A Beginner’s Guide to Using WordPress Multisite – WPCAST014

In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of WordPress multisite, and when it’s better to use multisite or stay with separate installations.

The Changelog

* David considering hiring part-time QA and support guy

* Joel Spolsky’s blog: Top Five (Wrong) Reasons You Don’t Have Testers

* 1 tester for every 2 developers

* Thanks for the 5 star reviews! CapeDave, Woodenski, Phil Derksen

The Core

* Multisite is a single install of WordPress – one database, one copy of every theme and plugin

* History – separate codebase until WordPress 3.0, used to be called WordPress MU

Pros of Multisite

* User login is shared – same username and password

* Less work to manage many sites – one install to secure, upgrades only done once

* Installing themes and plugins are available on all sites

* Can restrict the plugins available on sub-sites with the Multisite Plugin Manager plugin

* Cloning sites can be easy with the NS Cloner plugin

Cons of Multisite

* More vulnerable – if a Network Admin account is compromised, all sites are accessible

* Higher learning curve

* Potential plugin incompatibilities

* More difficult to set up – configuration, wildcard subdomain DNS, domain mapping

* Recommended: WordPress MU Domain Mapping plugin

* If you edit a theme/plugin file, it affects all sites on the network using that theme/plugin

* Migrating single sites in and out of multisite is a pain (contact us if interested in the SOP)

* Only network admins can install themes and plugins

* Hosting issues

* You need a host with good resources (forget about shared hosting)

* Multisite might not be supported, or requires you to purchase a higher priced plan

* Recommended: Flywheel

When Should You Use Multisite?

* Lots of sites (i.e. 10+)

* You typically use a lot of the same themes and plugins

* You really know what you’re doing

* Specific examples – niche sites, web agency that caters to smaller sites

When Should You Not Use Multisite?

* Just a couple of sites, using noticeably different themes and plugins

* Customer sites that need major customization or high level access (database, FTP, etc)

* When you need 100+ plugins between all the sites

* If you don’t have the infrastructure to support it

* Different sites for marketing site and blog

Tips & Tricks

* Balsamiq for fast wireframing

* F.lux automatically dims your screen at night to make it easier on your eyes