Membership Sites in WordPress: A Guide to Building Your Online Community
Building a membership site with WordPress is a straightforward option for those who want to get paid for content. With plugins like MemberPress, anybody can make a subscription site without much coding knowledge. A membership site that is structured nicely can earn its founder a recurring income while also offering valuable content to members who are willing to pay.
In the WordPress system, many plugins are made for memberships that allow you to set up different levels of memberships, payment gateways, and restrict content. These tools take care of the tech stuff like user registration, subscription management, and essential content delivery. So, website owners can focus on creating awesome stuff.
Membership sites created with WordPress can be used for all types of things. Membership sites have various uses, from online training and coaching programs to premium content libraries and private communities. With WordPress themes and plugins, one can customize their site based on the business model or targeted audience.
What Are The Benefits Of Building Your Membership Website On WordPress?
Many people would not believe it, but WordPress is excellent in flexibility and membership websites. The credit goes to plugins and themes. Site owners can choose easy-to-use membership solution options like MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, and LearnDash without writing code.
The admin dashboard makes it easy for managers to handle content and payments. Website owners can restrict specific content to registered members only or based on membership level.
It’s more cost-effective than bespoke solutions like Facebook. WordPress is free, and many affordable yet good membership plugins are on the market to scale with the business.
WordPress integrates seamlessly with numerous payment gateways, including:
| Payment Processor | Features |
|---|---|
| PayPal | Global reach, instant transfers |
| Stripe | Recurring billing, low fees |
| Authorize.net | Advanced security, reliable processing |
The strong SEO features of the platform enable membership websites to get more subscribers. This ability to grow an audience organically lessens the need for ads.
Over 40% of the websites are created on WordPress, making a vast community. It keeps on working on membership feature improvements for continued support.
Plugins can protect member data and payment details as a security feature for your membership sites. You can often make upgrades to keep your site secure and running well, without any tech skills needed.
Most themes make it easy for members to view the content across devices. This makes it easier for members to interact.
What Are The Key Things You Need To Build Your Membership Website On WordPress?
A successful WordPress membership site requires these essential things. You will need secure WordPress hosting that won’t limit the amount of traffic your site can receive.
A good-looking WordPress theme compatible with membership functionality is required to develop a professional look. Please select one that works with your membership plugin and is customizable to match your brand.
You’ll want a solid membership plugin like Paid Memberships Pro or Suremember. These tools will handle access controls, payment processing, and content restriction.
You need a payment gateway like PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net to accept subscription fees. Most membership plugins have various payment methods for users.
You need content protection mechanisms to restrict access to premium content. You should be able to create different membership levels and set varying content access privileges.
A COMPLETE STEP-BY-STEP CHEATSHEET
TO CREATING, LAUNCHING & GROWING A SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP WEBSITE
User management tools help keep track of member data, activity, and subscription. These features help enhance the administration and the members’ experience.
Integration of email marketing connects the membership with the email service. You can send automatic welcome messages, reminders for renewal, and more.
You can learn more about what works to help produce your content and strategies by securely tracking user behaviour. Data helps in making decisions for membership growth.
Member data is secured with SSL certificates and backed up regularly to ensure site reliability. This builds trust among members who share personal and financial data.
Domain Name
Choosing a suitable domain name is an essential part of the branding of your membership site. An effective domain name must be memorable, rich in keywords, easy to spell, and short.
CloudFlare
Cloudflare allows you to register new domains and transfer old ones. CloudFlare’s domain registration comes with free WHOIS privacy protection that hides your information from the public.
Cloudflare DNS management is typically faster than competitors, averaging a global response time of 11ms. This speed improver improves your membership site’s loading speeds.
They provide automatic renewal of the domain with them. If you own a membership site, the DDoS protection and other security features at CloudFlare can help mitigate attacks on traffic, preventing access by your members.
Their dashboard is easy to use to manage multiple domains if you have numerous membership sites. Cost is a reasonable $8.57/year for .com domain registration; other registrars charge more.
One.com
One.com makes it straightforward to get started with domain registration and hosting. Their domain packages come with email accounts, which can be helpful in member communication.
They have plenty of TLDs to choose from other than .com. You will get domain privacy for roughly $1/month as an add-on.
The control panel of One.com is easy to use and works well with WordPress installations. This helps newcomers to set up a membership site more easily.
