You can host three WordPress sites as site1.example.com, site2.example.com and site3.example.com on one server. The critical decision is whether to run one domain-based Multisite network or three independent WordPress installations. Multisite centralizes updates and administration in one codebase and database; separate installations keep each site’s database, configuration and release schedule isolated.
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A safe migration copies both files and databases, routes every hostname at DNS and the web server, handles serialized URLs correctly, provisions HTTPS for every subdomain, and tests all three sites before the DNS cutover. The sequence below is designed to preserve content and provide a rollback path.
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Choose the hosting architecture first
“One server” describes the physical or virtual host, not how WordPress must be installed. Decide the operating model before copying data because the destination database layout, document roots, update process and rollback plan differ.
Domain-based WordPress Multisite
A domain-based network uses one WordPress codebase and one database to serve different hostnames. Each site is a network site, while the network administrator controls shared settings and updates. WordPress describes this arrangement as mapping different domain names to the same installation directory.
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- Choose it when the three sites have coordinated ownership, common maintenance windows and a team comfortable administering a network.
- Expect centralized plugin, theme and core management. Network policy can make changes consistent, but a faulty update or incompatible plugin can affect more than one site.
- Plan for network-specific URL and database tables during migration. A domain move requires reviewing network and per-site options rather than changing one value in one configuration file.
Three separate WordPress installations
With separate installs, each site has its own directory, database, database credentials and wp-config.php. The server still hosts them together, but the applications remain operationally independent.
- Choose this model when database isolation, independent plugin and theme policies, separate upgrade schedules or a smaller failure blast radius matter more than centralized administration.
- Back up and restore each site independently. One site’s database or plugin failure is less likely to expose or alter another site’s content.
- Budget for repeated maintenance: core updates, plugins, themes, monitoring and scheduled tasks must be managed for all three installations.
Decision matrix
| Decision area | Domain-based Multisite | Three separate installations |
|---|---|---|
| Administration model | Central network administration from one WordPress codebase | Each site has its own administration and configuration |
| Database isolation | One database with network and per-site tables | Separate database for each site |
| Plugin and theme independence | Shared codebase and network-level controls | Each site can use its own versions and activation policy |
| Failure blast radius | A codebase, database or network error can affect multiple sites | Failures are generally confined to the affected installation |
| Backup and restore granularity | Network-level work is more interconnected; individual-site restoration needs care | Each site’s files and database can be restored as a unit |
| Domain mapping complexity | Requires network domain settings plus DNS and server hostname routing | Requires one hostname, document root and URL configuration per site |
| Staffing skill required | Comfort with Multisite tables, network settings and shared updates | Comfort maintaining three conventional WordPress installations |
Use Multisite for coordinated sites with shared governance. Use separate installations when isolation or independent release schedules outweigh the convenience of one dashboard. Do not begin a file transfer until this choice is documented and approved by whoever owns updates, backups and incident response.
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A migration fails most often because an unrecorded dependency is discovered after DNS has moved. Build a site-by-site inventory and decide when content editing will stop.
Record before touching production
- Current domain and every path or subdomain in use.
- PHP and database versions, hosting-level extensions and the intended versions on the destination.
- Active and inactive plugins, themes, custom code, must-use plugins and licensing requirements.
- The size of
wp-content/uploads, other media directories and any files generated outside the normal WordPress tree. - Scheduled tasks, server cron entries, background jobs, importers and integrations that send or receive data.
- Contact forms, transactional email settings, analytics, redirects, canonical settings, XML sitemaps and robots rules.
- Administrator accounts, service accounts and ownership of DNS, certificates and databases.
- Any hard-coded domain, path or email address in theme files, plugins, widgets, menus and custom scripts.
Freeze content for a consistent final export
Announce a maintenance window or a content freeze. During the freeze, stop publishing, editing orders or submissions and changing settings that affect the database. If a full freeze is impossible, record the exact time of the last export and plan a final synchronization immediately before DNS changes. A database export made while writes are still occurring can leave media, posts or metadata out of sync.
Make backups you can actually restore
WordPress migration guidance starts by backing up the WordPress directory, images, plugins and other files as well as the database. Treat that as a minimum, not an optional precaution.
Capture a complete, untouched copy
- Export each source database, including all tables and the character-set information needed by that database.
- Copy the complete WordPress files, with special attention to
wp-content/uploads, plugins, themes, custom drop-ins and the currentwp-config.php. - Save server-level cron definitions, redirect rules, certificate details and any web-server configuration required to route the old sites.
- Keep one untouched archive outside the destination server. Do not overwrite it with a transformed or search-and-replaced copy.
- Open and inspect every archive, and verify that database dumps can be read, before changing DNS.
Define the rollback point
Write down the timestamp of the last verified backup, the current DNS values, the old server’s access method and the person authorized to reverse the cutover. Keep the old sites available until all three new sites have completed a full business cycle, including forms, scheduled jobs and ordinary publishing. A rollback plan that depends on an untested archive is not a rollback plan.
