How to Set Up a WordPress MultiSite in Bluehost

Dealing With MultiSite Installation Problem in Bluehost.

The reason I am writing this blogpost today despite the fact that I already changed web host company, from bluehost to another, is that I had problem and difficulties setting up a wordpress multisite in Bluehost. I know there is a lot of bloggers and wordpress admins who wanted to set up wordperss multisite in bluehost but for some reasons, FAILED. I was one of them but not anymore.

Last time I remembered, I kept on searching solutions online only to find out 95% of the tips from the so called “gurus” are not working. I chatted Bluehost support several times only to find out they can’t solve the problem themselves. They gave me guide which did not work.

Below are the steps on setting wordpress multisite on bluehost.

1. Open wp-config.php and paste the following code before /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */ :

/** Enable or disable Worpress Multi-site features **/
define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

2. Log into your wordpress site’s dashboard then go to Tools > Network. You have options either subdomain or subdirectory. In my case I opted subdomain.

3. You will be logged out automatically after that, so you have to sign back in then go to Network Setup. Take note of the codes provided.

Copy and paste the following code into your wp-config.php file just before /* That’s all, stop editing! Happing blogging. */

define( 'MULTISITE', true );
define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false );
$base = '/';
define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'www.yourdomain.com'; );
define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' );
define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );
define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );

Open your .htaccess file and replace everything with the code below:

#BEGIN WordPress

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# END WordPress

4. Now, we’ve come to the most critical point in setting up wordpress multisite in bluehost, creating a wildcard subdomain. If you search the net about creating it for a wordpress multisite almost every site will give you the same answer which is to create a *.domain.com subdomain which is right. However, the information is not that detailed. So, in this post, I will be making it more detailed.

Create a wildcard subdomain by going into your cpanel, subdomains then input “*”, just an asterisk, as your new subdomain.

Next will be the directory.  Automatically, bluehost will make it public_html/wildcard and that’s making your set up a failure. To make it right, delete the directory “wildcard” making it just public_html/

Wrong:

Right:

Please take note that wildcard subdomain and wp-config.php should be in one directory. So if you are setting up a multisite on an addon domain, the directory for the wildcard subdomain should be public_html/youraddondomain/ and not public_html/youraddondomain/wildcard.

Hope this article helps.