Launching your first WordPress site feels like a huge accomplishment. But when it’s time to scale up — say, to 10 sites — you realize there’s a whole new set of challenges that require smart strategies and systems.
Building multiple niche sites isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter. Once you hit 10 sites, it’s not just about content or plugins anymore. It’s about systems, automation, and consistency. Here’s what I’ve learned about scaling to 10 sites — and how to make the process smooth, efficient, and sustainable.
1. Build a Standard Site Stack Early
When I launched my first few sites, I was always tweaking settings and switching plugins based on what seemed best at the time. But this created a lot of unnecessary work down the road.
Lesson learned: The key to scaling is consistency. I decided to create a “standard site stack” — the same theme, plugins, and settings for every site. By making it my go-to setup, I was able to clone sites quickly and keep everything streamlined.
2. Use Workflow Tools to Stay Organized
As the number of sites grew, I realized I needed a tool to manage them all in one place. Enter MainWP (or ManageWP). These tools allowed me to update plugins, back up sites, and monitor everything centrally.
This freed up a lot of time and ensured I wasn’t wasting energy on individual site management. Now, managing 10 sites feels no different from managing 1.
3. Automate Content Creation and Updates
For scaling to 10 sites, writing content manually just didn’t make sense. So, I turned to AI tools to help generate product reviews, blog posts, and location-specific content.
This saved me hours while still allowing me to maintain high-quality, unique content across my sites.
Programmatic SEO also played a huge role in helping me generate a large number of pages quickly and efficiently. With just a little effort upfront, I was able to automate a lot of the ongoing content creation and updates.
4. Plan Monetization Early
One mistake I made early on was focusing on content before thinking about monetization. I learned that integrating affiliate links, ad placements, and digital products from day one made it much easier to monetize quickly and scale efficiently.
I no longer waited until the sites were fully built to start adding revenue streams. By planning monetization alongside content, I ensured each site could start earning as soon as it launched.
The Takeaway: Systems Over Hustle
Building 10 sites is a rewarding experience, but it’s crucial to approach it with a mindset of efficiency rather than just working harder. By creating a consistent site stack, using automation tools, and planning monetization from the start, I was able to scale smoothly and efficiently.
If you’re thinking about scaling, remember: it’s not about building faster; it’s about building smarter and more strategically. Once you get your systems in place, scaling becomes a much more manageable — and even enjoyable — process.