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Build the destination server
Prepare the destination while the original sites remain online. Install the required PHP and database stack, create the web-server routes and restrict access to staging hostnames or a temporary hosts-file override until testing is complete.
Destination for Multisite
- Install WordPress in the directory that will serve the network.
- Enable Multisite and select the subdomain option during network setup.
- Apply the generated network settings to
wp-config.phpand install the rewrite rules supplied for the chosen web server. - Confirm that the server supports those rewrites. Apache normally uses
.htaccess; Nginx needs equivalent rules in its server blocks. - Create the three network sites and assign their intended hostnames. Do not assume that creating a site in WordPress creates DNS or a web-server route.
Destination for separate installations
- Create three document roots, one for each hostname, with permissions that allow WordPress to read its files and write only where required.
- Create three databases and three sets of database credentials. Avoid reusing a database user with unnecessary access to the other sites.
- Install or copy WordPress into each document root and retain a distinct
wp-config.phpfor each site. - Configure the web server so each hostname reaches only its assigned document root. A request for one subdomain must never fall through to another site’s files.
- Restore the corresponding files and database into each installation, then review its URL and path settings before opening it to the public.
Point DNS and hostnames at the right installation
Create DNS records for all three subdomains, such as site1.example.com, site2.example.com and site3.example.com, pointing to the destination server. Lower the DNS TTL ahead of the cutover when practical so cached records expire sooner.
Explicit records versus a wildcard
Explicit records limit exposure to the names you intend to serve and make an accidental hostname easier to spot. A wildcard record such as *.example.com can cover additional sites and is commonly useful for a subdomain-based Multisite, but it also sends every matching name to the server. Use it only when the web server and WordPress network are prepared to handle unknown hostnames safely.
DNS is only half of hostname routing
DNS tells a browser which server to contact. The web server must still match the Host header and route that request to the Multisite directory or the correct independent document root. WordPress’s network guidance requires both DNS mapping and server mapping to the installation directory. Test each hostname directly; a successful DNS lookup does not prove that the right site is being served.
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Transfer the files and content
The transfer method depends on whether you are importing separate sites into a new network or moving an existing installation.
Import three separate sites into a new Multisite network
- For each source site, export content with WordPress eXtended RSS (WXR).
- Create the destination network site before importing that site’s WXR file.
- Import the WXR into the matching destination site and map authors to existing network users or create the required users.
- Copy or install the themes and plugins the imported content needs. Network activation and per-site activation are separate decisions.
- Review media references, menus, widgets, customizer settings and plugin-specific configuration. WXR moves content, but not every setting or piece of server-side code.
- Increase PHP upload limits if the WXR file or media exceeds the current limits, then retry the import rather than splitting files blindly.
Check the import report for skipped attachments, unmapped authors and failed terms. Open representative posts from each site and verify that images resolve to the intended subdomain.
Move an existing Multisite network at database level
- Import the backed-up database and copy the complete WordPress files to the destination directory.
- Update the network’s database connection and filesystem settings in
wp-config.phpas required by the new server. - Review the
wp_blogsandwp_sitetables for the network’s domains and paths. - Review every
wp_x_optionstable, wherexis the site identifier, for thehome,siteurlandfileupload_urlvalues. - Check network settings, mapped domains, upload paths and any hard-coded references in themes or plugins before allowing public traffic.
Table prefixes can differ from wp_; use the prefix defined by that installation. The important point is to inspect the network table and every per-site options table, not to edit only the main site’s URL.
Move three independent installations
Restore each database into its own destination database and copy that site’s complete files into its document root. Keep the three wp-config.php files separate, then verify that each one names the intended database, user and table prefix. Restore uploads, plugins and themes before testing posts that depend on them. Do not place all three databases under one shared credential unless your security policy explicitly accepts that loss of isolation.
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Changing a domain or path affects database options, links in post content, serialized plugin settings, media references, redirects, canonical tags and sometimes JavaScript configuration. A plain text replacement across a SQL dump can corrupt serialized values because the stored string length no longer matches the replacement.
Update the right URL layers
- For Multisite, update the network and site URL values, including the records in
wp_blogs,wp_siteand each site’s options table where applicable. - For separate installs, update the corresponding site’s
homeandsiteurlvalues and any path-specific settings. - Search post content, menus, widgets, plugin settings and uploaded-file metadata for the old hostname.
- Use a serialized-data-safe search-and-replace method. Validate the result on a copy before applying it to the final database.
- Preserve intentional external links and distinguish the old public domain from an unrelated string that happens to contain the same text.
Keep emergency URL overrides temporary
WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL definitions can help recover access when database URLs are temporarily wrong. Treat them as a recovery measure: remove them after the database is corrected so normal dashboard URL editing works again. Leaving overrides in place can make later troubleshooting confusing because the values displayed in the database and the values WordPress uses are different.
Issue HTTPS certificates for every hostname
Provision TLS for the primary domain and all three subdomains, or use a suitable wildcard certificate. Domain mapping requires SSL on the primary domain and SNI support for other mapped domains so one server can present the correct certificate for each hostname.
