How To Install a WordPress Multisite Network

If you’ve ever had the need to create a network of websites but found the prospect daunting and potentially very time-consuming, we have good news. There’s no need to pay for expensive solutions and spend hours on the logistics of each individual site – WordPress already has a core feature called Multisite that will allow you to create a network of multiple sites from a single WordPress installation.

Below, we will discuss the features of Multisite, its pros and cons, and ways you can implement and use it.

What is WordPress multisite and what it offers?

At its core, WordPress Multisite is simply a group of individual websites sharing the same WordPress installation. The idea originally took the form of the WordPress Multiuser project. Eventually, WPMU was discontinued, and its features became a part of WordPress core in version 3.0.

So what is WordPress Multisite? Setting up a Multisite network allows you to set up a main site (domain.com, for example), and then develop a collection of subsites (eg, site1.domain.com or domain.com/site1) you can manage using the main site’s WordPress dashboard. This also creates a new type of user – the super admin.

While each of the subsites can have its own admin, only the super admin can manage settings that affect all the sites in the network, such as changing and installing themes and plugins.

If you’re planning on setting up a website that would allow users to create their own sites or blogs, using Multisite will let you conveniently manage all your users’ sites through your WordPress dashboard. While this makes for greater ease of use, it also adds a layer of complexity that we will touch upon in the next section.

The pros and cons of a multisite network

Aside from the ones mentioned above, there are several advantages to using Multisite, especially for business owners:

• You can access all subsites from the same WordPress dashboard panel.
• Multisite is free to set up and can be scaled as much as you need.
• Every installation, whether plugin or theme, only needs to be run once.
• All updates are one-click, run through the main site’s dashboard.
• Since all of the subsites share the same database, you can share all the plugins, themes, content, and login credentials across the network.
• Each subsite is treated as an individual by search engines, so using Multisite doesn’t affect SEO.

That being said, there are also times when using Multisite can be a disadvantage:

• New users are, by default, treated as guests on every site on your network. You must use a plugin if you intend to change user roles on individual sites.
• Only the super admin can install themes and plugins and edit user profiles. This takes away power from the admins of individual sites.
• Some of the usual WordPress plugins aren’t Multisite-compatible.
• Moving a site from the network and onto an individual installation can be difficult to do and requires a new WordPress installation and/or the help of a developer.
• Even though they are all connected to a single WordPress install, the cost of hosting will be proportional to the number of subsites with some hosting providers.
• Issues with one site could affect the entire network.

Despite these disadvantages, there are still many situations when using Multisite can prove to be very useful…

When to use multisite on WordPress (and when not to)

There are generally three main categories of users who could benefit from using Multisite:

• Individuals or businesses looking to run a private network of sites or blogs.
• Developers or agencies that manage and administer client sites.
• A free or paid network where users can create their own sites.

There are, of course, times when using Multisite can be impractical, if not disadvantageous:

• If you only need one site or blog and don’t plan on creating more.
• If you are creating multiple sites, but each has to be hosted separately. This also extends to each site having its own IP address.
• If, for security reasons, each site needs to have its own separate database.
• Site administrators need the ability to install and modify themes and plugins.
• Your hosting service doesn’t match up to Multisite server requirements.

If one or more of these apply to you, it might be better to go with a single site with WordPress installed. Alternatively, if you need to use Multisite but your hosting prevents you, consider switching providers.

Setting up your multisite WordPress network

There are two main methods of setting up your WordPress Multisite, depending on whether you are creating a new WordPress installation or simply adding Multisite to an existing one.

Before installing

One of the more important things to consider before even beginning the Multisite setup is whether your hosting provider can handle this feature. Since all the subsites will be hosted on the same server, they tend to take up a proportionally large amount of server resources. Going with dedicated hosting is preferred since it will allow you to easily scale the number of subsites.

Another consideration is the type of formatting you want to see on your subsite URLs. There are two types, depending on whether your Multisite uses subdomains or subdirectories:

• If you’re using subdomains, each subsite’s URL will look like https://site1.domain.com. You will also need to activate wildcard subdomains at your hosting panel if you plan on letting users create their own sites.
• If you’re using subdirectories, each subsite’s URL will look like https://domain.com/site1. It’s important to note that you can’t use this method if you’re adding Multisite to an existing WordPress installation since new URLs can clash with the ones already on your site.

