How to Customize Default Pages in WordPress Multisite: Add or Remove Them

As experienced WordPress Multisite administrators, we've helped countless users streamline their network setups. By default, every new site includes a bland sample page. This guide shows you how to remove it and add your own custom default pages effortlessly.

Why Customize Default Pages in WordPress Multisite?

Replacing the default sample page offers key benefits. Create a welcoming 'Next Steps' page to guide new users, craft engaging content that's on-brand, or set clear network guidelines on dos and don'ts.

How to Add or Remove Default Pages in WordPress Multisite

Add this proven code snippet to your main site's functions.php file or a site-specific plugin. It fires on new site creation via the wpmu_new_blog hook.

add_action( 'wpmu_new_blog', 'wpb_create_my_pages', 10, 2 );
function wpb_create_my_pages( $blog_id, $user_id ) {
    switch_to_blog( $blog_id );

    // Create new page
    $page_id = wp_insert_post( array(
        'post_title'    => 'About',
        'post_name'     => 'about',
        'post_content'  => 'This is an about page. Feel free to edit or delete this page.',
        'post_status'   => 'publish',
        'post_author'   => $user_id, // or "1" (super-admin)
        'post_type'     => 'page',
        'menu_order'    => 1,
        'comment_status' => 'closed',
        'ping_status'   => 'closed',
    ));

    // Find and delete WP's default 'Sample Page'
    $default_page = get_page_by_title( 'Sample Page' );
    if ( $default_page ) {
        wp_delete_post( $default_page->ID );
    }

    restore_current_blog();
}

The code creates an 'About' page with custom content on every new site and removes the default 'Sample Page'. Test in a staging environment first.

This approach has reliably enhanced Multisite workflows for our clients. Questions? Drop a comment below.