Most of the time, they offer discounts on first-year registration. Usually, renewal prices for .com domains are $12 to $15/year.
One.com has customer support on call 24/7, and they can sort out issues related to your domain, which is good to have if you run into trouble that interferes with member access.
NameCheap
NameCheap is well-known for its low-cost domains that come with transparent pricing. Most domains come with WHOIS protection to help membership site owners keep their information private.
They allow a good interface for managing their domains and configuring their DNS easily. This makes it easy to link your domain to the hosting of your WordPress membership site.
NameCheap’s bulk domain management tools are great for businesses that run multiple membership tiers on different domains.
Domain names that attract visitors to your website can be much more successful at generating sales.
With every domain bought, you get free email forwarding. It helps to create professional contact addresses free of cost.
NameCheap’s auto-renew option will make your membership site accessible. Their uptime of DNS services is more than 99.9%, ensuring members’ access.
Quality Hosting
The success of a WordPress membership site is based on reliable hosting. The appropriate provider ensures your site stays fast, secure, and accessible to members at all times.
Kinsta
Kinsta offers premium WordPress hosting designed for membership sites. Kinsta’s infrastructure is built on the Google Cloud Platform, so speed and reliability are exceptional, and it has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
All Kinsta plans have automatic daily backups, free site migrations, and a WordPress-friendly dashboard. Their Edge Caching technology allows membership sites to handle traffic spikes seamlessly.
Your site gets an SSL certificate by default. Your site is scanned continuously for malware. Advanced firewall protection removes harmful threats by default. Kinsta provides staging environments for membership site owners to check their plugin updates or new features before going live.
The support crew is composed of WordPress professionals on a 24/7 live chat. This makes them ideal for membership site owners who cannot afford downtime.
Rocket.net
Rocket.net offers enterprise-level performance at a mid-range price. Each plan comes packed with Cloudflare Enterprise to speed up membership sites and keep them running securely.
How their servers are built is configured for WordPress, with NVMe and optimized PHP. This results in membership sites that load under 1 second, which is essential for retaining members.
Rocket.net’s dashboard has powerful caching, one-click staging, and automated backups designed for membership sites. Their platform manages WooCommerce and membership plugins without further setup.
WordPress experts provide support by knowing the specific challenges faced by membership sites. Their plans give unlimited page views and visitors to suit a growing membership business.
WP-Tonic
WP-Tonic provides managed WordPress hosting designed for membership and learning management sites.
Their servers are optimized for Suremember, LearnDash, and LifterLMS plugins.
All plans at WP-Tonic come with a white-glove migration service, security checks, and weekly management. Their servers use object caching via Redis to allow concurrent member logins without issues.
WP-Tonic stands out with its onboarding calls and strategy sessions, which are personalized quarterly. These calls are to help membership site owners set up their tech correctly.
They have lower client-to-support ratios compared to larger hosts. For membership sites that use many plugins, WP-Tonic’s skills in sorting out plugin conflicts are beneficial.
WordPress
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that powers about 43% of all the websites on the internet. With its easy-to-use interface and customizable features, membership site templates for WordPress make it flexible.
The platform has many plugins developed to create a membership site. These allow you to convert a normal WordPress site into a fully functioning membership site without needing any coding knowledge.
The dashboard you see after logging into WordPress is called the dashboard. It is your main page that allows you to control everything with ease. Users can easily create pages, arrange content, and install necessary plugins from this main control panel.
Most WordPress themes are compatible with membership plugins, allowing site owners to stay on brand. Some themes come with pre-made layouts and styling for membership sites.
You can manage memberships on your site using WordPress. This enables membership site operators to bill members monthly and once-off safely.
Due to consistent updates, WordPress stays safe and updated with new standards. The WordPress community also offers a wealth of documentation and support forums.
A Page Builder Plugin
Choosing the best page builder for your WordPress membership site will make your life easier while designing. With their drag-and-drop interface, these tools make it easy to make your membership area without knowing how to code.
Kadence WP
Kadence WP is a lightweight yet powerful membership site builder. The Kadence Blocks plugin offers custom items that work seamlessly with membership plugins like MemberPress.
Pre-made membership templates include login pages, member dashboards, and content restriction options that users can use. Users can customize those templates via Kadence’s easy-to-use block system.
