FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMERCE(FOC)
                            IBCA-1 

1.                 Explain Features of Word Press

WordPress is an open source Content Management System (CMS), which allows the users to build dynamic websites and blogs. WordPress is the most popular blogging system on the web and allows updating, customizing and managing the website from its back-end CMS and components.

 

What is Content Management System (CMS)?

The Content Management System (CMS) is a software which stores all the data such as text, photos, music, documents, etc. and is made available on your website. It helps in editing, publishing and modifying the content of the website.

WordPress was initially released on 27^th May, 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. WordPress was announced as open source in October 2009.

Features

·         User Management − It allows managing the user information such as changing the role of the users to (subscriber, contributor, author, editor or administrator), create or delete the user, change the password and user information. The main role of the user manager is Authentication.

·         Media Management − It is the tool for managing the media files and folder, in which you can easily upload, organize and manage the media files on your website.

·         Theme System − It allows modifying the site view and functionality. It includes images, stylesheet, template files and custom pages.

·         Extend with Plugins − Several plugins are available which provides custom functions and features according to the users need.

·         Search Engine Optimization − It provides several search engine optimization (SEO) tools which makes on-site SEO simple.

·         Multilingual − It allows translating the entire content into the language preferred by the user.

·         Importers − It allows importing data in the form of posts. It imports custom files, comments, post pages and tags.

Advantages

·         It is an open source platform and available for free.

·         CSS files can be modified according to the design as per users need.

·         There are many plugins and templates available for free. Users can customize the various plugins as per their need.

·         It is very easy to edit the content as it uses WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get is a user interface that allows the user to directly manipulate the layout of document without having a layout command).

·         Media files can be uploaded easily and quickly.

·         It offers several SEO tools which makes on-site SEO simple.

·         Customization is easy according to the user’s needs.

·         It allows creating different roles for users for website such as admin, author, editor and contributor.

Disadvantages

·         Using several plugins can make the website heavy to load and run.

·         PHP knowledge is required to make modifications or changes in the WordPress website.

·         Sometimes software needs to be updated to keep the WordPress up-to-date with the current browsers and mobile devices. Updating WordPress version leads to loss of data, so a backup copy of the website is required.

·         Modifying and formatting the graphic images and tables is difficult.

 

 

2.                 Explain About Digital Marketing

 

Digital Marketing:

Digital marketing is a broad term that encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet. It involves promoting and advertising products, services, or brands through various online channels and platforms. Digital marketing leverages the internet and digital technologies to reach and engage with a target audience. Here are some key components and strategies within digital marketing:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO involves optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal is to increase organic (non-paid) traffic to your website.

Content Marketing: Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and engage a target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, ebooks, and more.

Social Media Marketing: This involves using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote products or services, build brand awareness, and engage with customers.

Email Marketing: Email marketing involves sending targeted emails to a list of subscribers. It's used for customer acquisition, retention, and promoting products or services.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: PPC advertising involves paying a fee each time your ad is clicked. It's commonly used in search engine advertising (e.g., Google Ads) and social media advertising (e.g., Facebook Ads).

Influencer Marketing: Brands collaborate with influencers, who have a large and engaged online following, to promote their products or services to their audience.

Online Public Relations (PR): Building and maintaining a positive online reputation through various digital channels, including press releases, social media, and online reviews.

Analytics and Data Analysis: Utilizing tools and data to measure the performance of digital marketing campaigns, track website traffic, and make data-driven decisions for optimization.

Mobile Marketing: Marketing efforts specifically targeted at mobile device users, including mobile-optimized websites, apps, and SMS marketing.

Video Marketing: Using video content to promote products or services, share information, or engage with an audience. Platforms like YouTube are popular for video marketing.

Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Implementing chatbots and AI-driven customer service solutions to enhance user experience and provide instant support.

E-commerce Marketing: Strategies and techniques focused on driving online sales, including optimizing product listings, cart abandonment recovery, and customer retention tactics.

Digital marketing offers several advantages, including the ability to target specific audiences, track and measure results in real-time, and adjust strategies quickly.

 

Social Media Marketing:

Social media marketing is a subset of digital marketing that focuses on using social media platforms to promote products, services, or brands and engage with target audiences. It leverages the popularity and accessibility of social media networks to build brand awareness, drive website traffic, and ultimately achieve marketing goals. Here are key components and strategies of social media marketing:

Platform Selection: Identifying the most relevant social media platforms for your target audience and business. Common platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

Content Strategy: Creating and sharing high-quality, engaging content tailored to each platform. Content may include text posts, images, videos, infographics, stories, and live streams.

Audience Targeting: Defining and understanding your target audience's demographics, interests, and behaviors to tailor content and ad campaigns to their preferences.

Community Building: Engaging with your followers by responding to comments, messages, and mentions. Building a loyal and active community can foster brand loyalty and advocacy.

Paid Advertising: Utilizing paid advertising options offered by social media platforms, such as Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and promoted tweets, to reach a wider audience and drive specific actions like website visits or conversions.

Influencer Collaboration: Partnering with influencers who have a substantial and engaged following to promote your products or services authentically.

