Split Your WordPress Website into Separate Domains
One of the most effective ways to have a successful online store is to separate the various parts of it into individual domains. Each one of these domains would then be managed and maintained by a different member of the team, or in some cases, a different individual. This way, if one section of your website is performing particularly well, you can replicate or scale it without negatively impacting the other parts of the site. It’s a common scenario, and one that I experienced first-hand when I built my own e-commerce store, Split Inc.
You may be wondering how you can go about setting this up. There are a number of excellent tools out there that can help you with this, including the previously mentioned Domaininator, and GoDaddy’s own new Cloud Sites platform. So let’s have a look at how to set up multiple domains for a WordPress website.
Set Up Your Server Environment
You’ll need a space where you can run your WordPress website from. It needs to be fast, and preferably, secure. This is where you’ll also want to set up your email systems (if you use them), as well as store your images and other types of media that you use on the site. You should look for a shared hosting package that offers the features you need, and isn’t overpriced.
In order to set up your server environment, you’ll first need to contact your hosting provider and ask them for advice. They’ll be able to walk you through the entire setup process, and help you choose the right server for your needs. Don’t worry, there are a variety of hosting providers to choose from, and not all of them are created equal. Once you’ve found the right fit, everything else becomes a lot easier.
Create Your DNS Records
DNS is short for Domain Name Service, and is what allows you to have a website with the domain name www.example.com when your actual site is located at example.com. In order to have individual domains for your website, you need to create a DNS record for each one of them. To do this, simply visit your domain name registrar’s website and log into your account. Once you’re in, simply search for @ and enter the desired DNS records for your site, spaced appropriately as such:
www.example.com. A Record
example.com. A Record
www.example.net. A Record
example.net. A Record
www.example.org. A Record
example.org. A Record
The reason you need to enter the NS servers when creating these records is because your domain name registrar’s website will use these servers to lookup your domain’s WHOIS data (whois domain info).
Create Your WordPress Blog
Once you’ve got your server environment set up, it’s time to create your WordPress blog. This is where you’ll put all the content that you’ll want to publish on the Internet, ranging from news articles to product reviews to event listings to anything else you can think of. You can name the blog whatever you’d like, but I’d recommend keeping it concise and easy to understand.
The most important thing here is consistency. You don’t want to create a blog that is wildly different from the one you’ve created elsewhere on the site. So take the time to get to know how WordPress works and to figure out the best way to organize your thoughts and content within it. Writing is something that you’ll enjoy doing, and something that will definitely help you develop as a person. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it, so be sure to set aside enough time to be able to complete a quality piece.
Create Your Store’s Homepage
Your store’s homepage is the first thing your visitors will see when they visit your website. And if you’ve set up your site correctly and used a SEO-friendly URL structure, it will be the first thing your search engine robots see as well. So you want to make sure that you’ve created a beautiful and informative homepage that will keep your visitors engaged and coming back for more. This is especially important if you’ve set up direct traffic as a marketing tactic since you want your homepage to stand out above the rest.
Set Up Email Accounts For Your Store
If you’ve set up your store with a domain that ends in @gmail.com, you’ll already have an email address at that address that you can use. You can simply continue using this for your store’s email needs. In order to have a more sophisticated email system, however, you can create one using an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) provider. An SMTP provider will let you set up all the necessary email accounts for your store, and provide you with a simple way to send and receive emails from your customers.
Why choose an SMTP provider? Well, you don’t want to use a free email service like Gmail since these offer comparatively limited features and can be difficult to set up. An SMTP provider will give you the freedom to customize your emails as much as you’d like, and allow you to track email opens and clicks – giving you the data you need to know what’s working and what needs to be improved upon.
Create Your Store’s About Page
Your store’s about page is similar to your homepage in that it’s the first thing your visitors will see when they arrive. But it’s also different in that it’s designed to tell your visitors more about who you are and what you offer. This is an important distinction since the about page is often the first place that potential customers will look when searching for your product or service — so you want to ensure that it’s properly explained and features all the necessary information.
The about page of a WordPress store is quite literally a “brief” (but comprehensive) summary of the services and/or products offered by the store, ranging from the store’s name and logo to its pricing to the characteristics of each product or service (if applicable).
In addition to this, the about page of a store will usually include a brief bio about the owner(s) of the store, as well as links to each individual product or service the store offers. You should include as much information as possible while keeping things concise and easy to understand.
Build Your Store’s Product List
Your store’s product list is similar to your store’s about page, in that it’s designed to give your customers information about your products and services. But it’s also different in that it’s a list of individual products, and not a brief summary of them. When creating your product list, you need to ask yourself a few important questions:
What are my products/services?
To whom are my products/services directed?
What makes my products/services special?
Once you’ve got your product list finished, you can take this opportunity to briefly describe each product in detail and give your customers all the information they need to know about your business — including why they should purchase your products/services.
For best results, use the above questions to form a roadmap for your product list, and then work with your copyeditor to turn this roadmap into a compelling explanation of your store’s offerings.
Create Confirmations And Dismissals
Once you’ve collected a customer’s email address, you can send them a confirmation email to verify their account and to let them know that you’ve received their order. You can also send them a dismissal email if they request to be removed from your list.
These emails don’t have to be long, just a few short sentences will suffice. Keep the body of the email short and sweet, and the subject line should match the action you’ll be taking (i.e., Order Confirmation, or Order Dismissal).
Add Image Galleries And Blogs To Your Site
Include as many images as you can within your blog posts. The more images you have, the more exciting it will be to your readers. Not only does good imagery make for compelling reading, but it also helps your site to stand out above the rest. In order to add good imagery to your site, you can either take your own photos for your blog posts, or use free stock photography websites like Pixabay.com.