What is WordPress Multisite? And How to Set It Up?

Are you juggling between multiple websites in WordPress? We all have been there, and it’s really frustrating, right? But with WordPress multisite, all your frustration comes to an end.

WordPress multisite helps you create and manage multiple websites with the same WordPress installation. Here, we are going to discuss everything – what is WordPress multisite, how it works, the steps to set it up, how you can manage multiple sites and how it can benefit you. So, keep reading.

What is WordPress Multisite?

With WordPress Multisite, you can create and manage multiple websites from a single admin dashboard. It is suitable for networks of related sites, like schools, hotel chains or franchises. These sites need to share resources with each other but also maintain some level of independence. And you can control everything from one dashboard instead of jumping between separate WordPress setups.

All sites in a Multisite network share the same WordPress core and database but have separate content tables. So you are managing everything from a central dashboard, but your site-specific data will remain separate. Plus, you just need to install plugins and themes one time, and you can then activate them across every site.

Here are some of the most exciting features of WordPress multisite:

• Control all websites from a single WordPress dashboard.
• Install and update plugins and themes once and activate them across multiple sites.
• Assign different roles to users. So you can make sure they have access only to their respective sites.
• Easily add new sites without setting up separate WordPress installations.
• Choose between subdirectories, subdomains or custom domains.
• Restrict users to specific sites and manage site-level permissions.
• Optimize your Multisite setup based on URL structure to maximize search engine visibility.

Now, you might be excited to set up WordPress multisite, right? So, let’s get straight to the process!

Setting Up WordPress Multisite

To create a multisite WordPress network, you have two options:
1. Use the auto-installer offered by your hosting provider
2. Do it manually

If you are using an auto-installer of your hosting company, you can get your WordPress multisite network ready easily. But if you haven’t done it yet or prefer doing it manually – here’s the process:

1. Enable WordPress Multisite

To start, you need to enable Multisite in the wp-config.php file. This file contains your website’s key configurations and is located in the root directory (public_html). You can access it using a file manager or an FTP client like FileZilla.

Open the wp-config.php file and find the line that says “/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */”. In some cases, users also find “/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */”.

Above this line, add this code:

/* Multisite */ define( ‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true );

(Img alt: adding code in wp-config.php file)

Save the file and move on to the next step.

2. Set Up the Multisite Network

Now that Multisite is enabled, you need to configure the network settings.

• First, deactivate all your installed plugins to avoid conflicts.
• Then, go to Tools → Network Setup in the WordPress dashboard.
• Choose what you want to use – subdomains or subdirectories. If the option isn’t available, WordPress will automatically use the subdirectories.
• Enter a Network Title and an Admin Email for the super admin.
• Click Install to set up the network.

If you select subdomains, you’ll need to configure a wildcard subdomain.

3. Set Up a Wildcard Subdomain (For Subdomain-Based Networks)

A wildcard subdomain helps you in handling multiple subdomains under one domain. This is required for subdomain-based Multisite setups.

• Go to your hosting control panel and open the DNS Zone Editor.
• Add a wildcard DNS record (*) pointing to your server’s IP address.
• Create a new subdomain under Domains → Subdomains and link it to the public_html directory.

It may take 24-48 hours for the wildcard subdomain to start working. Use a DNS checker to confirm propagation.

4. Update the wp-config.php and .htaccess Files

Now, update your configuration files to activate the network.

Open wp-config.php and add this code above /* That’s all, stop editing! */:

define( ‘MULTISITE’, true ); define( ‘SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL’, true ); define( ‘DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE’, ‘yourdomain.tld’ ); define( ‘PATH_CURRENT_SITE’, ‘/’ ); define( ‘SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE’, 1 ); define( ‘BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE’, 1 );

• Replace yourdomain.tld with your actual domain name and save the file.
• Then, open the .htaccess file (in public_html) and replace its existing rules with:

RewriteEngine On RewriteRule .* – [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}] RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index\.php$ – [L] RewriteRule ^wp-admin$ wp-admin/ [R=301,L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d RewriteRule ^ – [L] RewriteRule ^(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $1 [L] RewriteRule ^(.*\.php)$ $1 [L] RewriteRule . index.php [L]

Save both files, then log out and log back into WordPress.

5. Configure Network Settings

Once you are logged in, you’ll see a My Sites menu with a Network Admin dashboard. Here, you can manage your Multisite network.

• Go to Settings → Network Settings to update the network name and admin email.
• In Registration Settings, choose if users can register new sites or accounts.
• Set up site creation rules in New Site Settings, including default pages and welcome messages.
• Adjust Upload Settings to control file types and storage limits for all sites.
• In Menu Settings, enable the Plugins menu to allow site admins to manage their own plugins.

