Membership sites are a great means of community building, providing premium content, and earning recurring income. If you have to build a subscription site, provide quality content, or establish an online community, WordPress is one of the top platforms to create a fully functional membership site. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will guide you through the whole process of creating a membership site with WordPress—from installation to launching your site.
1. Why WordPress for Your Membership Site?
Let’s discuss why WordPress is a great choice to build a membership site before we dive into the process:
- Easy to Use: WordPress is simple to use, even for the beginner.
- Customizable: With hundreds of thousands of themes and plugins, you can tailor the appearance and functionality of your site.
- Flexible: Your membership will be able to grow with WordPress without losing performance.
- Big Community: WordPress has a large community of users, developers, and resources to help you create and develop your site.
2. Picking the Right Membership Plugin for WordPress
The first thing to start creating your membership site is choosing the appropriate plugin. Membership plugins assist you in managing your members, limiting access to content, processing payments, etc. Among the most sought-after ones are:
- MemberPress: Most used WordPress membership plugin, enables you to design and manage subscription plans, limit content, and integrate with payment gateways.
- Restrict Content Pro: Another highly versatile plugin, ideal for basic membership websites. Basic content locking, subscription administration, and payment handling are included.
- Paid Memberships Pro: Provides a solid set of features that include content locking, member administration, and enhanced reporting capabilities.
- WooCommerce Memberships: Ideal for combining a membership website with WooCommerce, you can create membership levels and limit product or content access with this plugin.
3. Installing WordPress and Your Membership Plugin
With the proper membership plugin selected, time now to install. Here is how you can install it:
a. Install WordPress
If WordPress is not yet installed, begin by installing WordPress. Find one-click installations in most web hosting companies for WordPress.
b. Install the Membership Plugin
Having installed WordPress, head to your dashboard and go to Plugins > Add New. Look for your preferred membership plugin (e.g., MemberPress) and select Install Now. After installation, select Activate to begin configuring your plugin.
4. Setting Up Membership Levels
One of the most important aspects of membership sites is that you are able to provide multiple membership levels. These can be content access, benefits, or subscription rates. This is how you are able to configure membership levels:
a. Set Up Membership Levels
Head over to the membership plugin settings, and set up different membership levels. For instance:
- Free Membership: Restricted access to general content.
- Premium Membership: Complete access to all material, plus special entries and resources.
- VIP Membership: Exclusive benefits like individual access to the site owner, bonus material, etc.
b. Set Pricing and Access
Assign a price for every membership level and determine what content or material every level will gain access to. This could be exclusive blog articles, downloadable materials, courses, or forums.
5. Restricting Content and Access
Once you have your membership levels created, you will then want to restrict some content based on the membership level of the user. This is how you can do so:
a. Restrict Pages and Posts
Most membership plugins will enable you to set up visibility rules for pages, posts, and other content. Just go into the content editor and select which membership levels should be able to see the content.
b. Create Members-Only Pages
Create members-only pages such as forums, high-level blogs, or downloadable resources. Render the pages accessible only via the portal of logged-in members and with proper membership.
6. Payment Gateway Configuration
Membership-paid sites need to be integrated with a payment gateway to process payments. Most membership plugins support well-known payment gateways such as:
- PayPal
- Stripe
- Authorize.net
Install the setup wizard of the plugin to configure payment options. You can install recurring payments for subscription membership websites or one-time payments for lifetime membership.
7. Configuring Your Membership Site’s Layout
With functionality installed, now is the time to design your membership website. Here are some design tips:
a. Select a Theme
Choose a WordPress theme appropriate for membership websites. There are several themes that are particularly created for membership websites and also support popular plugins.
b. Design Your Layout
Customize your theme to ensure that the layout compliments your brand. Customize the homepage, membership pages, and user dashboards to ensure they are easy to use.
c. Add Calls-to-Action
Ask guests to join memberships with explicit calls-to-action (CTAs). Employ convincing buttons such as “Join Now” or “Sign Up Today” on your website to drive conversions.
8. Member Profiles and Dashboards
Great membership site has members having the ability to have their own profile that they can see and modify. Set up a member dashboard where they can:
- Check their subscription status.
- Access their exclusive content.
- Manage their payment options and subscriptions.
9. Testing and Rolling Out Your Membership Site
Don’t forget to test the below when rolling out your site:
- Registration Process: Make it simple for users to sign up and register with ease.
- Content Restriction: Prevent content from appearing in a correct way according to membership levels.
- Payment Processing: Test payment gateway and ensure easy transactions.
- User Experience: Test the site using different devices (desktop, tablet, phone) to ensure that it is responsive.
10. Marketing Your Membership Site
Once your membership site goes live, it is the time to get members. Here are some ideas for marketing your site:
- Content Marketing: Write informative content that will draw traffic and persuade users to join.
- Social Media Marketing: Use social media to promote your site to drive traffic and establish a community.
- Email Campaigns: Establish an email list and send newsletters or promotions to keep them interested.
- Referral Programs: Incentivize current members to bring others in return for rewards or discounts.
Conclusion
Getting a membership site with WordPress is easy with the proper tools and tactics. With the proper membership plugin, site customization exclusive to members, and quality content, you can have a successful membership site that users return to time and again, resulting in steady income.
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