A WordPress Multisite is a single installation of the WordPress platform that allows you to host multiple websites, each with its domain name, from a single dashboard. Each website in a Multisite network is a separate “site” that shares the same database and server resources while having its custom themes, plugins, and settings. Multisite is helpful for organizations that need to manage multiple websites or for web developers who want to host multiple client sites under a single installation of WordPress.
Introduction to Multisite
WordPress Multisite is a feature of the WordPress platform that allows users to create and manage multiple websites from a single installation. This feature enables administrators to manage all their websites from one central location, reducing the need for multiple separate installations. With Multisite, you can create different sites for different purposes or audiences, and each site can have its custom themes, plugins, and settings.
Additionally, Multisite allows users to share resources, such as plugins and themes, across all the sites within the network. This makes it a valuable solution for web developers who work with multiple clients or organizations that need to manage multiple websites. The WordPress Multisite feature is available on the WordPress platform. It is typically used by large organizations and web developers who require a more robust and centralized solution for managing multiple websites.
Why Use a WordPress Multisite Network?
There are several reasons why you might want to use a WordPress Multisite network:
Centralized Management
With a WordPress Multisite network, you can manage all your sites from one central dashboard, reducing the administrative overhead of managing multiple sites. This makes it easier to track all your sites, update themes and plugins, manage user accounts, and more.
Cost-Effective
Instead of having separate installations for each website, a Multisite network allows you to host multiple sites from a single installation. This can reduce hosting costs and the time and resources required to manage and maintain multiple sites.
Customizable
Each site in a Multisite network can have its custom themes, plugins, and settings, allowing you to tailor the experience for each site and its audience. This allows for a more personalized experience for each site and helps you to target specific audiences better.
Resource Sharing
Resources such as themes, plugins, and users can be shared across all sites in the network, making it easier to manage and maintain the sites. This can save time and resources and provide a more consistent user experience across your network.
Improved User Management
Multisite allows you to manage user accounts and permissions for all your sites in one place, making it easier to control access to different sites and manage user roles and permissions. This can save time and resources and improve the overall security of your network.
Ease of Deployment
With Multisite, you can set up new sites quickly and easily without needing separate installations. This makes adding new sites to your network more manageable and reduces the time and resources required.
Scalability
Multisite is scalable and can accommodate the growth of your network as you add new sites. This makes it an ideal solution for organizations and businesses looking to expand their online presence over time.
A WordPress Multisite network offers a cost-effective, scalable, and customizable solution for managing multiple websites. Centralizing management, sharing resources, and improving user management can help organizations and businesses streamline their online presence and reduce administrative overhead.
How to Install Tag Manager in WordPress Multisite Install
A. Sign up for a Google Tag Manager account.
Signing up for a Google Tag Manager (GTM) account is the first step in integrating GTM into your WordPress multisite installation. This step is explained in greater detail below:
- Make a Google account.
You’ll need to create a Google account if you don’t already have one. To do so, go to the Google sign-up page (accounts.google.com) and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Go to Google Tag Manager’s website.
Once you’ve created a Google account, go to the GTM website (tagmanager.google.com) and sign in with your Google credentials.
- Register for GTM
To begin sign-up, go to the GTM homepage and click the “Sign Up For Free” button.
- Enter your website’s information here.
You will be asked to provide information about your website, such as the name and URL.
- Accept the GTM service terms.
You must accept the terms of service before you can use GTM. Read the terms of service carefully, and then click the “Create Account” button if you agree.
- Create a container
After accepting the terms of service, you’ll be directed to the GTM dashboard. You’ll need to make a new container for your website here. A container stores all of your tracking tags, triggers, and variables.
- Get the GTM code.
You’ll need to obtain the GTM code after you’ve created your container. GTM will be integrated into your website using this code. Click the “Install Google Tag Manager” button and follow the on-screen instructions to obtain the GTM code.
This is how you sign up for a Google Tag Manager account and get the GTM code. The GTM code will integrate GTM into your WordPress multisite installation in the following steps.
