Is Multisite the RIGHT option for my case?

Question

Im starting the biggest project I ever made, a online business directory in a certain niche.

Firstly, I thought to make two wordpress installs sharing the same database and specially the users table. Like website/blog.

I.e. niche-directory in the main domain and in a subdirectory a blog.

I want to blog about that niche while Im developing the main website.

Besides that, I plan for the future add others small websites in specific topics related to this same niche. And these websites has to share the same users table.

What is important to me is sharing of the users table, so if a user subscribe in one site he/she has automatic login on the others.

But these different websites, even been from the same niche, doesnt share content between each other.

Is Multisite for this case? I want hear suggestions.

Thanks!!!

Answer 1

There is really no answer given the limited facts in the question. Are you requiring that users login to see pages/data? If not I don't see why you would care to share user tables. There will be some things that multisite will handle better but there will be some things (handling certain plugins) that multisite will make you pull your hair out.

If I had two sites on the same domain for totally different purposes (functional vs. blog) I would have two separate installs of WP. Just because I have gone through the one off issues of multisite and the time it saves is not worth the time you will put in for one more small site.

Also if I had a functional site and a blog that would just be one wordpress install. I run sites that have 4-5 different functions plus blog with no issues. I am not sure why you need different install for this. You just need to create some custom post types to hand the functionality of the site and use regular posts/pages for your blog.

Answer 2

STing, thanks for your attention.

I will explain better.

Both the website and the blog belong to the same project. In the configurantion website/blog, the website is the Online Business Directory Im developing and the blog its just about that.

I planned this strategy, to start blogging about the niche of the website (Online Business Directory) while Im developing the main website.

Doing so, I can start right away building traffic and promote my brand for the business directory and when I launch it, I will have some traffic to delievr to.

And to help delivering this traffic I would like to the users register just one time (first just in the blog) so they can comment, receive newsletters, participate in giveaways, making reviews, etc..

Im also thinking about some sort of gamification played on all the websites to keep visitors coming back.

I know I can do all that with two wordpress installations: one at the website and other in a subdirectory for the blog. Im just want to hear from more experienced developers if on this case whats the best solution. Im also considering SEO aspects of this setup. If you know something about it, I also want to hear.

Thanks again!