functionality of WordPress and how it can be integrated with various sites, specifically in areas like SEO, content syndication and analytics.
(With an expertly configured WordPress website, all you have to do is publish great content on a regular basis to automatically bring more traffic!)
Once you have your WordPress site expertly configured and fully set up, all you need to do then is publish great content on a regular basis to bring traffic organically.
As outlined in Part 1 of this article series, the components of this automated website traffic machine are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we discuss the “Setup” phase of the traffic automation process. We will help you understand 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 Web Traffic Blueprint – Setup Phase
If You Haven’t Got A Website Yet
If you haven’t got a website yet, then it’s really quite simple … build your website with WordPress!
WordPress is the most powerful, flexible, cost-effective and easy-to-use content management system on the planet. 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 is, see this article: Facts And Figures About WordPress
After making the choice to build your website with WordPress, the next step is to choose which WordPress platform you will use to run your web presence on.
This step is important as there are 2 types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
(Self-Hosted Or Hosted WordPress?)
WordPress provides users with a ”hosted” and a “self-hosted” option.
WordPress.org allows you to download the full-featured WordPress CMS application for free and host a WordPress site or blog using your own domain name. This is the “self-hosted” WordPress option.
With 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 site when WordPress.com hosts it at no cost.
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 version. The benefits of choosing the “self-hosted” option (WordPress.org) far outweigh those of hosting a free site 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 with a WordPress site hosted on your own domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Have An Existing Site
If you already have an existing site, first check to see if your website has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: How To Tell If A Website Is Powered By WordPress
If your web site is powered by 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 is not powered by WordPress, you have some decisions to make.
Take a look at the simple flowchart below. It will help you decide how to set up a WordPress site on your domain …
(Use this simple flowchart to choose how to set up WordPress on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing site with a WordPress website, or
- Keep your existing website and add a WordPress-driven blog. This blog will then be expertly configured and used to drive traffic to your main website.
If you choose to keep your existing web site and add a WordPress-driven 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 software in the “root” folder of your domain name (i.e. www.mydomainname.com).
If you 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 the subfolder anything you want).
If you 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 covered in the next article in the WordPress Traffic Blueprint series.
This is the end of Part 2
To keep reading about this topic, click here:
This article is part of a comprehensive series of articles designed to help website owners learn how to grow their business online and drive traffic sustainably using a WordPress website or blog and proven online marketing strategies.
Get Notified When New WordPress Tutorials Get Published – Subscribe To Our Site!
***
"I love the way your email series "Infinite Web Content Creation Training Series" is documented and presented. It is very absorbing and captivating. The links and tutorials are interesting and educational. This has motivated me to rewrite my content following the concepts I am learning from the email series." - Mani Raju, www.fortuneinewaste.com
***