Some additional steps to take before you set up Multisite:

• Make sure you create a full backup of the site you’re adding Multisite to.
• Update your current WordPress install.
• Check on the status of Pretty Permalinks. You need this to work properly, so the subsite domain mapping could work.
• Deactivate all currently active plugins.
• If you’re enabling Multisite on a fresh WordPress installation, configure that first.

Enabling multisite

If your host lets you use Softaculous Auto Installer for WordPress setups, this process is actually quite simple. Go to your cPanel dashboard and in the Softaculous section, look for the WordPress icon:

Clicking on it will let you use the Install tab, where you will find many fields related to your new WordPress site that you will need to fill out, including the option to enable Multisite.

Click on the checkbox and the Install button, and Softaculous will do all the work for you.

In case you don’t have access to this type of installer, or if you’re trying to enable Multisite on an already existing WordPress site, you will need to manually edit the appropriate files in the file system.

To add the Network Setup item to your WordPress menu, you first need to enable Multisite in your wp-config.php file. Open up the file and add the following piece of code:

/* Multisite */ 
define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );

Please note that you will need to add this above the line that says /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */.

Setting up a network

After you’ve added the code above to your wp-config.php file, you should now be able to use the Network Setup item under the Tools menu on your dashboard. Clicking on this item will take you to the Create a Network of WordPress Sites screen

Unless your options are limited by existing settings (for instance, if you’re adding Multisite to an existing WordPress installation that has been online for a while), you will have the choice of using subdomains or subdirectories for the sites in your network.

We won’t go into details here since we’ve already covered both of these above. It’s worth noting, however, that despite the prompt on the screen, you can reconfigure these settings later, albeit with some difficulty.

The fields related to network details should be filled out automatically, but you can make any changes you’d like. Once you’ve double-checked them and made sure they are correct, click on the Install button.

Enabling the network

Once you’ve clicked the Install button, you will see a screen with instructions on how to enable your Multisite network. The instructions on this screen are generated based on your installation, so they might be different from the ones shown in the following example:

If you haven’t already, create a backup of your wp-config.php and .htaccess files. As per the instructions, add the newly generated lines to your wp-config.php file.

If you don’t have the .htaccess file, create a new one and paste the code in it. If you already have the file, replace any of the existing WordPress lines with the new ones. If necessary, add Options FollowSymlinks at the beginning.

Log in with the provided link (note you may have to clear your cache and cookies).

Managing your multisite network

Once you’ve finished enabling your Multisite network, you’ll notice the network is ready and running, with only your main site active. Below we will discuss how you can grow and manage your network, including creating new sites, managing themes, plugins, and updating your WordPress.

Creating new sites

To create a new site manually, follow these steps:

1. On your new WordPress dashboard, click on My Sites > Network Admin. This will take you to the network admin screen, where you can create and manage your sites.
2. Click on Sites > Add New.
3. Fill out the required fields (as shown in the example below), then click on the Add Site button.

Clicking on Sites > All Sites will let you review all the sites in your network.

It’s also worth noting that you can let users create their own site from the frontend. There are two ways to do this:

• Go to My Sites > Network Admin > Settings and under Registration Settings, enable ‘Both sites and user accounts can be registered’.
• Use a premium plugin such as Pro Sites.

Managing themes

As mentioned above, only the super admin has the authority to install and enable themes, whether it’s across all sites or for individual sites only.

Installing a new theme for your network is fairly simple: go to Themes on your Network Admin dashboard and click on “Add New”. The installation process should be the same as if you were installing themes for just one WordPress site.

To enable the theme, either click on the Network Enable link during the installation or go to Themes, where you can get an overview of your installed themes and enable or disable them as needed.

If you want to enable a theme on an individual site in your network, go to Sites > All Sites, select the site you want to apply the theme to, click on the Edit link, and under the Themes tab, select a theme you want to apply:

Once you go to the dashboard of the site you applied the theme to, you will see it is now available under Appearance > Themes.

