WordPress Multisite: Everything You Know to Manage WordPress
If you have been using WordPress for a while, there is a good chance you have got a few sites up and running. Besides, in case your sites share a few characteristics, you might question if there is a better method to manage them than as single installs.
Hence, WordPress multisite is exactly all you are looking for. Simply speaking, it helps you construct a network on your WordPress installation, allowing you to host as many sites as you like in that network on a single WordPress instance.
In this article, Arrowtheme will let you know an effective way to manage your WordPress network. Then, let’s explore with us right now!
What is WordPress Multisite?
WordPress Multisite is a type of WordPress installation that allows you to create and manage multiple sites from a single WordPress dashboard. It is a built-in feature that can be enabled on a new or existing WordPress site.
To activate WordPress Multisite, you need to add a few lines of code to the wp-config.php and .htaccess files in your WordPress installation. Once enabled, you can start building your network of sites.
Your existing site will remain unchanged with the same URL, while new sites can be added as subdomains (site1.example.com) or subdirectories (example.com/site1).
User Roles of WordPress Multisite
As soon as you install WordPress Multisite, you become the network administrator. This means you have full administrative control over all sites within the network. You can also allow others to create their own sites within the network and assign them as site administrators.
Moreover, site administrators have less access than network administrators. What’s more, you are able to install themes and plugins as a network admin. However, keep in mind that a site admin can activate them for their site, but not install new ones. Basically, this keeps your network secure since you don’t want site administrators to upload code that could compromise it.
Additionally, site administrators can add new users, but those users will only have access to the specific sites they are assigned to, not the entire network.
WordPress Multisite and Domain Names
Domain names are a significant distinction between a standard WordPress installation and a WordPress Multisite network. The network’s primary URL remains the same as the one used during setup. For example, if your main website is mysite.com, the entire network is based on that domain.
When enabling Multisite, you can choose whether new sites will use subdomains (e.g., site1.mysite.com) or subdirectories (e.g., mysite.com/site1). Additionally, you can map custom domains to individual sites within the network, making them appear as standalone websites with their own unique URLs. To visitors, these sites function as if they were running separate WordPress installations.
A well-known example of a WordPress Multisite network is WordPress.com, which hosts millions of websites of all sizes—from personal blogs to large organizations. It achieves this by managing data through a sophisticated and scalable infrastructure.
What are the Benefits of WordPress Multisite?
Benefits of using WordPress Multisite make it a powerful solution for managing multiple websites efficiently:
More Effective Code
One of the biggest advantages of WordPress Multisite is its efficient use of code. Since all sites within the network share the same core WordPress files, as well as a single copy of each theme and plugin, the overall amount of code remains minimal.
This reduces server storage compared to maintaining separate WordPress installations for each site. As you add more sites, the savings in storage and resources increase. Additionally, this streamlined approach helps reduce hosting costs and makes it easier to keep your codebase up to date.
More Efficient Development
If you create custom themes for multiple websites, WordPress Multisite makes development more efficient. You can set up a base theme – such as a starter theme, framework theme, or parent theme – as a foundation for all sites in the network. Since Multisite allows you to install a theme only once, you can use it as a parent theme for various sites, saving time and effort.
For example, when we first started working with clients, we created a framework theme and manually installed it on every new WordPress site before developing a child theme for customization. Now, with Multisite, we maintain just one framework theme in the network, and each site uses its own child theme, streamlining the process.
This approach is especially useful for websites with shared design elements. If you’re building sites for different departments within a company, you can create a parent theme containing common design and layout features. Then, you can develop individual child themes tailored to each division and activate them accordingly.
Manage More Effectively
Alternatively, keeping your WordPress Multisite network up to date is far more efficient than keeping several WordPress installations up to date. Additionally, no matter how many sites your network’s themes and plugins are active on, you only need to update them once. Furthermore, when you are running a theme or plugin on many sites, thorough testing is very crucial. This is because you will need to test on all of the relevant sites.