Social Media Analytics: Using analytics tools provided by platforms or third-party tools to track the performance of your social media campaigns. This includes monitoring key metrics like engagement, reach, impressions, click-through rates, and conversions.

Hashtags: Incorporating relevant and trending hashtags to increase the discoverability of your content and reach a broader audience.

Content Calendar: Planning and scheduling posts in advance to maintain a consistent posting schedule and ensure content aligns with marketing goals and events.

User-Generated Content (UGC): Encouraging customers to create and share content related to your brand, products, or services. UGC can serve as authentic testimonials and endorsements.

Social Listening: Monitoring social media conversations to gain insights into customer sentiment, industry trends, and competitor activity. Tools like social media listening platforms can aid in this process.

Crisis Management: Developing strategies and protocols to handle negative feedback, social media crises, or PR issues promptly and professionally.

A/B Testing: Experimenting with different content formats, headlines, visuals, and ad creatives to identify what resonates best with your audience and optimizing accordingly.

Compliance and Privacy: Staying informed about social media platform policies and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations when collecting and using user data.

Effective social media marketing requires a deep understanding of your audience, creative content production, and a data-driven approach to continuously refine strategies. It's important to adapt to evolving trends and algorithms on social media platforms to maintain visibility and engagement with your audience. Social media marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their customers, build brand loyalty, and drive conversions when executed effectively.

3.WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION(SEO)?

 Search engines help people find what they’re looking for online. Whether researching a product, looking for a restaurant, or booking a vacation, search engines are a common starting point when you need information. For business owners, they offer a valuable opportunity to direct relevant traffic to your website.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic. The aim is typically to rank on the first page of Google results for search terms that mean the most to your target audience. So, SEO is as much about understanding the wants and needs of your audience as it is about the technical nature of how to configure your website.

How Do Search Engines Work?

The ultimate goal of any search engine is to make searchers happy with the results they find.

To achieve this, search engines need to find the best pages. And serve them as the top search results.

Why SEO focuses on Google

To many people, the term “search engine” is synonymous with Google, which has about 83% of the global search engine market. Because Google is the dominant search engine, SEO typically revolves around what works best for Google. It’s useful to have a clear understanding of how Google works and why.

Benefits of SEO

A strong SEO strategy can have a number of different benefits for your business’s online presence and your overall marketing strategy. These benefits can include the following:

·         Increased visibility and traffic to your website: The higher your website pages rank on Google, the more traffic you’ll get.

·         Improved website quality: There are a number of ways you must optimize your website to get it to meet Google’s high (and continually evolving) standards. By doing this, you’ll improve your website in the process.

·         Build consumer trust: Search engine users naturally trust websites that rank at the top as there is a sense that Google has vetted the pages that appear.

·         Establish your brand as an authority in your field: SEO involves a lot content creation, like blog writing. Naturally, the more your write about a topic, the more people will turn to you as a valued source of information (but only if the content is high-quality, you can’t cheat with SEO.)

·         Long-term plan: SEO may be a bit of a slower, long-term marketing strategy but, once gets going, it only grows. SEO is a long-term strategy that builds upon itself overtime and becomes more effective.

4. STEPS TO CREATE SAMPLE WORDPRESS SITE

 To Create a Wordpress website , the below steps to be followed.

Purchase web hosting + domain: The first step to creating a WordPress website is to purchase web hosting and a domain. Most hosting services offer a domain as part of their hosting package. It is important to choose a reliable hosting service that offers good customer support, fast speeds, and enough storage and bandwidth for your website.

When selecting a hosting service, consider the 

following factors:

*  Reliability: Look for a hosting service that has a good track record of uptime and reliability.

*  Speed: Choose a hosting service that offers fast speeds, as slow loading times can negatively impact user experience.

*  Storage and bandwidth: Consider how much storage and bandwidth you will need for your website. Some hosting services offer unlimited storage and bandwidth, while others have limits.

*  Customer support: Look for a hosting service that offers good customer support, such as 24/7 live chat or phone support.

Install WordPress: Once you have purchased web hosting and a domain, the next step is to install WordPress. This is typically done within the web hosting control panel, such as cPanel, Plesk, or DirectAdmin. The installation process is usually straightforward and can be completed in a few minutes.

Configure WordPress Settings: After WordPress is installed, the settings must be configured. This includes selecting a theme, uploading plugins, setting up permalinks, and more. Here are some of the key settings to configure:

*  Theme: Choose a theme that matches the style and tone of your website.

*  Plugins: Plugins are software that can be added to WordPress to provide additional functionality. Some popular plugins include SEO plugins, social sharing plugins, and security plugins.

*  Permalinks: Permalinks determine the structure of your website's URLs. For example, a permalink could be "https://www.example.com/blog/my-blog-post".

*  Widgets: Widgets are small pieces of content that can be added to your website's sidebar or footer. Examples of widgets include recent posts, recent comments, and social media links.

Customize the Website: After the settings have been configured, the website can be customized. This includes adding content, images, and other media.

Launch the Website: Once the website is complete, the website can be launched and made live to the public. Before launching, it is a good idea to test the website thoroughly to ensure that everything is working correctly.