You've probably already heard a lot about WordPress Multisites. There is a lot of information and reviews of this feature circulating on the internet, which doesn't always make a correct and qualitative assessment easy. What can the WordPress multisite function actually do?

This article dispels rumors and prejudices, sheds light on the opportunities for ecological and economic sustainability, shows a practical example and explains for which entrepreneurs WordPress multisites are suitable.

What is a WordPress multisite and what features does it have?

At first glance, WordPress multisites have one major advantage: they allow you to manage multiple WordPress websites in just one installation. However, it is still worth thinking carefully about whether, when and how you want to use a WordPress multisite network.

Even though the multisite feature has been around since 2010, it still raises questions for many users and is often misunderstood. Here are the most important features of WordPress Multisite for companies, agencies and freelancers:

• There is only one WordPress installation for (theoretically unlimited) websites.
• One or more users can administer the network.
• The network can share content (e.g. images, videos).
• Pages in the network can be delimited via different domains, subdomains or domain directories.

WordPress Multisites: Opportunities for companies

There are advantages and disadvantages to using a WordPress Multisite network. You should therefore carefully consider whether this solution is right for you and your company. Used purposefully and skillfully, the multisite structure can be a successful tool for building extensive and high-reach websites based on WordPress.

Sometimes conditions or circumstances that seem like disadvantages at first glance can actually result in opportunities. Here are a few examples:

• Opportunity 1: Even if the effort involved in backing up the websites in a multisite network is higher, it should be borne in mind that backing up the entire network requires the same effort and the same technology as for a single site.
• Opportunity 2: Multisites require higher server performance, as the total traffic in the network is higher. However, this does not grow exponentially in certain use cases and therefore places no additional demands on server capacities.
• Opportunity 3: If a website is inadequately secured, there are higher security risks for the network. Conversely, however, a high level of protection for individual websites also makes the network more secure overall.
• Opportunity 4: The owners of the site do not have their own access to files or codes on the server. If there is no need for this access, this also creates an opportunity.
• Opportunity 5: The cost of moving to and from a network is higher. If this is taken into account when selecting a hosting partner, the decision sets an important course for a long-term online marketing strategy.
• Opportunity 6: Not all extensions (plugins) are compatible with a multisite network. However, if the necessary extensions have been tested, this will not be an obstacle.

As you can see, working with WordPress Multisites opens up new opportunities for you and your company. So can we also assume that they are ecologically and economically sustainable? To answer this, let's take a look at the exact definition of the two terms.

Difference between ecological and economic sustainability

Ecological sustainability:

If you look up the term ecological sustainability in the dictionary, it is explained that it describes the far-sighted and considerate use of natural resources. The characteristics of ecological sustainability relate primarily to the survival and health of ecosystems.

Climate change is probably one of the most relevant issues for our planet. The internet and the immense amount of energy required for data transmission are competing with a positive ecological footprint, see for example the article How "green" is WordPress.

In figures: Currently accounting for around 10 percent of global energy consumption, the internet is still ahead of air traffic. This consumption is expected to increase further over the next 10 years. Therefore, all website operators can be asked to make their contribution.

Economic sustainability:

Economic sustainability describes the maximization of economic yield while at the same time maintaining the required input resources. It demands that we choose our economic practices in such a way that they provide a lasting and viable basis for acquisition and prosperity.

The topic of business management is particularly exciting for sole traders and often determines their success, as limited working time and capital must be used in a targeted manner. If you want to delve deeper into this topic and are interested in the 5 prerequisites for the profitable operation of a company website, then see my article Website costs - How to turn your website into a profit center (in German).

Multisites: Use cases in online marketing

Up to now, WordPress multisites have largely been used by larger companies. They are suitable for the multilingualism of a website, as content can be displayed in the same structure but in different languages. Multisites are also suitable for internationalization, as one structure can still be used for country-specific content and languages.

The multisite feature is also popular for online stores or schools and universities whose specialist areas, locations or departments have their own pages on the network. But what are the requirements of smaller companies or sole traders? These place value on:

• High cost efficiency and low server load
• Consistent branding across all sites in the network
• Central user/customer administration
• low effort for the maintenance of several pages and 
• the efficient implementation of SEO requirements

The following use cases are suitable for companies that do not yet have a strong brand domain and want to establish its authority via their own network:

Use Case	Structure
1 - Market digital products Strengthen the authority of the main page by linking to microsites for online course offerings.	1 main page n Offer pages
2 - Offer content for different target groups Segment content for B2B prospects in a glossary, for B2C in a magazine or guidebook, for existing customers on a tutorial page.	1 main page n content pages
3 - Offer information material for local search queries Bundle local search terms with a low search volume from different regions and thus reach a broader group of buyers for an offer.	1 main page n local pages

Practical example: Optimized WordPress multisite network

At webGEFÄHRTE we are constantly looking for new online marketing opportunities for sole traders. It is a main site with B2C and several B2B sub-sites. In one project, we implemented a combination of use cases #1 and #2 and set up a new structure over a period of eight weeks:

• Main page: webGEFÄHRTE
• Subpage 1: Customer magazine (B2C)
• Subpage 2: SEO sharing system (product)
• Subpage 3: Online marketing chat (support)
• Subpage 4: Entrepreneur Podcast (B2B)

Our objective was to have the subpages reference the content of the main page (brand) and to distribute the functionalities of the main page to the subpages.

We wanted to improve our ranking in the search results and increase profitability by saving costs and time in operation. Our findings from the two months of operation so far:

• 34% faster loading time: Extensions (plugins) were only activated for relevant subpages (disclaimer: this is also the case for individual pages without a network). The multisite is always operated on high-performance infrastructure.
• 36% lower fixed costs: Fixed costs for hosting for a network of 5 sites compared to corresponding individual sites.
• 45% lower maintenance costs: Savings through central management of the network are partially offset by additional measures to increase system security (e.g. PW change). 
• Faster Google rankings: Microsites with selected content of a niche(long tail keywords) develop relevance for search engines faster than a single site that includes the same content from all microsites (hypothesis: to be quantified in the project after 6 months).
• 50% higher user-friendliness: By logging on to one system for all subpages, centralizing documents, images and videos in a central media library, central storage of CI elements such as font, color and shapes, as well as centralized setting options in the Raidboxes dashboard.

Here is the comparison in the graphical overview:

Our assumptions for the use case were that the subpages would have different content, but would appear in a uniform corporate identity and thus contribute to one brand. They are managed as a group or moved as such if necessary - for example, if a change to another service provider is desired. SEO should be implemented as an integral part of a long-term online marketing strategy.

My conclusion on WordPress multisites

The multisite feature is suitable for entrepreneurs who have specific use cases and want to take SEO seriously and profitably. With a WordPress multisite, you can take advantage of SEO-optimized landing pages. There is an opportunity to improve rankings in search results faster through networked microsites without the effort required for operation increasing linearly and hosting costs rising exponentially.

After considering and analyzing important aspects in detail, it can be concluded that WordPress Multisite supports and challenges the economic and ecological thinking of entrepreneurs. Therefore, WordPress multisites are a promising solution for me and a profitable feature of WordPress.