Best of all, you can take advantage of our WordPress packages in order to check and update on your staging network before pushing them live. Our packages not only include Development and Updates services, but also comes with Maintenance & Support services that can help you solve every problem on your site. In particular, we are running a upto 30% sale program for all of our WordPress services. Hence, no matter what your needs are, we also deliver you the best solution. Just need to CONTACT US to take a grip of this deal!
What are the Most Common Use Cases of WordPress Multisite?
Here are some of the most common use cases where WordPress multisite proves to be especially beneficial:
1. Personal Websites
If you have multiple personal sites, consolidating them into a single Multisite installation will save you a lot of time and resources. You need to keep all of your personal websites on a single Multisite network for these reasons:
- First and foremost, they share a code base (the parent theme and a number of plugins).
- Secondly, it saves space on the server as well as time updating them.
- Thirdly, you may want to display data from one of my network’s sites on another.
We suggest you should use domain mapping to map distinct domain names to each site, so they appear to be independent sites to users.
2. Business Sites
In case you’re running multiple sites for a lot of divisions of a company, choosing WordPress Multisite is the best method for you to save time. All you have to do is to update one WordPress installation. Hence, you will be able to exchange data and users across sites, as well as use the same parent theme and plugins.
In reality, this will save time both during the development of the site and later when it is managed.
3. Hosting Client Sites
Hosting client sites is one of the most practical use cases for WordPress Multisite. When building multiple sites for clients, you’ll likely install the same core plugins and use a common parent theme across them. Instead of managing each site separately, you can streamline your workflow by hosting them all within a single Multisite network. This setup allows you to update themes, plugins, and code in one place, saving time and reducing maintenance overhead.
You’ll also only need to secure and back up one WordPress installation. With domain mapping, each client can use their own custom domain, so the backend and frontend both reflect their brand — without revealing that their site is part of a Multisite network. This approach gives clients a seamless experience while simplifying your management process behind the scenes.
4. Intranets
Another common use case of WordPress multisite that you can’t ignore is Intranets. Even if you don’t want to use Multisite for your public-facing site, you might discover that having one large WordPress site or numerous smaller ones works better for your company intranet.
What’s more, when you use WordPress Multisite for a company intranet, you can:
- You can create separate sites for each section and offer employees access to the one they need.
- You are able to simply create a user for each employee and grant them access to the site they require.
- You can share material across sites, such as showing updates from a central site on the separate sites’ homepages.
In short, this technique will be far more effective than any other due to user management alone. e effective than any other due to user management alone.
5. Community Networks
Community organizations and networks require an Internet presence, but it can be costly. Using a WordPress Multisite network to host the websites of various groups can save money while also allowing those groups to network with one another. Alternatively, you can utilize plugins to allow site users to follow each other’s blogs and communicate with one another in the admin screens, as well as share content between sites. Best of all, you might save a lot of money if you only have one WordPress installation to host.
6. Monetization
Using a WordPress Multisite network to commercialize is a fantastic idea. A great example is Edublogs, a platform that successfully generates revenue by offering blogs and educational sites within a Multisite network.
With this model, you can turn your Multisite network into a business by allowing users to create their own websites — either for free or for a fee. You can offer different pricing plans, from free basic sites to premium options with advanced features, themes, and storage.
Best of all, as the network administrator, you can build a thriving user community by offering support, sending updates, and communicating directly through dashboard notifications.
How to Enable a Multisite Network in WordPress?
Follow these steps after installing WordPress and choosing your hosting provider:
1. Access Your Website via FTP
Use an FTP client like FileZilla to connect to your website’s root directory.
2. Edit the wp-config.php File
Locate the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress installation. Open it, and just before the line that says:
/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */
You have to add the following line of code:
/* Multisite */
define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);
3. Log In to Your WordPress Dashboard
After enabling Multisite in the config file, log in to your WordPress admin area.
