How to Add Additional Websites to WordPress Dashboard?

If you have more than one website, you will most likely have more than one WordPress dashboard. Now, it is no secret that WordPress is incredibly flexible and can be used for a variety of purposes, however, when it comes to building out a blogging platform, its versatile nature makes it highly suitable for almost any use case you can think of. One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is its sheer flexibility. This is a great trait when you need to be able to adapt the platform to fit your specific needs. However, while this extreme flexibility is a great attribute, it can also be challenging when you need to make changes to the core of the WordPress platform. For example, if you need to add additional websites to your dashboard, you will need to follow a certain set of procedures to ensure that you do so without causing any errors or glitches in the process. In this article, we will discuss exactly what you need to do to start adding additional websites to your WordPress dashboard.

Step #1 — Decide Which Type Of WordPress Dashboard to Start With

Before you even begin to add additional websites to your WordPress dashboard, you need to make sure that you are working with a version that is prepared to support additional sites. To do this, look at the version number of the WordPress software that you are using, and make sure that it is greater than or equal to the expected minimum requirements for hosting multiple sites. If not, then you should consider upgrading to a later version of WordPress before you begin to add additional sites to your dashboard.

Step #2 — Back Up Your Site(s)

As previously mentioned, WordPress is incredibly flexible, and this means that it is very easy to break things, especially if you are not careful. One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is that it is free to use, and this means that many people do not take the time to adequately maintain their installations. As a result, many WordPress users will neglect basic preventive measures such as regular backups. So, if you are starting a new WordPress installation, whether it be for personal or commercial use, you should make sure to back up your site regularly using either a dedicated backup service or the free WordPress backup plugin. Once you have successfully backed up your site, you are ready to move on to the next step.

Step #3 — Installing A Multi-site Dashboard

To begin the process of adding additional sites to your WordPress dashboard, you will need to visit the official WordPress website and login with your email address and password. Once you are logged in, you will see a screen that looks similar to the one below. At this point, you can click on the Get Started button to be taken to a page where you can choose your installation type. From here, you will see that there are two types of multi-site managers, the Classic option and the Extended option. Each of these has its perks and quirks, and you should choose the one that best suits your needs.

Step #4 — Choosing A Username And Password

Now that you have installed a Multi-site Dashboard for WordPress, you need to fill in the necessary details about your new site. For security reasons, WordPress does not allow users to use any usernames that contain inappropriate keywords or symbols, so it is important that you pick a username that does not violate this rule. As much as possible, you also want to avoid using passwords that are spelled out in full, as these are easy to guess and often allow for easy hackability. Instead, pick a password that is at least eight characters long and uses numbers, lowercase letters, and upper case letters in a mix to create something unique and difficult to guess. For example, my_first_password2 would be a perfect password to use for this purpose, as it is a unique and difficult to guess combination of letters and numbers. You should also take the time to change your password every month or so, as doing so makes it much more difficult for someone to brute force their way into your account and access your content.

Step #5 — Editing Your Site’s Overall Appearance

While most people do not edit the look of their WordPress sites directly, as this would require a decent amount of coding knowledge, they can still play a huge role in the success of their sites by making good use of plugins that generate unique and appealing designs for them. A few examples of this are the WooCommerce plugin, which offers a marketplace design that is totally free, and the Visual Composer plugin, which allows users to create fully-functional designs for their sites that are completely free. If you are looking for a simple and fast way to get a new look and feel for your WordPress site, then these two plugins alone could make a significant difference in terms of boosting your site’s overall appeal and usability.

Step #6 — Selecting A Hosting Service For Your Site

Another important decision that you need to make when setting up a WordPress site is that of the host that you will use to put the platform online. While there are free hosting services out there that you can use, these require you to abide by certain rules and restrictions that may be difficult or even impossible to follow. Instead, you should look for a hosting service that has sufficient resources available for you to run the site without any problems. Additionally, be sure to avoid any hosts that have a history of massive data breaches, as this will put you, your customers, and your content at significant risk. For instance, if you do not host your site on a dedicated server, and you get hacked, your website’s traffic could be at risk of being stolen.

Step #7 — Setting Up A Mail Forwarding Service

If you decide to use WordPress as your blogging platform, you will most likely need an email address that can receive messages on your behalf. You can either use your existing email address or you can pick one that you create specifically for this purpose. As much as possible, you want to avoid using your personal email address for this purpose, as it could put your personal life at risk of being hacked or even destroyed if the mailbox is not protected properly. Additionally, you do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak, as it could put your blog at risk of being closed down if the host finds out that you are using a single email address for multiple websites.

Step #8 — Activating Your Site

Once you have made all the necessary settings for your WordPress dashboard and installed all the necessary plugins, you are ready to activate the platform. To do this, simply visit your site’s dashboard by clicking on its logo in the top right corner of your browser’s address bar or by entering the URL of your site, followed by /wp-admin in the browser’s address bar. Once you are on the WordPress admin area of your site, you will see a screen that looks like this.

From here, you can click on the button that corresponds with the type of user you selected during the install process. If this is the WordPress admin area of your site, then you will see this standard WordPress login screen.

Step #9 — Logging In And Setting Up Your New Blog

Now that you are logged in to your WordPress dashboard, you are ready to start publishing content to your blog. To do this, click on the plus symbol in the upper right corner of the WordPress admin panel, as this will give you a list of all the available WordPress blogs (known as sites in the jargon of WordPress). Now, you should name this blog something that will remind you of why you are here, as this is the single most important thing that you need to keep in mind throughout the entire process of setting up this blog. For example, I have been called Mike, so my WordPress blog will be known as My Name Is Mike. Once you have picked a name for your blog, you can click on this name to be taken to the blog’s dashboard, where you can start publishing content immediately.

Using WordPress For More Than Just A Blog

While WordPress is an incredibly popular platform among bloggers, it has also seen a rise in non-blogging use cases. This is due mainly to the fact that WordPress is incredibly flexible and can be used for so many different purposes, so long as you customize it properly and use the correct plugins for those purposes. Additionally, WordPress is free to use, so even if you are not a professional coder, you will not need to spend any money to set up a WordPress website.