In Part 1 of our Website Traffic Blueprint article series, we explained that the key to creating an automated web 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 website or blog is a blog 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 full advantage of the enormous power, features and built-in functionality of WordPress and its integration with other sites, specifically in areas like search engine optimization, content syndication and reporting.
(With an expertly configured WordPress blog, all you have to do to drive more traffic is publish great content regularly!)
Once you have your WordPress site expertly configured and fully set up, all you need to do is add great content on a regular basis to drive web traffic.
As outlined in Part One of this article series, the components of this automated traffic machine are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we discuss the “Setup” phase of the blueprint. 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 Automation Blueprint – Setup
If You Don’t Have A Website
If you haven’t got a web presence yet, then it’s really quite simple … build your site 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 has become, see this article: WordPress: Useful Facts And Figures
After making the choice to build your site with WordPress, the next step is to decide which type of WordPress platform you will run your web presence on.
This step is important because there are 2 types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
WordPress – Hosted Or Self-Hosted?
(WordPress Hosted vs WordPress Self-Hosted)
WordPress offers both a ”hosted” and a “self-hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option allows you to download the full-featured WordPress CMS application at no cost from WordPress.org and host a WordPress site or blog using your own domain name.
With 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 site when WordPress.com hosts it at no cost.
If you are planning 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 complete 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 Have An Existing Site
If you already have an existing site, check if it has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: How To Tell If Your Website Is Powered By 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 is not powered by WordPress, then you have some decisions to make.
Take a look at the flowchart below …
(Use this simple diagram to help you choose how to set up a WordPress web site on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing web site with a WordPress site, or
- Keep your existing website and add a WordPress-driven blog. This blog will then be used to drive traffic to your main web 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 webhosting, but allows you to fully configure your blog’s settings and customize the design of your existing web site using a closely-matching theme for WordPress.
To use WordPress as your main site, install it in the “root” folder of your domain (i.e. http://mydomainname.com).
If you already have an existing 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 have an existing website 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 its internal settings. This step is explained in the next article in the series.
This is the end of Part 2
To read the rest of this article, click here:
This article is part of a comprehensive tutorial series designed to help you learn how to grow your business and drive traffic organically using a WordPress-powered website and proven marketing strategies that are easy and quick to implement.
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