Overview
I built and launched ToyaTalksAboutIT.com as a self-hosted WordPress site on AWS to support content publishing, affiliate monetization, and my cloud portfolio. The goal was a reliable, secure setup with room to grow—without locking me into a hosted WordPress platform.
Goals
- Launch a live WordPress site on AWS with a production-ready baseline
- Secure the site with HTTPS and basic hardening
- Improve performance with caching and optimization
- Set up reliable contact form delivery via SMTP
- Prepare the site for affiliate monetization (disclosures + clean link structure)
Architecture (High Level)
- Compute: EC2 running Nginx + PHP-FPM
- Database: Amazon RDS (MySQL)
- Domain/DNS: GoDaddy → points to AWS IP
- SSL: Certbot (Let’s Encrypt) + forced HTTPS
- Email: WP Mail SMTP (Google Workspace) for deliverability
- Performance: WP Super Cache + Nginx tuning
- Security: Wordfence + web server restrictions
What I Implemented
Reliability & Networking
- Configured AWS networking and security groups to allow web traffic while restricting database access to only approved sources.
Security
- Enforced HTTPS site-wide
- Enabled Wordfence protection + scanning
- Locked down sensitive file access at the server layer
Performance
- Enabled caching (WP Super Cache)
- Optimized server behavior for WordPress under Nginx
Monetization Readiness
- Created Affiliate Disclosure page (long-form)
- Implemented a Links hub page (
/links) - Implemented a Tools I Use page (
/tools) with clean tracked links
Results
- ✅ Site live and accessible over HTTPS
- ✅ Contact form email delivery working reliably (SMTP)
- ✅ Categories and blog structure confirmed working
- ✅ Monetization foundation in place (disclosures + tools page + links hub)
Live Links
- Website: https://toyatalksaboutit.com
- Links hub: https://toyatalksaboutit.com/links
- Tools page: https://toyatalksaboutit.com/tools
What I’d Improve Next
- Replace single-instance components with a more scalable architecture (load balancing + autoscaling)
- Infrastructure-as-Code for repeatable deployments (Terraform/CloudFormation)
- Centralized logging/monitoring + automated backups/restore testing
- CDN + image optimization pipeline for faster global delivery
Behind the Build
Here’s a quick look at the AWS setup powering ToyaTalksAboutIT, including the web tier (EC2), database layer (RDS), and email deliverability testing (WP Mail SMTP). I blurred sensitive details while keeping the architecture easy to understand.
Project Summary
ToyaTalksAboutIT is a self-hosted WordPress site deployed on AWS with Nginx on EC2 and MySQL on Amazon RDS. The goal was a secure, scalable foundation that supports content publishing, fast page loads, and reliable email delivery for forms and notifications.
What I Did
- Deployed and configured WordPress on EC2 with Nginx
- Connected WordPress to Amazon RDS (MySQL) for managed database hosting
- Implemented caching and performance basics (WP Super Cache + Nginx configuration)
- Set up contact forms with WPForms and improved deliverability using WP Mail SMTP
- Completed initial security hygiene (updates, scans, and configuration review)
Stack
AWS (EC2, RDS) • Nginx • WordPress • WPForms • WP Mail SMTP • WP Super Cache • Wordfence • Rank Math SEO
Next Improvements
- Add uptime + performance monitoring (lightweight and free/low-cost)
- Implement image optimization + standardized media sizes for faster load times
- Lock down additional server headers and tighten file access rules
- Create a simple architecture diagram to accompany the screenshots