Over the years, Wordpress has evolved from a simple blog software to a website design software - including online stores - thanks to numerous extensions created by independant developers.
Due to a growing demand, Wordpress has more recently developed a multi-sites version dubbed Wordpress MU, that was later replaced by Wordpress Multisites aka WPMS with the release of Wordpress version 3.
While Wordpress' efforts to up its game for online marketers, the WPMS solution is still highly dependant on support from web hosting companies, thrid-party software and developers, which put website operators in a somewhat uncomfortable position.
Indeed, while WPMS is free to use, putting it to work will requires much additional investment to customize and supplement its basic offering, with the looming threat of service discontinuation either from plugin providers or hired developers.
True, Wordpress Multisite has a lot going for itself, but one needs to look beyond the "free and open source" smoke mirror to realize that things are not as easy, and certainly not as cost-effective as they seem.
Back in 2008 when SeoSamba developed its exclusive 'hub and spoke' online marketing model, Wordpress was still in its early years and essentially an open source blog platform.
Hence the need for a true multi-sites SEO platform bent on execution that could fit the needs of all website operators from single users to larger franchise networks and multi-location operations.
While Wordpress has grown exponentially since then, introducing its Multisite platform along the way, SeoSamba has focused its resources in developing its own software, including the SeoSamba Marketing Operating System online marketing platform, SeoToaster CMS and SeoToaster Ecommerce.
The combination of these powerful tools gives website operators that are serious about online marketing much more power right of the bat, without the need to constantly need developers on-hand and third-party software with all its implications.
In this report we take a good look at both solutions, and concatenate the analysis of reputable users marketers and technologists, which opinions you will find across the web with a simple search.
| Features | Wordpress MS | SeoSamba |
|---|---|---|
| Franchisor’s Site Package |  |
 |
| Franchisee’s Site Auto-install | |
|
| Multi-sites Admin | |
|
| Subdomains Install | |
|
| Subdirectories Install | |
 |
| Network-wide System Auto-update | |
|
| Turnkey White Label Admin | |
|
| Turnkey Single Domains Install | |
|
| “www.*” URL Support | |
|
| Zero Plugin Functional Install | |
|
| Segregated Main Site hosting | |
|
| Geolocalized Cloud-based Instances | |
|
| VPS Hosting | |
|
| Cloud Sites Support | |
|
| Pay-as-you-go Full Network Hosting | |
|
| Integrated Front-end CMS Support | |
|
| White-label Hosting Support Services | |
|
| Full Network Pay-per-use Auto-scaling | |
|
| Native Domain Mapping | |
|
| Expert Support by Software Maker | |
|
| Open source framework | |
|
| Open source core code | |
|
| Free Themes and plugins | |
|
| Guaranteed Multisites compatible Plugins |
|
|
| White label out-of-the-box | |
|
| Staging server full compatibility | |
|
| Low-cost development options | |
|
| Plugins/Extensions Marketplace | |
|
| Developer API | |
|
| Turnkey white label front-end CMS | |
|
| Separate databases for Franchisees | |
|
| Separate local DB policies | |
|
| Unique user sets per website | |
|
| Separate user permissions per website | |
|
| Front-end CMS user management | |
|
| Centralized multi-sites user management | |
|
| Unique security sets for affiliate websites | |
|
While we do not pretend to compare WordPress Multisite and SeoSamba in every use possible, each one having its own merits and literally hundreds of features and extensions, we are confident that the latter is a much better overall solution in a multi-sites franchise network, MLM or multi-location online stores scenario.
The first and foremost reason why SeoSamba is undoubtedly a better fit in this case is that WordPress Multisite has been built as somewhat of an afterthought, an additional layer on top of the existing WP framework due to popular demand.
On the other hand, SeoSamba's very existence is specifically due to the lack of user-friendly and cost-effective multi-sites solutions that would replicate the benefits of franchise marketing.
WPMS has been conceived to offer a reasonable way to tie together several existing WordPress platforms, while SeoSamba is a true multi-sites platform from which one can manage an unlimited number of websites.
From this sole - yet crucial - difference stems most of the drawbacks of the WordPress MS approach to build a franchise network. By trying to accomodate all types of website projects and businesses, WordPress overlooks many useful and specific features out of the loop, leaving outside developers in charge of providing those functions through highly specialized third party extensions that are sometimes overpriced, and often unsupported in the long run.
By contrast, SeoSamba and SeoToaster natively integrate all the features that can actually get online entrepreneurs started on the right foot and straight out-of-the-box, with a software backed by the very team who built it from the ground up over 10 years ago.
Needless to say, this pivotal discrepancy is also found in the quality of support you may receive between the generic WordPress and the specialist SeoSamba.
For all these reasons, we believe that while WordPress Multisite is a worthwhile solutions for many uses including blog-based content marketing, we can only recommend SeoSamba's software to give franchise and multi-sites online marketers the best out-of-the-box solution for a fast-to-market yet enduring online success.
* All trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
| Features | Wordpress MS | SeoSamba |
|---|---|---|
| Franchisor’s Site Package |  |
 |
| Franchisee’s Site Auto-install | |
|
| Multi-sites Admin | |
|
| Subdomains Install | |
|
| Subdirectories Install | |
|
| Network-wide System Auto-update | |
|
| Turnkey White Label Admin | |
|
| Turnkey Single Domains Install | |
|
| “www.*” URL Support | |
|
| Zero Plugin Functional Install | |
|
| Segregated Main Site hosting | |
|
| Geolocalized Cloud-based Instances | |
|
| VPS Hosting | |
|
| Cloud Sites Support | |
|
| Pay-as-you-go Full Network Hosting | |
|
| Integrated Front-end CMS Support | |
|
| White-label Hosting Support Services | |
|
| Full Network Pay-per-use Auto-scaling | |
|
| Native Domain Mapping | |
|
| Expert Support by Software Maker | |
|
| Open source framework | |
|
| Open source core code | |
|
| Free Themes and plugins | |
|
| Guaranteed Multisites compatible Plugins |
|
|
| White label out-of-the-box | |
|
| Staging server full compatibility | |
|
| Low-cost development options | |
|
| Plugins/Extensions Marketplace | |
|
| Developer API | |
|
| Turnkey white label front-end CMS | |
|
| Separate databases for Franchisees | |
|
| Separate local DB policies | |
|
| Unique user sets per website | |
|
| Separate user permissions per website | |
|
| Front-end CMS user management | |
|
| Centralized multi-sites user management | |
|
| Unique security sets for affiliate websites | |
|