Kadence is fast upon loading as it generates a clean HTML code. This way, users keep coming back for a smoother experience as they find it. The elements of its responsive design will automatically change for mobile users.
Kadence provides dedicated header and footer builders for membership navigation elements, allowing for easy creation of member-only menu items.
Prices Free | Express $69 | Plus $169 | Ultimate $299 per year
GeneratePress
GeneratePress is lightweight and, therefore, an excellent choice for membership sites. Since the theme has very little code, your web pages load fast, keeping members active.
When you combine GenerateBlocks with GeneratePress, you can control the layout of membership content with precision without increasing load times. The theme’s hook system allows you to customize detailed membership areas without editing core files.
The features of GeneratePress allow you to design custom layouts for membership levels. This can personalize content based on the user’s membership level.
The theme works well with popular membership plugins and doesn’t require much configuration. The responsive layout guarantees that membership content displays correctly on any device.
Prices $149 per year
Elementor
With specific features for membership site creation, Elementor is a complete visual editor. The Elementor Pro has dynamic content features that show elements according to membership status.
You can create membership offers, login forms, and alerts for your members using its pop-up builder. Content can be made available only for specific membership levels.
You can visually create custom member dashboards, account pages, and content areas using Elementor’s Theme Builder. The Global Widget feature ensures the same design in all membership areas.
You can easily integrate membership plugins with dedicated widgets for login forms and membership content. The responsive editing mode helps confirm that membership features work correctly on mobile devices.
Prices Essential $60 | Advanced Solo $84 | Advanced $99 | Expert $204 per year
Membership/LMS Plugin
Selecting the right membership and learning management system (LMS) plugin is key to developing successful membership sites. These tools let you restrict content and teach your members to earn money by creating courses.
LifterLMS
LifterLMS is a complete solution for course creators who need a robust learning management system. The plugin has a free core version; you can add premium versions for more functionality.
You can create multi-tier courses, use quizzes of multiple types, and track student progress. Course creators can establish engagement triggers like trophies, certificates, and user badges.
The pricing structure follows a modular approach. People can buy individual add-ons starting at $99/year or bundle packages that cost between $299 and $1.499/year.
LifterLMS works great with popular WordPress themes and Stripe and PayPal integration. The plugin provides essential reporting tools to track students using the course and course completion.
Prices Core Free | Earth $299 | Universe $499 | Infinity $1,499 per year
SureMember
SureMember is a newer membership plugin that focuses on being fast and straightforward. The plugin focuses on clean designs and ease of use for admins and members.
It lets you drip content, manage members, and modify registration forms. SureMember is excellent at developing different membership levels with access and payment options.
Pricing starts at $99/year for a single site license with priority support. Any plan you select will give unlimited members and membership levels, without transaction fees.
SureMember can easily integrate with email marketing software like MailChimp and ConvertKit. The plugin utilises a lightweight code structure that minimises site loading speeds, making it an excellent choice for conscious site owners.
Prices: Starter $99 | Pro $199 | Business $299 per year
LearnDash
LearnDash is the industry leader in WordPress LMS. Learning management systems are used by universities and Fortune 500 firms. This plugin offers impressive flexibility with enterprise-grade features.
Course creators could use the focus mode to remove distractions and the more advanced quizzing system that comes with eight different types of questions. LearnDash now enables lively course forums and powerful assignment management tools.
A single site license starts at just $199/year, while you can get advanced packages for $419 for unlimited sites. All plans include one year of updates and support.
Instructors get a dashboard to see what is happening and use the handy reporting and analysis with the ProPanel add-on by LearnDash. The plugin is compatible with many payment systems and offers a solution for generating recurring revenue.
Prices $199 per year
Paid Membership Pro
Paid Membership Pro is, of course, not LMS; it only has membership functionality. This plugin is excellent for controlling membership programs with different paying options.
The premium plugin encourages unrestricted membership levels, personal registration fields, and content limitations based on membership levels. Site owners add discount codes and create free trial periods to increase conversions.
Paid Membership Pro can be extended for specific business needs with over 65 add-ons available. The plugin follows a freemium model with paid plans starting at $297/year.
Paid Membership Pro gives an analysis of membership statistics and money-making. The plugin allows for one-time and recurring payments through Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, and more.
Prices Free | Standard $347 | Plus $597 per year
Extra For Your WordPress Membership Website
When you build a WordPress membership website, you can also use several other features. Think of adding these extras to make your site more powerful and user-friendly.
