Managing multiple client sites often means juggling local setups, updates, and changes across different environments.
It works — until the workflow starts getting in your way.
Small issues, like inconsistent configurations, overwritten files, and repetitive setup tasks, can all add up and slow you down.
WordPress Studio simplifies all of that.
The free, open-source tool lets you spin up local sites quickly, share previews instantly, and move changes between environments without the usual hassle — helping you focus on creating rather than configuring and troubleshooting.
Here's how you can use it to manage multiple client WordPress sites.
Step 1: Set up a new local site
You have three options for creating a new site in WordPress Studio:
- Start with a blank site: Create a fresh WordPress installation.
- Start from a Blueprint: Build a preconfigured site using a "recipe."
- Import from a backup: Use the backup of an existing site.
Here are more details on those three options.
Start with a blank site
Starting with a blank site creates a fresh WordPress installation using the default out-of-the-box configuration.
This option works well for one-off builds, but Studio can save even more time once you start using Blueprints.
Start from a Blueprint
Blueprints are reusable JSON files that act as recipes for creating preconfigured local sites — they're one of the key ways that Studio helps you save time and reduce repetitive tasks.
Instead of setting up each project from scratch, you can create Blueprints for various website types (e.g., blogs or online stores) — defining everything your site needs, from WordPress and PHP versions to themes, plugins, settings, and content.
The Studio Assistant and interactive builder help you generate these automatically — simply tell the AI-powered assistant the site configuration, and it will create the Blueprint.
To use a Blueprint in Studio, choose "Start from a Blueprint" and either pick one of the featured options or upload your own Blueprint file.
Studio currently offers three featured Blueprints (you can preview each in WordPress Playground):
- Quick Start: A WordPress.com-like setup with the plugins and themes included on new Business-plan sites.
- Development: A configuration for theme and plugin developers, with debug settings and tools like Query Monitor, Plugin Check, Theme Check, and Create Block Theme.
- Commerce: A WooCommerce-ready setup with companion plugins for building online stores.
You can also browse the WordPress Blueprints Gallery for community-created configurations.
Import a site from a backup file
Note: Sites on the WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans don't need to be imported from a backup. Instead, they can use the Studio Sync feature. This is more powerful and efficient than importing from a backup file.
You can also import a WordPress site into Studio from a backup file. This is useful if you have an existing site you'd like to work on locally.
Follow these steps to import from a backup file:
Install one of the supported backup plugins, such as the free All-in-One WP Migration and Backup plugin, on the site you'd like to import into Studio.
Then, create a backup of the site (WP Admin → All-in-One WP Migration → Backups → Create Backup).
From here, download the backup file and load it into WordPress Studio.
When you're done working on the local version, use the plugin to create a new backup and import that backup into the live site.
Step: Configure your local site
Studio lets you configure each local site to match the hosted environment, making sure they're compatible.
The local site's environment can be configured from the "Advanced settings" panel.
Whether you start with a blank site, a Blueprint, or a backup, Studio lets you adjust a range of optional settings for your local environment. For example, you can:
- Set a custom local path: Define where the site folder is stored on your computer.
- Change the WordPress version: Use the latest release, a specific version, or a Beta/Nightly build (useful for testing upcoming releases).
- Change the PHP version: Match your hosting environment or test different versions.
- Use a custom domain (must end with .local): Make accessing your local site in the browser easier.
- Use SSL to enable HTTPS: Enable HTTPS on your local site so it closely resembles a live environment.
Tip: You can change these settings after you've created a site.
After configuring the environment, you can also set up the tools you want Studio to use while you work.
These settings can be accessed from Settings → Preferences.
Your preferred tools will be used when accessing the site from the "Open in…" section of the Overview tab.
Step 3: Develop and collaborate
Once your local site is configured, you can begin developing and testing changes.
WordPress Studio applies updates instantly as you work, so you can move quickly and collaborate without delays.
Build locally
Your local site updates in real time — whether you're editing files, adjusting settings in WP Admin, or adding plugins and themes.
When you do need to add plugins or themes, you can install them through WP Admin just as you would on a hosted site, or drop the files directly into the site's folders.
If you use certain plugins or themes regularly, keeping them on your computer makes adding them to each new project even faster.
Tip: If you reuse the same plugins across projects, Blueprints (from Step 1) let you spin up sites preconfigured with your preferred plugins, themes, and settings. Studio's AI Assistant can also help you make updates to your local sites.
Edit individual files
Beyond installing plugins and themes, you can also edit your site's files directly.
Studio gives you quick access to those files from the Overview tab.
The "Open in…" section gives you quick access to the site's files and folders.
This is useful if you want to edit a local site's files, including plugin or theme files, in your preferred code editor.
Each time you edit and save a file, your local site will immediately start using the updated version — there's no need to wait for files to upload to a server.
Tip: Our blog post on Local WordPress Development Workflows Using WordPress Studio includes a helpful section on the ideal development workflow, whether you're creating sites, plugins, or themes.
