Thankfully, there are plenty of tools available that can help you with WordPress website management, and they are free to use. One such tool is the MainWP Dashboard plugin that allows you to manage your websites from one dashboard.

Today, I will demonstrate how you can use the MainWP Dashboard plugin to manage multiple WordPress sites with ease.

Why Manage Multiple Websites From One Dashboard?

The answer to this question is rather simple. To save time.

Let’s face it, managing one website is difficult enough and that job only becomes harder as the website continues to grow.

You need to continually update your website’s themes, plugins, and core files on a regular basis. You’ll also create a backup of each website and more to keep it running at peak condition.

Now multiply that workload by two or even three and you will struggle to find even a minute of free time. Thus, you need to manage your website more efficiently, which is exactly what I will be demonstrating for you.

What if you are a freelancer and manage multiple client WordPress websites? A tool like this can make your life easier by giving you access to all of those interfaces from a single dashboard.

Installing MainWP Dashboard

The MainWP Dashboard plugin is really simple to understand. It allows you to manage all of your websites from one dashboard. This means you can update all of your websites at the exact same time, create backups, and more.

However, this plugin is a little more unique to install than most. You will need to install two separate plugins.

The first is MainWP Dashboard, which adds the dashboard you will use to manage your websites. This only needs to be installed on the website you wish to manage from. Preferably a new website. Most web hosts provide a free subdomain, so I recommend using that.

The second is MainWP Child plugin. This one must be installed on each website that you wish to manage. This does not include the website you wish to manage from.

Note: The child plugin allows you to create a unique security ID. It is possible that if someone knew your website’s information and that the plugin was installed on your website, he or she could potentially try to manage or even cause damage. It is very unlikely that someone would have all of this information, but if you feel the need, you can activate this security feature.

Install the necessary plugins on each website before continuing. I will outline how to set up each one upon activation.

Setting Up MainWP Dashboard

Upon activating this plugin, you will enter a setup wizard. Click on the “Let’s Go!” button to begin set up.

The setup wizard is very simple to go through, so I will let it explain most of what you’ll find. But, I do want to highlight Step 4. In this step, you are connecting your websites together. To continue with the wizard you must have the MainWP Child activated on the other website.

Enter your other website’s information including the URL, Admin username, and a unique security ID if you decided to activate the feature on the MainWP Child plugin.

Click on the “Connect Site” button to establish the connection.

This should connect the website you are on with the website that has MainWP Child installed. If not, recheck the information you have entered.

Finish going through the setup wizard.

Using MainWP Dashboard

You should now be in the MainWP dashboard.

From here, you can update WordPress core files, themes, and plugins. On top of this, you can manage posts and pages, create backups and more. If you want to add more websites, click on the “New Site” button at the top.

Upon doing so, you will be able to enter the website’s information. Just remember it must have the MainWP Child plugin installed.

You will see all of the available updates your websites have available on the overview page. You can also find this information in the Updates settings. Simply click on the “Update Everything” button to update, well, everything. There are specific update buttons underneath if necessary.

On the right of the Overview page, you will see a page and post section. Here, you can manage all of your posts and pages. This includes edits and adding new ones. Again, you can find this information in their respective settings.

On the left-hand side, you can find all of the individual settings areas. These include sites, pages, posts, themes, plugins, users and more. Simply click on the settings that you need to change.

Congratulations, you have successfully set up the MainWP dashboard.

Don’t Underestimate It

One of the biggest issues beginners face is that they underestimate how much work goes into managing multiple websites. They assume that since they can handle one, they can handle more.

This can oftentimes end in failure. If you run multiple websites, use tools to make your life easier and improve your workflow.

How many websites do you run? What other tools do you use to manage multiple WordPress sites?

The post How to Manage Multiple WordPress Sites from One Dashboard appeared first on GreenGeeks.

These networks are incredibly useful when you have to manage several sites from a single location. As a super administrator, you can govern over all of the sites with ease.

In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to set up that WordPress multisite network.

NOTE: GreenGeeks does not recommend using Multisite with multiple domains as Multisite is designed for subdomain environments. For multiple domains, create multiple independent WordPress installations.

Why Would You Use a Multisite Network?

Many people enjoy creating new blogs and websites with WordPress. The multisite function allows you to control all of those instances from a single point. This can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes you to manage each one.

This is especially true since you can install plugins and themes across the whole network.

Because you can set WordPress to allow registered users to make their own websites, some people build blogging communities. From a single domain, you and your users can create a collection of sites.

An example of this is how the WordPress.com site operates. Users can register for a free website, which is placed into its own subdomain at WordPress.com

Even large corporations can find value in using a multisite network. For instance, each department can have its own portal for everything from news to team production and workflow.

