How to Add a Second Blog to WordPress

WordPress powers over 40% of the internet and comes with a wide variety of tools, most notably powerful blogging features. If you’ve already created a WordPress blog and want to add a second blog to your WordPress site, here’s what you should know:

1. You can add a second blog to WordPress.

2. And there’s more than one way to do that.

So, in this guide, we’ll review the different methods for creating multiple blogs on your WordPress site and show you the easiest way to do it.

The Benefits of Adding a Second Blog to WordPress

Having multiple WordPress blogs means you can keep each blog neatly focused on a specific topic. If you’re already using WordPress, it’s more convenient, cost-efficient, and secure to remain on the same platform.

If you add a second blog to your existing WordPress site, you’ll still have only one login, which helps to keep your site more secure. And depending on the blog creation method you choose, you could also experience reduced site maintenance in terms of things like plugins and URLs.

Another benefit of having a second WordPress blog is improving your visibility and marketing performance. You can use both blogs for cross-promotion. Cross-promotion can lead to an increase in visibility and traffic, meaning more customer conversions for you.

The problem is that WordPress doesn’t actually allow multiple blogs within one installation. That’s why you need a workaround to add the second blog.

We’ll show you four different methods of adding multiple WordPress blogs.

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Method 1: Add a Second Blog to WordPress With Categories

One of the easiest ways to add a second WordPress blog is to use categories. To incorporate this solution, start by opening the Categories tab from your WordPress dashboard and creating a new category.

Once you do that, open the Posts tab. Select the posts you want to add to your new category, and from the top menu, select Edit from the dropdown. When you click on the Apply button next to this dropdown, you can assign the selected posts to the new category.

Click on the Update button to save your changes, then, using the left sidebar, go to Appearance → Editor → Navigation to access your site’s menu settings.

In the Navigation tab, click on the three dots next to Navigation, and select the Edit option from the dropdown.

This will open the site editor from where you should click inside the menu area. To add a new menu item, click on the plus sign, then find Category Link in the Blocks menu. Select the category you’ve created, and save your changes.

Now, all the posts you add to your new category will look like they’re on a separate site page.

Pros and Cons of Using Categories for Adding a Second Blog to WordPress

Method 2: Adding a Second Blog to WordPress Using Custom Post Types

This approach is similar to filtering blog posts through categories, but the difference is that with custom post types (CPTs), you have greater control over your content. You can manage your blogs independently and grant user permissions accordingly. Your blogs will have a better SEO structure (compared to the categories approach). This is a double-edged sword, though, as you’ll have to manage structured data, indexing rules, and metadata for each blog.

The easiest way to add a second blog to WordPress via CPTs is to install a plugin like CPT UI.

The problem appears when you only have the option to add custom post types through code, and you’re not comfortable with modifying functions.php files.

Additionally, your theme needs to support CPTs, because if it doesn’t, you’ll need to create templates manually.

Pros and Cons of Using CPTs for Adding Multiple Blogs to WordPress

Method 3: Adding a Second Blog to WordPress with Multisite

With WordPress's Multisite feature, you can manage multiple independent blogs from one installation, which is ideal for those managing various blogs with unique content and designs. However, setting up and maintaining a Multisite network requires more technical skills. If you're new to this, consulting a WordPress developer is recommended.

This approach is perfect if you're looking at a setup like:

subdomain: blog1.your_website.com

subdomain: blog2.your_website.com

The downside of adding a second blog to WordPress using this method is that it requires modifying WordPress configuration files, which can be an obstacle if you don’t have some coding knowledge. Additionally, not all plugins function in the Multisite environment, and if one of them doesn’t work properly, it will affect all your blogs. The same applies to your site server and database, as they’re shared among all sites in your Multisite network.

Pros and Cons of Using Multisite to Add a Second Blog to WordPress

Method 4: Adding a Second Blog to WordPress With DropInBlog

The easiest, non-coding solution for adding two or more blogs to your WordPress site is with DropInBlog – a professional blogging app. Just follow the four simple steps outlined below.

Step 1: Create a DropInBlog Account

To get this integration to work, create a DropInBlog account first. You can test the blogging platform for free with a trial account.

You'll also need an existing WordPress installation. You have to be logged in to your WordPress site as a super-admin, which is the primary admin of the WordPress installation. This will give you the right permission levels to add the custom code.

Step 2: Create a Second Blog Page in WordPress

To create a new page, log in to your WordPress website admin and use the Pages item in the sidebar. Hover over the sidebar item and click on Add New.

Then, name your newly created page. I’m going with the highly creative name of “Blog.”

Step 3: Add Your Blog Code to Your New Page

Depending on the version of WordPress you have, the process of adding the DropInBlog embed code may differ a bit.