Finally, click Save Changes and your Multisite network is ready!

If you faced any issues during the setup or need a visual representation of how it works – refer to this WordPress tutorial:

Managing a Multisite Network in WordPress

Once you are done with setting up the WordPress multisite network, you will have the power to manage different sites from one place. But now you might ask, ‘How can I manage this multisite network?’ – Don’t worry, there’s no rocket science in it. You can easily manage a WordPress multisite network.

Adding a New Website to the Network

Your network starts with just one website, but you can add more easily:

• Go to Sites → Add New Site in the Network Admin dashboard.
• Enter the site’s address, title, language, and admin email.
• Click Add Site.

You can manage all subsites under All Sites. From here, you can edit, deactivate or delete any subsite. Based on your hosting plan, you can create as many sites as you want.

Assigning a Custom Domain to a Subsite

To give a subsite a custom domain:

• Buy a domain from a registrar of your choice.
• Point the domain to your web host’s nameserver (DNS changes may take 24-48 hours to propagate).
• Update the domain’s A record to match your server’s IP address.
• Map the custom domain to the subsite by updating the Site Address (URL) in the subsite editor.

Adding New Users to the Network

As a Super Admin, you can manage users across the network:

• To add a user, go to Users → Add User, enter their username and email and click Add User.
• The user will receive an email to set a password.
• To make a user a super admin, edit their profile and check the Super Admin box.
• To add users to a specific subsite, go to Sites → All Sites. Select a site and manage users under the Users tab.

Managing Themes and Plugins

Unlike a regular WordPress site, themes and plugins in a Multisite network are managed at the network level.

• Plugins: Install plugins in the Network Admin dashboard. Click Network Activate to enable them across all sites or allow site admins to activate them individually.
• Themes: Install themes in the Network Admin dashboard. Click Network Enable to make them available to all sites, and site admins can activate them as needed.
• Updates: Super Admins handle updates and should remove inactive themes and plugins to improve security and performance.

Handling Media Files in Multisite

Each subsite has its own media folder inside /wp-content/uploads/sites/.

• The main site’s media is stored in /wp-content/uploads/.
• Subsite media files are stored in /wp-content/uploads/sites/{siteID}/ (e.g., site ID 2 will have /sites/2/).
• Find a subsite’s ID by hovering over the Edit button in the Sites section.
• Use FTP or File Manager to directly upload, delete or back up media files.

Managing the Multisite Database

A Multisite network shares a single database, but WordPress creates separate tables for each subsite.

Shared Core Tables:

• wp_users: Stores user details for the entire network.
• Wp_usermeta: Contains additional user metadata.
• wp_site & wp_sitemeta: Stores network-wide settings.
• wp_blogs & wp_blog_versions: Keeps track of sites and their WordPress versions.
• wp_signups & wp_registration_log: Manages user and site registrations.

Unique Tables for Each Subsite:

For a subsite with ID 2, WordPress creates tables like:

• wp_2_posts: Stores posts, pages, and custom post types.
• wp_2_comments: Contains comments.
• wp_2_options: Stores site-specific settings.
• wp_2_terms, wp_2_term_taxonomy, wp_2_term_relationships: Manage categories, tags, and taxonomies.

To manage the database, you can use phpMyAdmin or a similar database management tool.

Benefits of Using WordPress Multisite

WordPress’s multisite feature helps a lot when you are struggling to manage different websites separately. More than time savings, you get centralized management for all your sites.

Here are some of the major advantages of switching to a multisite network:

• You don’t need to install updated themes or plugins for each website separately. Just do it once and you are done.
• If you like a theme or a plugin for one website, you can easily share it across your sites. There is no need to install everything again, and it also saves server space.
• From the Network Admin dashboard, you can define roles and permissions for different users. So, if you are working with freelancers or different partners, you can easily manage/change who has access to what.
• You can easily add new websites to your network without any new installations.
• You can even take the backup of all your sites from your Network Admin dashboard. So, all your important data gets saved in one effort.

Given the benefits of a WordPress multisite setup, numerous businesses use it to manage their websites. Popular websites like The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Blogs use WordPress multisite to manage multiple sites and blogs. Even wordpress.com uses a multisite network.

FAQs on WordPress Multisite

Final Thoughts

Managing a WordPress Multisite network might feel like a complex task for some time. But after using it for a while, you will start understanding its benefits and appreciate it for sure.

Whether you want to run a business with different branches or handle multiple client projects in WordPress, WordPress multisite can be your go-to option.

And if you are still not confident enough to manage a multisite network, you can rely on our team’s expertise. Contact us today to discuss your project, and let us simplify your WordPress management!