Kinsta WordPress Multisite Review (2021): Is It Worth It?

Managing multiple similar WordPress websites becomes more efficient by using the WordPress Multisite feature. This allows site owners to run as many sites as they like in a single network, managing all of them in just one WordPress instance. Kinsta supports multisite networks especially well, so below we cover how its services can make it the right choice for your WordPress Multisite needs.

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WordPress Multisite Benefits and Uses

WordPress Multisite lets you add multiple websites to a single WordPress installation. This means you can get around the inherent website limits on Kinsta’s Starter and Pro plans without spending extra. Adding this functionality to new and current sites is easy, requiring only a few simple steps, and it won’t change the main site at all.

You can have as many individual sites as you want added to the Multisite network, which works well for community sites, developers who build sites for clients, or simply for those who want an easier time handling their numerous sites. With only a single core WordPress site to oversee, there’s less code to develop and update, and fewer files to take up server space, too.

WordPress Multisite is commonly used in these scenarios:

• Running multiple personal sites with a single parent theme and similar plugins
• Building and hosting client websites, which become easier to backup and secure
• Creating separate sites for different departments of a business, saving time in managing them
• Hosting a network of sites for a community or organization, reducing overall hosting costs

There are further uses for a multisite WordPress network than those above. You can build a community of users and even monetize blogs, etc. The only challenge is managing the network itself, which Kinsta addresses in their hosting services.

Kinsta Multisite Management

Kinsta’s server configuration and hosting features make it ideal for WordPress Multisite networks. One of the biggest contributors to this is MyKinsta, its custom dashboard built specially for WordPress site management. It contains almost all of the developer-friendly tools and hosting settings that makes Multisite management a breeze. With everything controlled from one place, you can:

• One-click staging environments
• Label and rename sites for easy filtering and categories
• Manage redirects, PHP versions and phpMyAdmin
• One-click setup each site’s CDN
• Configure backups per site
• Install free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt
• Access all critical files in one location
• Use WordPress debugging tool

Setting up Multisite is easy on Kinsta with its Auto-installer. You can activate it at the same time as you install WordPress and you can choose whether to use a subdirectory or subdomain type of multisite just by ticking checkboxes. For existing sites, the manual process isn’t difficult either, though note that you can’t use subdirectories if the website is already older than a month.

Kinsta Multisite Performance

Kinsta’s infrastructure, which is built on the Google Cloud Platform, makes it highly capable of hosting large Multisite networks. They use compute-optimized C2 Google Cloud machines that deliver improved response times. Each network secures its resources with its own isolated container, and you can scale up as it grows. Kinsta has 24 data centers around the world, along with a global CDN, to ensure speedy loading times for all site visitors.

Kinsta uses a unique caching system, along with custom-compiled Linux packages and Nginx rulesets, to optimize Multisite performance and speed on their servers. There’s no need for external plugins, which can also lighten the impact on server loads. With a Multisite network, you’ll only need to install plugins and themes once, on the core WordPress install, but still be able to use them multiple times for child sites.

Security and Other Kinsta Features

With uptime monitoring every 2 minutes, you’ll receive notifications from Kinsta immediately if your Multisite goes down. This lets you, and the Kinsta team, take action quickly to ensure that service goes back up as soon as possible. DDoS detection, GeoIP blocking, software-based restrictions, and more are part of Kinsta’s core security features.

Kinsta implements Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) support, free SSL certificates, and encrypted SFTP and SSH connections (no FTP) as well. Malicious parties will also have to contend with Google’s own Cloud firewall. Still, in the event that malware gets through these layers, Kinsta includes a free hack-fix guarantee to restore Multisites to pristine condition.

Verdict

It should be clear that Kinsta makes a great choice for WordPress Multisite networks. Available starting on the Pro plan, Kinsta’s Multisite support is extensive, including both infrastructure advantages as well as platform optimizations. Creating a new WordPres Multisite network is possible right from the get-go, since you can select the option as you install WordPress. Converting existing sites is also easy, and managing subdomains and subdirectories become easier with the custom MyKinsta user portal.

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