In Part One of our Web Traffic Blueprint article series overview, we explained that the key to turning a site into an automated web traffic generation machine is to use an “expertly configured” WordPress website.
As we also explained, an expertly configured WordPress site is not the same thing as a professionally-configured WordPress website or blog. An ”expertly configured” WordPress website is a web site that is not only built using WordPress, but has also been expertly set up and configured (either by yourself or professionally) to take advantage of the enormous power, ease-of-use and built-in functionality of WordPress and its integration with other sites, specifically in areas like SEO, third-party site syndication and analytics.
(With an expertly configured WordPress site, all you have to do to automatically bring web traffic is publish great content on a regular basis!)
Once your WordPress site has been fully set up and expertly configured, all you then need to do to drive traffic is publish content regularly.
As outlined in Part 1 of this article series, the components of the automated website traffic system are as follows:
- Setup
- Configure
- Automate
- Optimize
In this article, we look at the “Setup” phase of the blueprint. 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 Traffic System – Setup Phase
If You Have No Website Yet
If you don’t have a web presence yet, then it’s really quite simple … build a web presence with 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 is, see this article: Some Facts And Figures About WordPress Usage
After choosing to build your website with WordPress, the next step is to decide which WordPress platform you will build your web presence on.
This is important because there are 2 types of WordPress platforms you can choose from …
WordPress.org Or WordPress.com?
(WordPress Hosted vs WordPress Self-Hosted)
WordPress offers both a “self-hosted” and a “hosted” option.
The “self-hosted” option means you can download the full-featured WordPress CMS application for free 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 blog when WordPress.com hosts it at no cost.
If you plan to build a professional web presence 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 blog 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 start off with a WordPress site hosted on your domain and avoid the hassles of upgrading later?
If You Have An Existing Site
If you already have an existing website, check if it has been built using WordPress.
If you need help with this step, check this article: How To Tell If Your Site Is Powered By WordPress
If your 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 blog was built using something other than WP software, you have to make some choices.
Take a look at the flowchart below …
(Use the above diagram to choose where to set up a WordPress website or blog on your domain)
Basically, you have two choices:
- Replace your existing website with a WordPress website, or
- Keep your existing site and add a WordPress blog. Your WordPress blog will then be expertly configured and used to drive traffic to your main site.
If you choose to keep your existing web site and add a WordPress 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 look and feel of your existing website using a closely-matching WordPress theme.
To use WordPress for your main website, install the platform 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 your subfolder whatever you like).
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 site
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 WordPress Traffic Blueprint series.
This is the end of Section Two
To read more, click on the link below:
This article is part of an article series designed to help small business owners learn how to grow their business online using a WordPress website and proven marketing strategies that are easy and quick to implement.
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