Essential Add-ons:
- Content dripping tools
- Member directories
- Advanced user profiles
- Forum integration options
- Email marketing connectors
WordPress membership sites can benefit significantly from using analytics tools. These insights help site owners see what content works best and where members are losing interest.
All membership sites need to be responsive. Make sure your selected theme and plugins work on all devices.
Payment Processing Options:
| Gateway | Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Low fees, multiple currencies | International businesses |
| PayPal | Widely recognized, easy setup | Beginners |
| Authorize.net | Advanced security | Established businesses |
Add gaming elements, like badges or scores, to keep your audience engaged. These features make people take part and unite.
Automated email sequences can significantly improve membership retention. Create a welcome series, engagement reminders, and renewal notifications to keep your members informed.
A strong search function helps members find content quickly. This seemingly little feature solves user experience problems as your content library expands.
Social media integration allows members to share their wins and top content. This can potentially bring new subscribers to your membership site.
Form Plugin
Form plugins are essential for membership sites as they allow you to create registration forms, contact forms, and surveys. These plugins work well with most WordPress membership packages to collect user details and accept payments.
Fluent Forms
Fluent Forms is easy to use and integrates seamlessly with all membership plugins. You don’t need to have any code knowledge to get started. It has drag-and-drop features.
The plugin has 30+ field types and templates that help you start immediately. Users can change the appearance of the forms according to their website design.
You can easily add new subscribers to your email marketing list by integrating Fluent Forms. The plugin gives you the conditional logic feature that helps show different fields based on users’ responses.
Fluent Forms can take payments using PayPal and Stripe. You can integrate forms to make payments that are useful for membership registration.
Prices Free | Pro $79 per year
Ninja Forms
Ninja Forms is popular because it offers many developer-friendly customization options. Membership sites that require complex form structures will find the plugin ideal.
People can build long forms that you can break into steps, so few leave them. Ninja Forms has conditional logic features that show the right fields based on prior answers.
The plugin allows members to upload files as part of their registration or site activity. You can control how the form looks with the layout and styles system.
Through add-ons, Ninja Forms integrates with various third-party services, from payment gateways to CRMs. These integrations allow membership site owners to streamline workflow and manage member data.
Prices Free | Plus $99 per year
Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms is a premium solution that provides powerful features that are specifically beneficial for membership websites. The plugin excels at creating complex forms with advanced routing and conditional logic.
It offers user registration functionality that ties directly into WordPress user accounts, streamlining the member onboarding process. Form submissions can automatically create user accounts with appropriate membership levels.
Gravity Forms includes robust payment options supporting recurring billing, which is ideal for subscription-based membership models. The plugin integrates with major payment gateways including PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
Survey and poll features help membership site owners gather valuable feedback from their community. Advanced data management capabilities allow form entries to be searched, filtered, and exported for analysis.
Prices Basic $59 per year
Community Builder Plugin
The Community Builder Plugin helps WordPress site owners engage their members better. It works well with any existing membership setup, yet still offers community tools.
Fluent Community
Fluent Community is an effective add-on for the Community Builder Plugin for membership websites built on WordPress. Site owners can create user profiles, a member directory, and an interactive community space without coding.
Fluent Community allows users to customize registration forms to obtain relevant member information. The plugin offers various membership levels with unique access and visibility options.
A friendly site feature we shall have is an activity stream where whatever users post, comment, or share will be published. Site owners can easily control discussions and content via a simple yet effective dashboard.
The plugin has a built-in notification system to notify users about posts, comments, and connections. These tools help build a connection for belonging to a community.
Fluent Community is compatible with popular payment gateways for free and premium membership sites. The latest WordPress versions get regular updates for compatibility.
Prices $199 per year
Email Builder Marketing Automation Plugin
Email marketing automation helps membership sites be successful. It nurtures the lead, helps convert new members, and gets them onboard. These tools work effortlessly with WordPress membership sites to deliver custom content depending on the user’s behaviour.
FluentCRM
If you’re looking for an all-in-one CRM solution that excels at email marketing for your membership site, one plugin you must check out is FluentCRM. You can segment your members based on their activities, purchase history, and engagement levels, which is a site owner’s dream.
