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 you create a new site. To do this:

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

Here, you will see a full list of all of the subdomains tied to your domain name. If you have none, then the only thing present here should be your domain name. Click on the “Create A New Domain” button.

Even though it says Domain, we can use this area to create a subdomain. You will see a textbox where you can enter the name of your new domain. Since we are creating a wildcard, we need to enter the following:

*.YourDomainName.com

After entering this, you should notice that the directory name lists it as a wildcard.

Click on the “Submit” button to finish. You will see a small message telling you that it can take a moment to create the domain. The exact time depends on the web host, but in most cases, it should only take a minute to appear in the subdomain list.

Step 2: Turn On The Multisite Feature in WordPress

By default, the multisite functionality of WordPress is off. As such, you need to turn it on, which just involves add a single line of code.

However, before you continue, it’s advisable to create a backup of 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.

Also, be sure to 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. A small window will pop up asking if you are sure you want to edit it and remind you to create a backup. click on the “Edit” button to continue.

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

Now that you have turned on the functionality, you’ll need to go through a setup process, which just involves adding more code to certain files. Click on Tools and select the Network Setup option.

Note: If you do not see this option, you need to reload the website to make it appear. As these only appear after entering the previous line of code.

If for some reason you have already created a multisite network in the past, you will need to take a moment and delete the tables associated with it, otherwise, you cannot create a new one.

You will need to enter a Network Title and a Network Admin Email. Afterward, click the “Install” button. After a moment, the process is complete, you will see a lot of information appear in this section.

What is shown here will act as directions for you to complete.

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.

Step 4: Configuring the Settings of the Multisite Network

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

This is where you will find your network admin dashboard where you can install themes, plugins, or create users for the sites in your network. If you want to access a specific site, you must access it by selecting that website.

It is worth pointing out that mostly everything is identical to a regular WordPress site, but the difference is that it will impact all of the sites. Before we add sites, take a look at the Settings section.

You’ll find some simple settings that can help you configure the network before you add any sites. Some of the options include:

• User registration methods
• Giving admins the ability to create users on their respective sites
• Ban specific domains from registering and creating sites
• Limit the file upload limit
• Choose which file types a user can upload
• Choose the default language

There are more, but these are the major ones, be sure to go through all of the options and save the changes when you are done.

Step 5: Adding Sites

With all of the settings configured, you now need to add sites to the multinetwork.

Click on My Sites, then Network Admin, and finally select the Sites option.

Here you will see a full list of all of the sites in your network. The only one present should be the site you used to create a multinetwork with. To add a new one, click the “Add New” button.

This is a very simple section where you just need to enter in the relevant information. Enter the Site Address (URL), Site Title, Site Language, and the Admin Email (of that site), and click on the “Add Site” button.

You can repeat this step to add as many sites as you need. Again, it is recommended to use subdomains, as that is what the WordPress multisite functionality was intended for.

Step 6: Adding Themes and Plugins

If you remember from before, I asked you to disable all of your website’s plugins. That is because we are going to add site plugins through the multinetwork. This means that each plugin you install will be installed on each site.

This will save you a lot of time, and likewise, all of the updates will be carried out at the same time. The same is also true for themes.

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

Since your themes should be disabled, all you need to do is reenable them and every site will have the same ones. If you need a specific plugin on one site, then simply add that plugin ion that site and not through the multi-network.

Be sure to communicate any changes with the site administrators. If you gave them permission, they would be able to alter plugin settings on their respective site, thus undoing the work you may have done.

And with that you know the basics of setting up and managing a multisite network in WordPress.

WordPress Multisite Network FAQ

You may still have some lingering questions, so here are some of the most common questions:

Create a Multisite Network in WordPress Today

As you can see, setting up a multisite network in WordPress is not very difficult. Doing so can help you save a lot of time when it comes to managing all of your sites from a single location.

This is particularly helpful for installing, configuring, and updating plugins and themes. That said, some sites may need things to work differently, so you may still find yourself making individual configuration changes to specific sites.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful in setting up a multisite network for WordPress.

How much time did a multisite network save you? Did you find it difficult to make a multisite network in WordPress?

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.