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It is now one of the most popular and flexible content management systems (CMS) or content management software that helps millions of users create and manage their personal, business, or organization’s websites.
Another advantage to the platform is the opportunity to develop a multisite network, which enables the administration of several sites based on one WordPress.
But with subdomains, there often arises a problem of having to issue individual SSL/TLS certificates for all subdomains. This is where wildcard subdomains come in handy, as this option is quite reasonable and does not require much effort.
Here, we will explain the step-by-step procedure to enable WordPress Multisite subdomains wildcard on Plesk, a widely used hosting control panel.
To get to the configuration stage of WordPress Multisite with wildcard subdomains in Plesk, you must acquire a valid wildcard SSL certificate from a certified Certificate Authority.
Many reliable certificate authorities have wildcard certificates. Among them are Certera, Comodo DigiCert, and many others.
When buying the domain, you must input the principal domain name, that is, the live one (for instance, example.com), and prove your ownership of the specific domain or the site in question.
First, you should obtain the wildcard SSL certificate for your domain; after that, you should install it on the server that is using Plesk. Follow these steps:
Also Read: How to Install SSL Certificate on Plesk?
After installing the wildcard SSL certificate on Plesk, you must enable SSL for your WordPress Multisite network. Follow these steps:
The next step will involve configuring the WordPress Multisite network, where it will be necessary to enable wildcard subdomains. Follow these steps:
If you already had any subsites in the WordPress Multisite network initially, their URLs must be changed to correspond to the new general subdomain format. Follow these steps:
Finally, it would be essential to ensure that configuration work properly; doing this entails the following:
Access one or more of your subdomains with an https connection and make sure the browser understands that the identified certificate is valid and does not show a broken padlock symbol that would indicate that the connection is not secure.
You may also use other online utilities, such as SSL Checker or SSL Labs, to assess various parameters of your SSL TLS settings.
These tools will help you to assess how strong or weak your encryption is, whether or not you have some gaps that need to be closed, or you’re looking good to go.
This setup streamlines administration, enhances flexibility, and allows for seamless growth of your online presence. By following this guide, you’ve established a robust foundation for your WordPress network.