B. Visit the Google Tag Manager website.
After registering for Google Tag Manager (GTM), you must create a new container and obtain the GTM code. This step is explained in greater detail below:
- Go to the GTM dashboard.
- After you sign up for GTM, you will be directed to the GTM dashboard. Your containers, tags, triggers, and variables will be managed here.
- Make a new container.
- Click the “Create Account” button in the GTM dashboard to create a new container for your website. You will be asked to provide information about your website, such as the name and URL.
- Select a container type.
- GTM provides two container types: web and AMP. Choose the container that is best suited to your website.
- Set up the container settings.
- After selecting a container type, you must configure the container settings. This includes configuring any workspaces, folders, or version control systems you intend to use.
- Get the GTM code.
- You’ll need to obtain the GTM code after you’ve created your container and configured the settings. Go to the GTM dashboard, click the “Install Google Tag Manager” button, and follow the instructions on-screen. The GTM code is used to incorporate GTM into your website.
- Keep the GTM code safe.
- After you’ve obtained the GTM code, keep it somewhere safe. In a later step, you’ll need to enter the GTM code into your WordPress multisite installation.
This is the procedure for creating a new container and obtaining the GTM code in Google Tag Manager. The GTM code will integrate GTM into your WordPress multisite installation in the following steps.
C. Install the Google Tag Manager for the WordPress plugin.
Install the Google Tag Manager for WordPress plugin to integrate Google Tag Manager (GTM) into your WordPress multisite installation. This step is explained in greater detail below:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Log in as an administrator to your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to the Plugins section.
Navigate to the Plugins section by selecting “Plugins” from the left-hand menu.
- Choose “Add New”
In the Plugins section, click the “Add New” button.
- Search for the Google Tag Manager for the WordPress plugin.
In the “Add Plugins” page, type “Google Tag Manager for WordPress” into the search bar.
- Install the plugin
Once you’ve located the Google Tag Manager for the WordPress plugin, click the “Install Now” button to begin the installation process.
- Activate the plugin
After installing the plugin, click the “Activate” button to activate it.
- Configure the plugin settings.
After you’ve activated the plugin, you can access the plugin settings from the WordPress dashboard. Enter the GTM code you obtained in the previous step in the plugin settings.
This is how the Google Tag Manager for WordPress plugin is installed. The plugin will integrate GTM into your WordPress multisite installation and allow you to manage your tracking tags, triggers, and variables within the WordPress dashboard.
D. Activate the plugin for the entire network.
Follow these steps to activate the Google Tag Manager for WordPress plugin for your entire network in a WordPress multisite installation:
- Log in to the network admin area.
Log in to the network administration area of your WordPress multisite installation.
- Navigate to the Plugins section.
Navigate to the Plugins section by selecting “Plugins” from the left-hand menu.
- Locate the Google Tag Manager for the WordPress plugin.
In the Plugins section, in the list of installed plugins, look for the Google Tag Manager for the WordPress plugin.
- Activate the network plugin.
To activate the plugin for the entire network, click the plugin’s “Network Activate” link.
- Confirm the activation
A message will confirm that the plugin has been activated for the network.
In a WordPress multisite installation, this is the procedure for activating the Google Tag Manager for WordPress plugin for your entire network. By activating the network plugin, all sites in your network will have access to it and be able to manage their tracking tags, triggers, and variables using GTM.
E. Enter your GTM code in the plugin settings.
Follow these steps to enter your GTM code in the Google Tag Manager for WordPress plugin settings in a WordPress multisite installation:
- Log in to the network admin area.
Log in to the network administration area of your WordPress multisite installation.
- Navigate to the Plugins section.
Navigate to the plugin settings by selecting “Settings” from the left-hand menu, then “Google Tag Manager.”
- Enter your GTM code
Locate the field for entering your GTM code in the plugin settings. Enter the GTM code you obtained in a previous step.
- Save your changes.
To save your changes, click the “Save Changes” button after entering your GTM code.
This is the procedure for entering your GTM code in the Google Tag Manager for WordPress plugin settings in a WordPress multisite installation. You can use GTM to manage your tracking tags, triggers, and variables from within the WordPress dashboard by entering your GTM code.
