Multisite or multi-site, create multiple websites with a single WordPress installation – Part 1

Creating a Multi-Site or Multisite with WordPress is very easy. 
This functionality is in WordPress since version 3.0
It is not something that we add to WordPress, it is an option that WordPress brings “from the factory”.
Therefore, I can assure you that you will not need any plugin.
It is only a matter of being careful with the files that we are going to modify.
To do this, we always have a backup of everything and we make sure that if something goes wrong, we can go back.

Let's start to value and learn more about the Multi-Site with WordPress

Why do I need a Multisite with WordPress for my website?

I am going to indicate some cases in which we recommend a multisite with WordPress.

• Contents in several languages. 
  In this entry https://www.mowomo.com/wordpress-en-varios-idiomas/ I explain the reasons for using the multisite functionality with WordPress for multilingual content.
  If we are going to limit ourselves to translating the content literally, a plugin like polylang is enough, but if we want to work on the SEO of each language, the best is a multi-site.
• blog network. 
  If you have a network with several blogs, you are surely interested in doing a multisite installation, mainly because each time you create new content or have to update WordPress or a plugin, you do not have to enter a different administrator, enter your username and password in each one of them.
  With a WordPress Multi-site installation, you enter a single administrator for all the sites, once you have logged in to one, you are already identified in all of them, if you are a "super admin" (I will explain this later)
  If your blogs have different domains, then you will have to do a "domain mapping" or "domain mapping" which is to use different domains in the same installation of WordPress Multisite (which I will also explain later).
• Magazines or newspapers with author blogs.
  A magazine or newspaper often has journalists who have personal blogs associated with that media outlet. In this case, it is linked to the medium but its author has a blog where he writes regularly. 
  We will create a multisite installation with WordPress so that the author has his own blog where he enters with his username and password and can only write on the site created for him. 
  Through custom programming or a plugin we can show the last article published on your blog, on the cover of the magazine or newspaper.
• Associations or federations
  In general, the associations and federation tend to be divided geographically, that is, by cities or provinces.
  We can create a website, for each of them with administrators, authors, or independent editors.
  In the case of associations, for example asociacion.com/madrid-vallecas/, the main site has the general information of the association and the directories are sites where the information is more local, which is only of interest to the associates in that area or location (meetings, announcements, board of directors, elections, etc.)
  In the case of the federations, for example federacion.com/barcelona, ​​as I understand it, the federations are usually provincial, so they could have a site for each province that deals with topics of interest in each province.
• Town Councils
  The different areas or councils of a town hall could publish their press releases, events, announcements, etc., on different sites, in addition to the above, having an administrator, authors, editors, and independent collaborators in each case. For example, ayuntamiento.com/sports
• Franchises
  Let's imagine a gym franchise that wants to publish content from each of the franchises, which does not always have to be the same, different content, schedules, activities, etc. can be published in each place. 
• Social Media with BuddyPress with user blog. BuddyPress already comes standard with the possibility for users of the social network to create a personal blog associated with their profile. It is an option that is checked or not depending on what the administrator wants.

What site structure can I create with WordPress Multisite?

• Directories 
  In the case of sites dependent on the main one, that is, they complement or we do not mind sharing SEO with secondary sites. 
  The structure would be mysite.com/site1
• Sub-domains
  In the case of independent sites from the main one, that is, that it is managed independently and you do not want to share SEO with secondary sites.  
  The structure would be: site1.mysite.com
  In the event that the sites have different domains and we have to "map" them, I always implement them with the directory structure, but it can also be done with sub-domains.

In the next entry I will explain step by step how to build a Multisite with WordPress, the different users and permissions, all without using plugins, don't miss it.

If you need to implement a multi-site on your website or a WordPress development from scratch exclusively for you or for your client, do not hesitate to contact us, and we will give you the best solution or if you need other developments ask us for a quoteYou will be pleasantly surprised at our prices.