- Install the certificates and private keys on the destination web server.
- Confirm that each subdomain presents the certificate whose names include that hostname.
- Test administrator login, cookies, media URLs, REST and API requests, forms and password resets over HTTPS.
- Resolve mixed-content references in themes, plugins, stylesheets and stored content.
- Only after HTTPS works on every site, redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS and update canonical URLs and sitemap addresses.
Test all three sites before DNS cutover
Use a temporary hosts-file override or staging DNS to send your computer to the new server while public DNS still points to the old one. Test each hostname separately and record pass or fail results.
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Content and presentation checks
- Front page, representative posts and pages, categories, tags and pagination.
- Original-size images, thumbnails, downloadable files and any protected media.
- Menus, widgets, search, comments and theme-specific templates.
- Canonical URLs, XML sitemaps, robots.txt and redirects from old paths.
Application and operations checks
- Administrator login and logout, password reset, role permissions and user mapping.
- Contact forms, email delivery, analytics and third-party callbacks.
- Scheduled publishing, cron jobs, backups, imports and other background tasks.
- REST and API endpoints, webhooks and integrations that identify the site by hostname.
- Cache behavior, invalidation and logged-in versus logged-out responses.
Isolation and security checks
- Request each subdomain and confirm it serves only its own content.
- Try a nonexistent hostname and verify that it does not expose a site’s files or database.
- Confirm file permissions, upload behavior and denial of directory listings where they are not intended.
- Check that a plugin or theme error on one site does not reveal configuration or content from another.
Perform the cutover
- Take a final backup of all three databases and any files changed since the initial copy.
- Place the old sites in maintenance or read-only mode so the final database state is stable.
- Perform the final database synchronization and copy newly uploaded media.
- Run the final serialized-data-safe URL replacement and recheck the network or per-site URL fields.
- Confirm certificates, web-server routes, rewrite rules and scheduled tasks one more time.
- Change DNS records to the destination server. If using a wildcard, verify that explicit records and the server’s default host behave as intended.
- Check each site from an external network, not only from a machine using the hosts-file override.
Keep the old server online and untouched until the new sites pass normal publishing, form delivery, backup and scheduled-job checks. Do not delete the old database merely because the home page loads.
Monitor after the move
For the first days after cutover, watch web-server errors, PHP logs, uptime, redirects, search-console coverage, certificate warnings and form delivery. Compare traffic and error patterns with the old sites. A successful front-page request does not reveal a broken image path, failed cron job or blocked API callback.
- Investigate spikes in 404 responses for old paths and add deliberate redirects rather than redirecting every unknown URL to the home page.
- Look for database connection errors, memory limits and plugin fatal errors separately for each site.
- Confirm that cache keys include the hostname so one subdomain cannot receive another’s cached page.
- Recheck backups from the new server and perform a test restore before retiring the old environment.
- Retain the old server and verified archives until the three sites have completed a complete business cycle.
Troubleshooting common migration failures
A subdomain shows the wrong site
Check the DNS answer, the web-server hostname match and the document root. In Multisite, verify that the hostname is assigned to the intended network site. In a separate-install design, check for a default server block that catches unmatched requests.
The dashboard redirects to the old domain
Inspect the relevant home and siteurl values, then check Multisite network tables and per-site options if applicable. Remove stale emergency URL constants only after the database values are correct. Clear application and page caches after the URL change.
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Confirm that wp-content/uploads was copied completely, the upload path matches the new site, and the database replacement updated old hostnames without damaging serialized settings. A WXR import may also require reimporting attachments that were skipped.
The WXR import stops or omits content
Check PHP upload and execution limits, available disk space and the importer report. Increase the upload limit when appropriate, retry the affected export and manually map authors or review settings that WXR does not transfer automatically.
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HTTPS causes login or API failures
Verify certificate names and SNI for every hostname, then inspect mixed-content requests, cookie scope, redirects and REST URLs. Test each subdomain independently rather than assuming that a valid certificate on the primary domain covers the others.
One site’s outage affects another
In Multisite, shared code and database dependencies can create this blast radius; inspect the network plugin, theme or database change that preceded the outage. In separate installs, check for accidental shared document roots, database credentials, cache configuration or server-level rewrite rules.
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Document which person or team owns network administration, DNS, certificates, backups and emergency rollback. For Multisite, define who can network-activate plugins and schedule updates across all sites. For separate installations, maintain a calendar for three independent update and restore cycles.
Keep an inventory of hostnames, database names, document roots, cron jobs and certificate renewal methods. Rehearse a restore for one site and, if using Multisite, document how an individual network site would be recovered without overwriting its neighbors. Review logs and backups regularly rather than waiting for the next domain change.
The practical decision
Both architectures can place three WordPress sites on one server and expose them as subdomains. Multisite is the better fit when common governance and centralized updates are the priority. Three separate installations are the safer default when each site needs stronger isolation, independent plugins or independent release timing. Whichever design you select, the migration is complete only when files, databases, DNS, server routing, URL data, HTTPS, forms, scheduled jobs and rollback backups have all been verified.
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