Building a WordPress Site Before Hosting
If you’re new to the world of online marketing, you may be wondering where to start when it comes to creating content for your website. You’ll soon discover that there’s plenty of room for growth once you’ve got a basic understanding of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to digital marketing.
In this article, you’ll discover what exactly goes into creating a successful WordPress website, including some helpful tips on planning and executing your first steps into the world of digital marketing.
Why WordPress?
The advantages of WordPress are numerous, but don’t just stop at the technology itself. When it comes to content management, WordPress offers some incredible advantages.
For one, WordPress is a free and open-source platform, which means you have access to a massive community of developers who can help you out when you need it. Not to mention, the platform is incredibly flexible when it comes to use.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have proprietary software such as Salesforce.com and Marketo.com, which can get fairly pricey when you need technical support. If you’re looking for a free solution with minimal hand-holding, WordPress is the clear choice. It’s also worth noting that many large companies use WordPress as their content management system, so you’re bound to encounter familiar faces if you ever decide to visit their websites.
The Essential Steps To Building A Successful WordPress Website
Before you begin creating your WordPress website, you’ll need to take some time to figure out what you’ll need to accomplish your goals. The following steps will help you plan out a plan of attack and give you an idea of what to expect.
Step one: Set a budget and set a timeline
As a business owner, it’s important to understand how much you can afford to spend on marketing and advertising, and how much time you can devote to the project. Setting a timeline for the project is also important, so you can factor in project unities (e.g., hours of design, coding, etc.).
With these three things in mind, you’ll be able to create a budget and timeline for the project, which will be more helpful than you’d think. For example, if you have a limited budget and you need the project completed by a certain date, you’ll have to consider scaling back on some of the features you plan on utilizing.
Step two: Select a theme
The next step is to choose a WordPress theme, or a framework if you’ll be using a pre-built template. There are dozens of free and premium WordPress themes out there, so it’s important to do some research before making a decision. While there are benefits to using a free theme, the reality is that they usually have a minimum usage requirements that you’ll have to meet in order to use the theme. If possible, it’s better to go with a premium theme so you don’t get penalized for any glitches or errors that might occur. It’s also worth noting that the quality of a theme can vary from good to bad, so be careful when choosing which one you’ll use.
Step three: Set up your website’s domain name
Once you’ve selected a theme, you’ll need to set up the domain name for your site. This can be done for free at any web hosting service (e.g., Bluehost, Hostinger, etc.).
You’ll also need to decide on a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for your site. Think of a URL like a phone number, but instead of getting a call, you get a website.
If you’ve ever shopped online, you’ll know that each retailer tends to have a different way of directing you to their products. For example, some retailers might use products that are relevant to your search, while others might use advertising to get you to purchase their goods. This is known as online marketing, and it’s a huge part of how businesses earn money online.
Step four: Set up your website’s email accounts
It’s important to have email accounts for your website, especially if you’re planning on using email as a form of marketing. When you have a functioning email marketing campaign, you’ll be able to send out press releases, advertise new products and offers, and more. To set up email accounts for your site, you’ll need to make a decision on whether you’ll use Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.com.
Outlook.com and Yahoo are free, and if you already have an email account with one of those services, it’ll be easy to set up email accounts for your WordPress site. Gmail is also free, but in order to set up additional email accounts, you’ll have to pay $5 a month.
Step five: Start building your content
Having a steady stream of content is important for any website, but especially one that’s focused on digital marketing. Create content that’s helpful to your target audience, and make sure that the content is consistent across your various platforms (e.g., websites, social media, email). You’ll also need to evaluate what’s working and what needs to be changed so that content is more beneficial to your target audience.
The Importance Of Having A Functional Email Marketing Campaign
Even if you’ve got a beautifully designed website with a ton of content, without an effective email marketing campaign, you’re losing out on a potentially valuable source of traffic.
To put it simply, when someone finds a product or service that they like, they’ll often look for ways to get in contact with the company that makes it. For example, if they like a certain type of tea, they might search for “best teas” or “top teas” and end up on a website that advertises and promotes various brands of tea. If that company decides to actively promote their products through email marketing, they’ll receive a lot of interest because they’ve hit on something that people want to learn more about. The nice thing about online marketing is that it’s often very targeted, so you’ll know exactly who you’re reaching with your emails.
On a more practical note, an email marketing campaign usually starts with a series of simple emails, each one trying to provide value to the reader. For example, if your products are relevant to women, you might send out an email a few weeks after someone buys something from your site, saying “Thanks for buying from my website! Here’s something that might interest you…”
The benefit of these simple emails is that it’s easy to write and easy to send out. Plus, if you track opens and clicks, you can easily determine which emails are performing the best.
How To Construct An Email Marketing Plan
So you’ve decided to invest in an email marketing campaign, but how do you go about doing that? To put it simply, the first step is to define your target audience, decide on which platforms you’ll use to communicate with them, and set a schedule for sending out the emails.
Your target audience is defined as people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service, and it’s a population that you’re not connected to directly. Sometimes, companies will get so absorbed in their products that they’ll forget about who their target audience actually is. By taking the time to define your target audience, you ensure that you’re reaching people who are most likely to be interested in your product.
Step one: Create a unique value proposition
As mentioned above, your unique value proposition (UVP) is basically your website’s sales pitch, or the one thing that distinguishes you from your competition. The UVP is an extremely crucial part of your website’s marketing plan, and it’ll help you decide what content you should create and when you should create it.
To create a unique value proposition, start by thinking of a handful of your competitors. These competitors don’t necessarily have to be restricted to your industry, so it’s worth considering what sets them apart from each other. Once you’ve got the unique selling points, you can start brainstorming topics that you can cover on your website in order to establish your authority in the industry.
Step two: Create a buyer persona and target audience profile
Once you’ve got your UVP sorted out, it’s time to define your buyer persona (i.e., the type of person you’ll be targeting with your website). This is different from your target audience, which is generally considered to be the person that your website will be directed to. A buyer persona is a combination of characteristics and preferences of people like you, who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.