Share a preview of a local site
While working on a site, you can also use the preview feature to get client and collaborator feedback.
Previews are a useful addition to any workflow because they help you get more accurate feedback, faster.
This way, your clients get to experience the site for themselves, instead of relying on inefficient screenshots or video walkthroughs.
All you need to do is share the temporary URL with clients and team members, and they can inspect the site snapshot remotely.
The preview feature is powered by WordPress.com and uses a temporary domain (wp.build).
The main aspects of the preview sites feature include:
- One-time snapshot: Any changes you make to the site after creating the preview won't be applied to the preview (unless you update it). This lets you continue to work on the local site without affecting the preview.
- WP Admin access: Anyone with a WordPress user account on the site can log in to the preview to access WP Admin.
- Free functionality: You don't need hosting to create a preview site, just a free WordPress.com account.
- Create multiple preview sites: You can have up to 10 preview sites at a time.
- Seven-day access: Preview sites are temporary and are deleted after seven days, but updating a site restarts the seven-day expiry period.
Step 4: Connect and sync with a remote site
After building locally, use Studio's Sync feature to synchronize your local and hosted sites in either direction (push or pull).
The user-friendly interface and ability to selectively sync reduce the risk of accidental overwrites that can happen when transferring files manually.
Tip: Sync is available on WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans. These plans have Jetpack enabled by default, so your hosted site can connect to Studio and use Sync without any extra setup.
You can synchronize between a local site and the hosted production and staging environments.
Synchronizing with the staging site is especially useful as it lets you test your work in a private hosted environment before moving it to the live production site.
As Studio supports selective sync, you can push or pull only the files, folders, or database tables you need.
Thanks to selective sync, it's easy to push just a theme from your local site to your hosted WordPress.com site and vice versa, leaving the rest of the site intact.
A backup is created when you initiate a sync, so you can restore your site if necessary. An email notification is also sent when the sync completes.
Step 5: Test on staging and push changes
Now it's time to test the site in a staging environment — a feature available to WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans.
This gives you a safe place to identify issues before they go live.
For the best results, follow one of these workflows after creating a WordPress.com staging site:
- Go to your Sites list in the WordPress.com dashboard.
- Select the site you want to create a staging site for.
- Open the Overview tab and click the "Add staging site +" link.
You can use the switcher to change between the production and staging environments.
See the WordPress.com documentation to find out how staging sites work.
Now that your staging site is set up, here are two workflows that show how to use WordPress Studio when working on client sites:
Workflow for new sites
This workflow for building a new client site involves creating a local site, sharing a preview, pushing to the staging site, and then pushing to the production site.
Follow these steps:
- Create a new local site in Studio.
- Use the Preview feature to share your work with the client.
- Once the client approves the work, push the local site to the staging environment.
- After testing, push the staging site to the production environment to make it available online.
WordPress.com has a built-in Coming Soon mode with a preview feature that's useful for controlling access to sites in development.
Workflow for existing sites
This workflow lets you update an existing live site without overwriting important content or disrupting anything outside the changes you've made.
Selective Sync ensures you don't overwrite important live content — such as form submissions, comments, orders, or anything added while you were working.
For this scenario:
- Use Studio's Sync feature to pull the entire live site to a local site.
- Update the local site, such as editing the theme files.
- Use the Preview feature to share those changes with the client.
- After client approval, selectively sync the theme files to push them from the local site to the staging site.
- Test the staging site.
- If everything works as expected, push the relevant files and folders from the staging site to the production site without syncing the database.
The live site now includes your theme changes, and any other updates made while you were working locally won't be overwritten.
Step 6: Scale across multiple clients
Once your workflow is in place, WordPress Studio makes it easy to scale your process across multiple client projects.
Instead of repeating setup work or jumping between disconnected tools, you can reuse configurations, switch between projects instantly, and keep each site organized and isolated.
Use Studio's core actions to stay efficient as your client list grows:
- Create: Set up a separate local site for each client — start with a fresh installation, use a Blueprint, or import a backup.
- Switch: Move easily between projects by switching between local sites.
- Share: Use the Preview feature to share work with clients and collaborators.
- Sync: If you're on WordPress.com Business or Commerce plans, use Sync to transfer work between local, staging, and production environments.
Streamline client projects with WordPress Studio
WordPress Studio is a fast, open-source, and free way to build and manage local WordPress sites.
It helps you save time, share work with clients more effectively, and reduce errors when transferring files.
Blueprints let you spin up consistent, pre-configured sites in seconds, reducing setup time and repetitive work — so you can receive and apply client feedback with ease.
If you're using WordPress.com's Business or Commerce plans, Sync adds an extra layer by letting you move work between local, staging, and production safely and with confidence.
The bottom line: No matter where the final site is hosted, Studio helps you manage multiple client projects with less overhead and more control.
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