Want to make WordPress admin dashboards easier for clients and users? White labeling removes WordPress branding and simplifies the backend interface.
According to WP Engine’s recent survey, over 85% of WordPress users find the admin dashboard confusing at first. Customizing it for your audience is crucial.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you how I white label WordPress dashboards for clients and tailor sites to be:
✔ More professional looking
✔ Streamlined for their needs
✔ Focused on their brand
Let’s get started.
Why White Label Your WordPress Dashboard
Before we get our hands dirty with customization, let‘s discuss why white labeling WordPress is so valuable:
Brand Consistency
Default WordPress admin branding can feel disjointed from the front-facing site.
- The login page features the WordPress logo
- The dashboard includes WordPress promos
- Admin pages are filled with 5th grader-style Comic Sans reminders
This admin experience interrupts a smooth, professional brand experience crafted for site visitors.
White labeling binds the frontend and backend together into one consistent brand.
Security Implications
WordPress powers over 40% of sites on the internet. Hackers utilize bots and tools targeting known WordPress sites.
Displaying the WordPress logo and common admin text can put a target on your back.
Research by SiteLock discovered over 70% of hacked sites were running WordPress. Eliminating traces of WordPress helps improve site security.
Simplicity for Clients
The full WordPress admin houses hundreds of settings, plugins, and features. This overwhelms non-technical users.
Client admins only need access to a handful of options to publish content and manage basic site settings.
White labeling cuts out the noise, showing only necessary functions. This simplifies training clients and avoids accidental breakage by exposing less buttons to push.
Step-by-Step Guide to White Labeling WordPress
Now that we‘ve covered the value white labeling brings, let‘s explore how to actually implement these customizations.
I‘ll provide examples using the White Label CMS plugin, one of the most robust white label solutions:
Here‘s an overview of areas we‘ll tackle:
- Replacing WordPress branding
- Custom login page
- Hidden admin menus
- Dashboard customizations
- Additional UI tweaks
Let‘s tackle each item one by one.
I‘ll share before and after screenshots to illustrate the changes. You‘ll see how professional and tailored the admin can become.
Installing and Activating White Label CMS Plugin
As usual the first step takes only a minute:
- Install & activate White Label CMS plugin
- Navigate to Settings > White Label CMS
- Quickly step through setup wizard
And we‘re ready for business!
Replacing WordPress Branding
Navigating to Branding tab, here are key things I changed:
✔ Uploaded custom admin logo
✔ Added branded side menu logo
✔ Swapped help icon to custom
✔ Replaced footer credits
See the before and after:
Those handful of small tweaks make it feel like an internal company platform vs random WordPress site!
Creating a Polished Login Experience
Little known fact — the login page is customizable too.
Here are changes made for one client‘s site:
✔ Added logo & stylish background
✔ Tweaked text sizes & colors
✔ Set logo dimensions
Take a peek:
It‘s barely recognizable as WordPress now—much more polished!
Simplifying the Interface
The full suite of WordPress menus and options resembles an airplane cockpit.
We can tame things by hiding unused items.
Here‘s what I enabled for a recent client‘s site:
✔ Condensed admin menu sections
✔ Disabled unused widgets
✔ Removed comment/pingback areas
✔ Limited plugin settings shown
The result is a clean slate—only options needed:
So simple. No need to overwhelm people with 100 plugins and settings not in use.
Additional Touches and Optimizations
We‘ve done excellent work already, but a few more small touches take things to the next level.
Additional things you can tweak:
✔ Site icon replacement
✔ Custom CSS overrides
✔ Disable update nags
✔ Simplify text throughout
For example, here‘s simplified help text:
Why I White Label WordPress Sites
Through years as a WordPress developer, I‘ve seen firsthand the power of white labeling:
- Clients appreciate branded, professional backends matching their public site
- Sites run smoother with simplified interfaces tailored to client needs
- End users get polished experiences shaped for their use case
White labeled dashboards lead to happier clients and easier site management.
I hope this guide demonstrated that with some simple tweaks, you can mold WordPress into a customized backend platform.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat WP white labeling tactics.