F. Verify the GTM code on each site.
Follow these steps to validate the GTM code on each site in your WordPress multisite installation:
- Go to the dashboard for each site in your network.
Log in to the dashboard for each site in your network.
- Navigate to the plugin settings.
Navigate to the plugin settings by selecting “Settings” from the left-hand menu, then “Google Tag Manager.”
- Verify the GTM code
The GTM code entered in the network admin area should be in the plugin settings. Check the source code of your website or use the GTM preview mode to ensure that the code is installed correctly.
- Repeat for each site.
Repeat this process for each site in your network.
Add tags and triggers to your GTM container.
Follow these steps to add tags and triggers to your GTM container:
- Go to the dashboard for each site in your network.
Log in to the dashboard for each site in your network.
- Navigate to the plugin settings.
Navigate to the plugin settings by selecting “Settings” from the left-hand menu, then “Google Tag Manager.”
- Verify the GTM code
The GTM code entered in the network admin area should be in the plugin settings. Check the source code of your website or use the GTM preview mode to ensure that the code is installed correctly.
- Repeat for each site.
Repeat this process for each site in your network.
G. Add tags and triggers to your GTM container.
Follow these steps to add tags and triggers to your GTM container:
- Sign in to your Google Tag Manager account.
Sign in to your Google Tag Manager account (tagmanager.google.com).
- Open your container
Locate the container you created for your website in your GTM account and click on it to open it.
- Navigate to the “Tags” section.
Navigate to the “Tags” section by clicking the “Tags” option in the left-hand menu.
- Make a new tag.
In the top right corner of the page, click the “New” button to make a new tag. This launches the tag creation wizard.
- Configure the tag.
Choose whether to create a Google Analytics tag or a custom tag in the tag creation wizard. Set the tag type, enter the required information, and select the triggers that will activate the tag to configure it.
- Save and publish the tag.
Once it has been configured, click the “Save” button. You’ll also need to publish the container changes to make the tag live on your website.
- Repeat for each tag
Repeat this process for each tag you want to add to your GTM container.
You can add triggers to your GTM container in addition to tags. Triggers activate tags in response to specific conditions, such as when a user clicks a specific button or navigates to a specific page. To add a trigger, follow the same steps as for adding a tag, but instead of creating a new tag, select “Triggers” from the left-hand menu and create a new trigger.
You can begin tracking events and measuring your site’s performance with GTM by adding tags and triggers to your GTM container. This data can assist you in making informed decisions about your site and optimizing its performance over time.
H. Publish the container.
Follow these steps to publish your container:
- Sign in to your Google Tag Manager account.
Sign in to your Google Tag Manager account (tagmanager.google.com).
- Open your container
Locate the container you created for your website in your GTM account and click on it to open it.
Navigate to the “Publish” section by clicking the “Publish” option in the left-hand menu.
- Navigate to the “Publish” section.
Examine the changes you’ve made to your container, such as adding or modifying new tags.
- Publish the container.
When you’re finished, click the “Publish” button in the top right corner of the page. This will publish your changes to your website.
- Verify the changes on your website.
After you’ve published the container, check the source code of your website or use the GTM preview mode to verify the changes.
This is how you publish your container in GTM. By publishing the container, you will make live changes, track events, and measure your site’s performance with GTM. Reviewing your changes before publishing them and testing them on your website is critical to ensure everything works correctly.
Summary
Follow these steps to install Google Tag Manager in a WordPress multisite installation:
- Create a Google Tag Manager account.
- Make a new container and copy the GTM code.
- Install the Google Tag Manager plugin for WordPress.
- Turn the plugin on for the entire network.
- In the plugin settings, enter your GTM code.
- Check the GTM code on each website.
- Tags and triggers can be added to your GTM container.
- Make your container public.
Following these steps will allow you to integrate GTM into your WordPress multisite installation and begin tracking events and measuring your site’s performance. It is critical to validate the GTM code on each site and review and publish your container changes before going live.