How to Setup A Multisite Network

First, you need to decide how you will structure the network. You can either choose to put new installations of WordPress as subdomains or as separate subdirectories. For instance, the site URLs will look like this:

• Subdomains: https://new_site.your_domain.com
• Subdirectories: https://your_domain.com/new_site

Since creating a subdomain, is very simple, I will go with that approach, but a subdirectory is just as viable.

Step 1: Create A Subdomain

If you choose to use subdomains, you will need to set up “Wildcards.” This is essentially a placeholder for when a new site is created. To do this:

Log into your cPanel, locate the Domains section, and click on the Subdomains option.

Creating a subdomain takes less than a minute. Simply fill out the following pieces of information and click on the “Create” button.

In the subdomains textbox, place a “*” as the subdomain name. This will create a “wildcard” that is necessary to build a multisite.

Using the drop-down box, select the domain you are using. If you only have one site, it may be the only one on the list, thus, it is already selected.

Click the “Create” button.

Step 2: Turn On The Multisite Feature in WordPress

You have to do this in the wp-config.php file for your main WordPress account.

Before you continue, it’s advisable to backup your WordPress website. In the event something goes wrong, you want to be able to recover your files. Luckily, you are just adding a simple line of code, so it’s very unlikely anything will go wrong.

Deactivate all of the plugins you are currently using on your primary WordPress site.

Go into the File Manager, and locate the wp-config file.

right-click the file and choose the “Edit” option. Within the file, scroll down to the bottom to find the following line:
/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */

Underneath it, add the following lines of code:

/* Multisite */

define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );

And finally, save the file.

Step 3: Set up the Network for Your Multisite

After you alter the configuration file, reload your WordPress site.

Click on Tools and select the Network Setup option.

Note: If you did not do so already, you must deactivate all plugins.

Enter a title for your network while ensuring the Network Admin Email is the one you’ll use. Once that is taken care of click the “Install” button.

The next screen will provide two more edits you will have to make on your website. The first step is to edit your wp-config file, like in the previous step, and all of the code is provided to you.

The second step is identical, but instead, you will be editing the htaccess file. Once again, the code is provided, simply follow the directions on-screen and save the changes you make to each file.

Note: Some users may have trouble finding their htaccess file. Luckily, there is an easy fix that we have covered in a past tutorial.

Once the changes have been made, reload your website and you will be asked to log in again. It will ask you to verify that the admin email is correct.

Step 4: Configuring the Settings of the Multisite Network

Once the above has been completed, you’ll see a new option on the top left of your WordPress dashboard called, “My Sites.”

This gives you access to the multisite dashboard, users, themes, plugins, and sites. Click on the dashboard of multisite.

Note: If you want to access a specific site you must access it by selecting that website.

Now if you click on the Settings option, you can:

• Change how new sites are created
• Limit email registrations to prevent duplication
• Ban specific domains from registering and creating sites
• Modify the welcome messages for new sites
• Change maximum upload types and sizes
• Allow site admins to activate or deactivate plugins while denying them the ability to install new ones

Essentially, you are in full control of all of the sites for this domain.

Step 5: Adding Sites

Once you have the super admin settings done, it’s time to start adding additional sites, themes, and plugins.

From Network Admin, you can add sites, themes, and plugins to all of your new WordPress areas without logging into each one. This makes it easy to add the same plugins to each domain.

Click on Sites.

Click the “Add New” button on the top left.

Enter the Site Address (URL), Site Title, Site Language, Admin Email, and click on the “Add Site” button.

Note: The Admin email if that website’s email. It is not your super admin account’s email.

Step 6: Adding Themes and Plugins

Adding themes and plugins works much the same way as a regular website. From the Network Admin screen, you can click on Themes and Plugins to change each one respectively.

This allows you to do the following across the entire network:

• Enable or disable themes
• Activate and deactivate plugins
• Install new or delete themes and plugins

If you changed the admin setting noted above, administrators of individual websites will be able to activate and deactivate their own plugins and themes. Thus, make sure you alert them of any changes you are making, otherwise, they may undo your changes.

This allows them to have a sense of customization for each individual site and allows them to troubleshoot any errors they encounter.

FAQ

Can you have admins on the sites themselves other than the super administrator?

Each site on the network has its own features and admins just like any other WordPress installation.

Can you update plugins and themes from the super admin panel?

The super administrator of a multisite network is capable of updating all plugins and themes with a single download.

Will all of the sites be affected if the super admin password is hacked?

Because the super administrator has complete access to all sites in the network, a compromised password can put all sites at risk.

Do all plugins work in a multisite environment?

Unfortunately, some plugins do not play well with multisite features. You will have to test these to find out if you have some that don’t work with multisite turned on.

What Do You Need for a Multisite Network?