Managing plugins

Managing plugins is only slightly different than managing themes, as explained above. The largest difference lies in the fact that you can’t enable plugins on individual sites – you can either activate them across the entire network or just install them and let individual site admins enable them.

Network activation is useful if you have a plugin you want to enable across all the subsites in your network (for instance, those dealing with automatic updates). On the Network Admin dashboard, you can install plugins as you normally would, while enabling the Network Activate link on the install screen.

On the other hand, if you only want to enable a plugin for individual sites, you first need to install it without enabling Network Activate. After that, you can go to the admin dashboards for individual sites and enable installed plugins by going to Plugins > Installed Plugins.

Managing sites

While on the Sites screen on the Network Admin dashboard, you can also manage things like site info, users, and settings.

Opening the Info screen, you will find basic information on the site. You can use this screen to edit the site domain and status.

The Users screen is very similar to the one on a regular WordPress site – it lists out all the users on your network and lets you add new users, delete existing ones, or assign new roles. This screen will also tell you which sites any individual user has access to; the admins of those sites will be able to manage users on their dashboard in much the same way you can manage all users through the Network Admin dashboard.

The Settings screen will let you edit settings for each individual site, though site admins can also edit some of these settings.

Multisite domain mapping

We’ve previously mentioned that you can form the sites within your network as either subdomains or subdirectories, which affects the formatting of their URLs. If, however, you’d like your sites to have a fully custom URL, you might want to consider domain mapping.

Domain mapping has been a core WordPress feature since version 4.5, letting you allocate a custom domain for each of the sites in your network. Below, you will find detailed instructions on how add a custom domain to a site. Please note you will have to repeat the process for every individual site you want to domain map:

1. Buy the Domain – either you or the person managing the subsite should get in touch with your web host and add the desired domain name to your account.
2. Add Individual SSL Certificates – In order for each site in your network to have a unique, encrypted login, you will need to add an SSL certificate during the custom domain setup process.
3. Map the Domain Using DNS – Depending on your web host, the precise steps of this process may vary. The example below uses SiteGround as the service provider:
   • Log into web host account.
   • Find the page with the domain management system.
   • Under Shortcuts, click on ‘Addon Domains’.
   • Choose a site in your network you want to assign a custom domain to and select the option to turn it into an Addon Domain. Make sure you assign the same directory to your domain as your main multisite domain(in the form of public_html/yoursitename).
   • Once done, click on ‘Add Domain’.
4. Assign Your Custom Domain in WordPress– To connect the new custom domain you just created with your site, go to your Network Admin dashboard and, under Sites, click on “Add New”. You can use the Site Address (URL) field to add the new domain to your network.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the points above have brought the use and purpose of WordPress Multisite closer to you and your business.

In the end, it’s up to you to judge whether using Multisite is right for you. If you do end up choosing it, please share your experiences in the comments – the further discussion on the pros and cons of this method will certainly help inform other users who may still be on the fence about using Multisite.

FAQ

Is it possible to install a WordPress Multisite Network on shared hosting?

Yes, you can install a WordPress Multisite Network on shared hosting, but performance may become an issue as the number of subsites grows. Since all sites share the same server resources, higher traffic across multiple sites can slow things down. For larger networks, VPS or dedicated hosting is usually a better long-term solution.

Can I install a WordPress Multisite Network on an existing website?

You can install a WordPress Multisite Network on an existing site, but you must be careful. URL structures may conflict, especially if you choose subdirectories. It’s essential to back up your site, deactivate plugins, and verify permalink settings before enabling Multisite.

Does each site in a WordPress Multisite Network have its own database?

All sites share one WordPress installation and a single database, but each subsite gets its own set of database tables. This structure allows centralized management while keeping site data logically separated within the same database.

What happens if the main site goes down in a WordPress Multisite Network?

Because every subsite relies on the same core installation and server environment, issues affecting the main installation can impact the entire WordPress Multisite Network. This is why strong hosting, regular backups, and monitoring are critical.

Is it difficult to migrate a single site out of a WordPress Multisite Network?

Yes, migrating a subsite out of a WordPress Multisite Network can be complex. It usually requires exporting content, recreating the site on a new standalone WordPress installation, and manually configuring themes, plugins, and database elements. In many cases, developer assistance is recommended.