Set up a WordPress.com site from a license

When you or your client purchases WordPress.com hosting through Automattic for Agencies, a license is issued. You then create and configure the site from your dashboard.

In this guide, you will learn how to create a WordPress.com site from a license and configure the site address, PHP version, data center, and client access settings.

All available WordPress.com licenses are shown under Sites → Needs Setup on your sites dashboard.

• Licenses from your own purchases are grouped together and displayed as available licenses (e.g., “3 licenses available”).
• Licenses from client referral purchases are separated and are identified by the client’s email address.

Follow these steps to create a WordPress.com site from a license:

1. Navigate to Sites → Needs Setup in your Automattic for Agencies portal.
2. Click “Create New Site” next to the license you wish to use

3. In the configuration window, adjust the following settings to fit your needs.

Enter a site address. This is a placeholder address (e.g., yourgroovysite.wpcomstaging.com) used until you connect a domain. A site address is generated automatically, but you can edit it to identify the site during development.

Select a PHP version. The most recent version is pre-selected and marked as recommended. Choose a different version from the dropdown if your project requires it.

Select the primary data center for your site. A data center is assigned automatically, but you can choose a specific location:

• US West
• US East
• US Central
• EU West

By default, WordPress.com includes a Hosting section and a Help Center in the site’s wp-admin. You can control whether these are visible to all users on the site.

• Checked (default): The Hosting section and Help Center are accessible through wp-admin for all users on the site.
• Unchecked: The Hosting section and Help Center are hidden from wp-admin for all users, including you.

This setting is useful when you want to provide a white-labeled experience. By unchecking this option and providing only wp-admin access to clients, they will not see WordPress.com specific settings.

You can change this setting after site creation from the site’s settings on your sites dashboard.

For full details on managing hosting features and support access when these options are disabled, see Configure client access to WordPress.com features.

4. Click “Create Site” to complete setup.

Your new WordPress.com site is live and appears on your Sites Dashboard. From there, you can access hosting configuration, domain settings, and site settings directly from your Automattic for Agencies sites dashboard.

Regardless of whether you purchase a site as an agency or send a client referral, we do not automatically create an account on the site for your client. Following site creation, you can choose whether or not to invite them to the site, and in which role to invite them.

Please see our guide to user roles and access for more information.