The email template comes with a drag-and-drop builder and is fully customizable. You don’t need any coding skills. Site owners can create professional-looking emails on-brand with their membership site look.
FluentCRM can automatically send triggered emails when a member registers, renews, or completes a course. It helps keep users engaged via personalized messages.
The platform directly supports the most popular membership plugins, Paid Membership Pro
and WooCommerce. The detailed analytics dashboard lets you track open, click-through, and conversion rates to improve email performance.
Prices $129 per year
WP Funnels
With WP Funnels, you can manage your funnel marketing like a pro and take your membership sites to the next level. With the plugin, you can find ready-made templates for your membership and subscription businesses.
The visual builder lets site owners create multiple funnels that take visitors from having an interest to paying. You can optimize each step for a better conversion rate.
You can compare page designs, copy, and offers with WP Funnels’ A/B testing features. By A/B testing your pages, you can easily discover what converts visitors into members.
The checkout optimization features of the plugin help to reduce abandonment. With the help of this plugin, you can create order bumps and one-click upsells.
The WP Funnels integrates email marketing services and membership plugins to provide a seamless marketing system. The dashboard reports allow you to see how the funnel is performing efficiently.
Prices $97 per year
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a WordPress membership site?
A: A WordPress membership site lets you restrict access to certain types of content based on membership levels, so not everyone can see everything. Users can subscribe to exclusive content like online courses, articles, videos, or downloads.
Q: How do I create a WordPress membership site?
A: You’ll need to choose a membership plugin ( SureMember, etc.), install that plugin, and set your membership levels and subscription plans to create a WordPress membership site. Also, it can be a good idea to pick an appropriate WordPress theme that supports membership features.
Q: What are the best WordPress membership plugins?
A: Among the best membership plugins for WordPress are SureMember, WooCommerce Memberships, Restrict Content Pro, and Paid Memberships Pro. These plugins can be used to build a membership website with WordPress.
Q: Can I create a free membership option on my site?
A: Using WordPress, you can add a free membership option on your membership website. Most membership plugins let you create free membership levels. These levels allow users to access certain content for free.
Q: What types of membership can I create?
A: You can create various types of membership levels, such as free trials, monthly subscriptions, annual memberships, or one-time payments for lifetime access. The flexibility to customize membership types depends on the membership plugin you choose.
Q: Do I need WordPress hosting to set up my membership site?
A: You’ll need a good WordPress hosting service to create your WordPress membership site. A host that functions well for your site keeps it working properly while ensuring it can handle your members’ traffic.
Q: How do I manage my email list for a membership site?
A: With email marketing services, you can manage your email list by integrating your membership site. Most membership plugins come with their email management or can be connected with FluentCRM, ConvertKit, and others.
Q: What should I consider when choosing a WordPress theme for my membership site?
A: When selecting a suitable WordPress theme for your membership-type websites, look for membership plugin compatibility, responsive design, customisation options and layout style that can enhance user experience. Ensure the theme is appropriate for the content you’ll provide.
Q: How can I promote my membership website?
A: There are many methods to promote your membership website, like social media marketing, email marketing campaigns, content marketing, and SEO optimization. You can attract members by participating in forums related to your niche.
Q: How do I set up membership levels?
A: To set membership levels, go to your membership plugin’s settings in the WordPress dashboard. You can build different levels, establish what content each level can access, and set prices or free access for each membership type.
Final Thoughts
Many businesses and content makers can benefit from creating a membership website with WordPress. Because of its flexibility, the platform can be used by people regardless of their level of expertise.
Using a WordPress membership site is an excellent way to create recurring revenue through subscriptions. Automated systems will manage payment and members’ administration so the creators can focus on value creation.
When we install membership websites, security is most important. Keeping plugins and themes updated regularly keeps user data and payment information safe.
Having the right membership plugin makes all the difference. Pick one with enough features to be “versatile” while still being easy to use.
For membership sites today, mobile responsiveness is essential. Members expect seamless access to their content on multiple devices, from their phone to a computer.
Testing is crucial before launching any membership site. This means looking at how payments work, what content is restricted, and the whole journey from sign-up to premium content.
Remember that member retention requires ongoing effort. The ongoing addition of new material, prompt answers to inquiries, and connecting with subscribers assist in retaining subscriptions.
Running a WordPress membership site can become a very lucrative online business model with the right approach. It allows you to monetize your passion or expertise effectively.