In reality, you can set up a multisite network on many kinds of hosting platforms. However, it’s advisable that you use dedicated server hosting or even VPS because all of the websites will share the server’s resources.

If you use a shared server plan, all of your sites as well as the websites of others will use those components. This may cause your sites to operate slowly.

You’ll also need access to your configuration file of WordPress and possibly domain attributes if you choose to use subdomains for the network. We’ll explain more about this later.

Multisite networks cannot be used on the WordPress.com platform.

NOTE: For more information regarding multisite setup on GreenGeeks’ servers, please contact support.

Customize Your Websites From One Location

Setting up a WordPress multisite has a great deal of potential for various platforms. From a school district giving each facility its own area of the web to someone who has a hobby of blogging about different topics, multisite functionality is very useful.

With just a few steps, you could explore the possibilities of what this can do for you personally or in a business dynamic.

What are some of your favorite features of WordPress? How would you use multisite abilities?

The post How To Install a WordPress Multisite Network and Why appeared first on GreenGeeks.

WordPress Calypso is an interface change that was first released at WordPress.com. It’s a platform that is geared more towards a WordPress javascript and the REST API. Currently, it’s not available as an update to the WordPress dashboard for individual sites. However, you can still use Calypso to access all of your sites from the single interface regardless of where they are installed. Essentially, it streamlines the productivity of using WordPress while giving you improved functionality.

What’s the Deal with Using Calypso, Anyway?

The Calypso interface for WordPress was designed to take advantage of the best technologies while streamlining the process of maintaining the website. It comes with several key features that can be incredibly beneficial, especially for those who maintain more than one WordPress domain. Here are just a few of what the upgrade has to offer:

1. Downloadable Application

WordPress.com offers a downloadable application that uses the Calypso interface directly onto your computer system. This is for Windows, Mac and Linux-based computers and gives you access to everything you need to manage your sites. This software is open source and free to use.

2. Multi-site Support

One of the biggest attractions for the Calypso interface is the ability to easily manage more than one WordPress website. It’s exceptionally easy to add domains and will connect with all sites that are included in your WordPress.com account.

3. Enhanced Speed

Another endearing feature of Calypso is the speed in which it operates. Using a WordPress javascript and the REST API, the system operates smoothly and offers a quick access to any webpage within WordPress.

4. Responsive Design

Calypso’s responsive design is engineered to offer an enhanced user experience while giving you access to all of your WordPress websites. It has been streamlined in much the same way for desktops by making the platform very user friendly. This can help you manage sites by making the tools you need easier to find.

5. The Reader

You can add the feeds from other WordPress creators by using the “Reader” available through Calypso. You can browse through the database of content posted by others and have the material brought to you from the same interface that you write content.

Practical Ways to Use Calypso to Your Advantage

First, you need a WordPress.com account in order to utilize Calypso. You’ll also need to activate the Jetpack plugin on any site you wish to fully control. This plugin comes complete with many modules that will enhance your experience, so it may be worth exploring Jetpack.

Once the registration is complete, you can add all of your WordPress websites to the Interface. This gives you a single point in which you can quickly switch from one to another in order to manage and maintain them. Using the app on your computer system can also be a quick and easy way to manage your site’s development.

The Downside of Using Calypso

Although the interface is clean and very easy to manage, there is a drawback to it: current plugins. Not all plugins you have installed will work the same on Calypso, even though you can manage them through this interface. For example, the “Post Thesaurus” and “Page Builder” plugins are not available in Calypso. Any additions you have to the content editing system in WordPress may not be accessible. In many cases, this is because of the difference in programming between HTML and javascript.

Although you don’t have direct access to many plugins through Calypso, the system does link back to your primary WordPress dashboard when you want to utilize some of them. For instance: you can’t access the “Acronix FAQ” plugin from Calypso, but it will send you to the WordPress dashboard of the site when you click on it.

How Will Calypso Affect You?

If you have no wish to change how you manage WordPress, you don’t have to use the Calypso interface. Currently, it’s not available as a standard update. Unless you operate a self-hosted website or use WordPress.com, you may never see the new interface in action. However, it’s there if you would like to explore the functionality of what it can do. It may be something that could influence how you manage your content.

Calypso isn’t a mandatory plugin or update. You don’t have to use it if you’re not comfortable learning something new. If you’re a PHP developer, you may reluctant to use the system since it utilizes javascript instead. Until it becomes a complete addition to the WordPress core, you don’t have to worry about learning something new. Depending on how the community reacts to the platform, it may be something you’ll never have to access.

How many WordPress sites do you manage that can be run completely from Calypso? Would you rather keep the WordPress interface you have now or try the new javascript adaptation?

The post What Is Calypso and Can It Help Manage Your WordPress Websites? appeared first on GreenGeeks.