4. Configure the Network Setup
Go to Tools > Network Setup. Here, you can configure your Multisite network by choosing either:
- Subdomains (e.g., site1.yourdomain.com)
- Subdirectories (e.g., yourdomain.com/site1)
Note: This decision is important—you won’t be able to change it later without reinstalling the network.
If you select subdomains, you may need to configure your domain’s DNS settings to support wildcard subdomains.
5. Enter Network Details
Enter a name for your network and the admin email address, then click Install.
6. Add Configuration Code to wp-config.php and .htaccess
On the next screen, WordPress will generate two sets of code:
- One for wp-config.php
- One for .htaccess
You’ll need to:
- Reconnect to your site via FTP
- Open both files
- Paste the respective code snippets in the correct locations
- Save and upload the changes
7. Complete the Setup
Log out and back in again. You will now see “My Sites” and Network Admin options in the WordPress admin bar. Your Multisite network is now active!
How to Setup WordPress Multisite with Subdomains?
You will need to create a subdomain with an asterisk as the subdomain name if you want to use subdomains for your multisite network’s websites. Besides, a wildcard subdomain is what it’s called. For instance, in case your WordPress installation is www.example.com, you have to create the subdomain *.example.com.
In order to do so, you must go to your WordPress hosting account’s cPanel dashboard and log in. In this case, we instruct you how this looks in the Bluehost dashboard. Of course, your dashboard may look different if you are using a different host or domain registrar. Then, you must scroll down to the Domains area of your Bluehost account dashboard and click Subdomains.
After that, you need to fill in the subdomain area with an asterisk (*) and choose your main domain from the drop-down menu on the next page. After making your choice, cPanel will automatically detect and display the document root in the area below. In order to add your new wildcard subdomain, you must click the Create button.
How to Configure WordPress Multisite Network Settings?
After you have set up your multisite network, you must double-check your settings to make sure that your site functions correctly. This is something you can do from your WordPress dashboard.
To begin, you must log in to your WordPress website and select Sites from the drop-down menu. Then, on the top left side of your admin page, you have to select Network Admin >> Dashboard. Moreover, you can manage websites, users, themes, plugins, and settings for your WordPress multisite installation from the fly-out menu.
Furthermore, you can set default themes, page and post text, welcome emails sent by WordPress to new users, and more under the multisite network admin settings tab. More essentially, you must bear in mind that any changes you make to the multisite network admin settings will affect all of your multisite network’s sites and users.
How to Manage Sites on Your WordPress Network Efficiently?
On the Sites tab, you are able to manage all of the individual websites on your WordPress multisite installation. For more details, you can add, delete, deactivate, and archive websites in your network using the multisite dashboard.
Plus, when you deactivate a site on your multisite network, it becomes invisible to your multisite users as well as any website visitors. In particular, “This user has elected to delete their account, and their content is no longer available”, says the notification while trying to access a defunct website.
Websites on your WordPress multisite network that have been archived are only visible to the network’s super admin. Furthermore, the notification “This site has been archived or suspended” will appear to anyone trying to access an archived website.
In addition, the super admins of the WordPress multisite network can mark a website on the network as spam. Therefore, this renders the website inaccessible to all users. Alternatively, when you delete a site, it is permanently removed from your network.
Wrapping Up
To sum up, WordPress multisite can conserve disk space and make you more efficient whether you are building your personal website, client website or anything else. Besides, it can be used for a variety of purposes, including personal sites, hosting client or community sites, company sites and so much more. Overall, we hope you can learn the basics of WordPress Multisite and how it works from our article.
What’s more, Arrowtheme also offers WordPress website packages that includes every WordPress service you need to build and develop your website. In particular, at this time, we are having a sale program that sells upto 30% off for all of our WordPress services. Thus, what are you waiting for without filling out our CONTACT FORM right now!
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