For newer WordPress versions – 5.0 and above – you’ll be presented with the blocks editor. Within the blocks UI, use the plus icon to add a Custom HTML block to the new page. Once added, you’ll then be able to simply add the DropInBlog embed code.

For older versions of WordPress, you’ll be presented with (or will have access to) the classic WYSIWYG editor. Switch to Text mode to add the DropInBlog embed code.

To find the embed code, open a new tab, navigate to your DropInBlog account, and select Code & Layout in the main navigation.

Copy the code that is shown in Step 1 of the DropinBlog guide. It will look something like this:

<script src="https://io.dropinblog.com/embedjs/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.js"></script>

Paste this code into the HTML editor in WordPress. Then go back to DropInBlog and copy the code shown in Step 2:

<div id="dib-posts"></div>

You can then switch back to WordPress and paste this additional line of code under the code from step 1. 

Note: WordPress comes with an autosave feature that will save the changes you’ve applied to your new page, but you may need to save these changes manually in older versions.

Step 4: Publish Your Second WordPress Blog

Once you add the blog code from your DropInBlog account and paste it inside the Custom HTML block in WordPress, click on the Publish button in the top right.

Next, open your site in a new tab and navigate to your new blog page. Copy your new blog page URL and go to the Settings page of your DropInBlog account. Paste it into the Blog URL field, and click on Save All Changes.

Return to the WordPress page editor, and check out your new blog page by clicking the Preview button in the top right corner of your browser.

Mission complete! ✨

DropInBlog Troubleshooting

Using DropInBlog to add a second blog to WordPress may sometimes remove the script tags that are part of the DropInBlog embed code.

If you have super-admin access, you can correct this easily once logged in. If you do not, you can contact your website administrator so they can modify the configuration of the website to enable you to add this code. 

Alternatively, you can use the WP Coder plugin. This WordPress plugin gives you better ability to edit the HTML of your pages, allowing you to add the custom embed code for DropInBlog.

Benefits of Using DropInBlog to Create Multiple Blogs on One WordPress Website

DropInBlog is a user-friendly blogging app that doesn’t require a complex setup. By following the 3 steps outlined above, you can easily add a second blog to your WordPress site.

With DropInBlog’s unified login feature, you can access multiple blogs via a single login.

Each blog you create can be customized individually with its own users, categories, and design settings. 

This method is suitable if you're aiming for a setup like this:

your_website.com/blog1

your_website.com/blog2

Compared to the other three methods, DropInBlog is more centralized, giving you better control over your blogs and users.

This is true even for the WordPress Multisite blog setup, which offers far greater flexibility for managing content and users than categories and custom post types.

Here’s a quick comparison of these two methods.

WordPress Multisite vs. DropInBlog

Unlike the WordPress Multisite feature, DropInBlog doesn’t require a complex technical setup. It also doesn’t limit you to the WordPress ecosystem, and if you decide to migrate to another platform, you can easily export your content from DropInBlog.

Another plus side of using DropInBlog to add a second blog to WordPress is that you don’t have to rely on plugins or worry about potential conflicts or updates. It allows you to create and assign authors and users to each blog and manage their access. You can also easily create SEO-friendly content using DropInBlog’s native SEO analysis tool. Plus, you can design each blog separately from the Advanced Customizations or Custom CSS sections.

As for the other methods, see the table below to discover how they compare.

Comparison table: Categories vs. CPTs vs. DropInBlog

Bonus Tips for Optimizing Your WordPress Blogs

Regardless of your choice, consider the following additional tips:

1. Customize blog links for better navigability and relevance.

2. Manage user roles, particularly in a multi-author setup, to ensure security and efficient workflow.

3. Implement SEO strategies for each blog to enhance online visibility and search rankings.

4. Regularly update and maintain each blog for optimal performance and relevance.

5. Use analytics tools to monitor performance, adapting your strategies based on audience engagement and feedback. This ensures each blog thrives within your WordPress website.

Overview of the 4 Methods for Adding Multiple WordPress Blogs

To sum it all up, here’s the ideal use case for each of the discussed methods:

• Categories are great for beginners who want to organize their blog content quickly.

• Custom post types are geared towards medium to advanced WordPress users who want to manage two or more blogs independently and have greater design and SEO control.

• WordPress Multisite is best suited for creating multiple independent blogs and separately managing each blog’s design and SEO.

• DropInBlog is a beginner-friendly blogging solution perfect for creating multiple WordPress blogs and managing content, design, and user permissions for each of them independently.

If you decide to use DropInBlog for adding a second WordPress blog and need some pointers to write your first blog post, or you need some assistance getting set up, please get in touch. We’ll be more than happy to help out.

Happy blogging! 🤓