Difficulty Managing Large Websites

Difficulty Managing Large Websites

Pain Point: Managing large websites with multiple pages and heavy traffic can become complex and time-consuming. Solution:

  • Use WordPress Multisite for easier management of multiple websites.
  • Consider using a content management plugin like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) for organizing content.
  • Implement a content review workflow with user role management.
  • Optimize your database by cleaning up unused tables with plugins like WP-Optimize.

How to Effectively Manage Large WordPress Websites

As your website grows, managing a large-scale WordPress site can become increasingly complex. Whether you’re dealing with dozens of pages, multiple contributors, or heavy traffic, keeping everything running smoothly while maintaining high performance requires strategic management. From organizing content to optimizing databases, handling a large website brings unique challenges, but with the right tools and strategies, you can streamline the process.
In this blog, we’ll explore the pain points of managing large WordPress websites and offer practical solutions to help you maintain control, improve performance, and optimize your workflows.

Pain Point: Managing Large Websites with Multiple Pages and Heavy Traffic

Large websites can present a host of challenges, including:

  • Content organization: Keeping track of multiple pages, posts, and media files can quickly become overwhelming.
  • Performance issues: The more traffic and content you have, the higher the demand on your server and database, which can lead to slow load times.
  • Content management: With multiple users and contributors, managing content approval, updates, and revisions can get complicated.
  • Database bloat: As your site grows, unused database tables, revisions, and outdated content can pile up, slowing down performance.

Thankfully, there are several tools and best practices available to help you manage large WordPress websites more efficiently..

  1. Use WordPress Multisite for Managing Multiple Websites

    If you’re managing multiple websites under a single WordPress installation, WordPress Multisite can simplify the process. With Multisite, you can control all your websites from a single dashboard, making it easier to manage updates, plugins, themes, and user roles across multiple sites.

    • What Is WordPress Multisite?
      WordPress Multisite allows you to create a network of websites, all managed from a single WordPress installation. This is especially useful for businesses, educational institutions, or blogs that need to manage separate websites but want to streamline administration.
    • Benefits of WordPress Multisite

      1. Centralized management: Update themes, plugins, and WordPress core across all sites in one go.
      2. User role control: Easily assign specific roles and permissions across multiple sites.
      3. Shared resources: Manage media files, content, and users across multiple websites with ease.
    • How to Set Up Multisite:

      1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to your wp-config.php file.
        Add the following code above the “/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */” line: php Copy code php Copy code
        define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);
      2. After saving the file, log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to “Tools” > “Network Setup” to configure your Multisite network.

    WordPress Multisite is a great solution for those managing multiple websites, offering a simplified and scalable approach.

  2. Use Content Management Plugins like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)

    For large websites with lots of content, it’s essential to stay organized. A plugin like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) can help you structure and manage your content more effectively by allowing you to create custom fields for your pages, posts, and other content types.

    • What Is ACF?
      ACF allows you to create custom fields for any content type, enabling you to add structured data like text, images, checkboxes, and more. These fields can be tailored to your specific needs, making content management easier and more intuitive.
    • Benefits of Using ACF:
      1. Better content organization: Custom fields allow you to structure content more efficiently, especially if you have large amounts of data on your website.
      2. Streamlined content entry: Custom fields simplify the process for content creators, providing a clear and consistent format for adding information.
      3. Increased flexibility: ACF can be used to customize page templates, create repeatable blocks of content, or manage custom post types.

    By using ACF or similar content management plugins, you can organize large amounts of content more effectively, saving time and reducing the potential for errors.

  3. Implement a Content Review Workflow with User Role Management

    For large websites with multiple contributors, having a clear content review workflow is critical. Using WordPress’s built-in user roles, you can assign different levels of access to team members based on their responsibilities.

    • User Roles in WordPress:
      1. Administrator: Full access to all settings and content.
      2. Editor: Can manage and publish posts by themselves or other users.
      3. Author: Can write and manage their own posts.
      4. Contributor: Can write and submit posts for review but cannot publish.
      5. Subscriber: Can only read content.
    • Workflow Tools:

      In addition to using default WordPress roles, you can streamline the content management process by implementing a review system using tools like:

      1. Edit Flow: A plugin that allows you to create a custom editorial workflow with status updates (e.g., “In Progress,” “Needs Review”), editorial comments, and editorial metadata.
      2. PublishPress: This plugin offers powerful editorial features, including content calendars, notifications, and multiple statuses to manage your team’s workflow.

    By assigning user roles and implementing a content review system, you ensure that only approved content is published, and all contributors know their specific responsibilities.

  4. Optimize Your Database with WP-Optimize

    As your website grows, your WordPress database can become bloated with unnecessary data, such as unused tables, post revisions, spam comments, and trashed items. A bloated database can slow down your website, leading to longer load times and degraded performance.

    • How to Optimize Your Database:
      1. Use a Plugin Like WP-Optimize: WP-Optimize is a popular plugin that helps you clean up your database, ensuring your website runs smoothly. It automatically removes unnecessary data, such as post revisions, spam comments, and unused tables.
      2. Delete Unused Themes and Plugins: Even inactive themes and plugins can take up space and slow down your database. Regularly audit your website for unused items and remove them.
      3. Regular Backups: Always back up your database before making any significant changes. Plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy are great for scheduling regular backups of your website and database.

    Optimizing your database regularly ensures that your site remains fast and responsive, even as it grows in size and traffic.

Conclusion

Managing a large WordPress website comes with its challenges, but by implementing the right tools and strategies, you can streamline the process. Using WordPress Multisite allows you to manage multiple websites efficiently, while plugins like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) help organize large amounts of content. Setting up a content review workflow with user role management ensures smooth collaboration among team members, and regularly optimizing your database with tools like WP-Optimize keeps your website performing at its best.
By following these best practices, you’ll be better equipped to handle the complexities of managing a large WordPress website, ensuring that it remains easy to manage, highly performant, and scalable as your needs grow.