How to create a membership website with WordPress

How to create a membership website with WordPress?

For a long time, website owners have relied solely on advertising to monetise their website content. A membership website allows you to make money online by enabling users to pay for premium content and features. You will need a platform that has features for managing users, membership payments, etc. Luckily there are some great membership plugins you can use for WordPress that make it super easy to manage. 

At Blue Whale Media, our Wigan website development team have given their advice on how to create a membership website using WordPress easily. 

What is a WordPress membership website? 

A membership website invites visitors to pay for certain access or content published on your website. It lets you restrict access to all or some of the content you have created for your website, for example, downloads, forums, blogs, etc. 

What is the best plugin to use? 

There are a lot of great plugins you can use and are available on WordPress. There are also many commercial plugin products that can enhance your WordPress success and help you build something specific to your business needs. There’s also these to think about: WooCommerce membership extension, WooCommerce members-only, WordPress E-member and MemberPress when it comes to a plugin for your website. 

What does your membership website need? 

To make the most of your WordPress website, you will want to be sure you integrate plugins to make your website more efficient and easier to use. 

  • Member registration and Logins. You’ll need a place on your website where your clients can register and become members. This needs to be user friendly for people who are registering; otherwise, they won’t bother. Once a client is a member, they’ll need a place to log in to each time to access your premium content. 
  • Payment Processing. To make purchasing your products user-friendly and allow you to bill and invoice accurately. Your membership plugin should include the capability to process payments through credit and debit card gateways securely. 
  • Site management. This is the part that makes building a membership website easy for you. WordPress’s default administration is simple to use and with MemberPress, you’ll be able to manage member levels, subscriptions, transactions, etc. 

Benefits of creating a membership website 

  • Consistent Revenue. Membership websites can generate a predictable income for you. Once you have attracted an initial user base, you can predict how much revenue you will generate income pretty accurately. 
  • Easy to start. A membership website is much easier to start than a regular business. 
  • Create a loyal customer base by adding value. A successful membership website is all about value exchange. If you create value for your members and provide them with more than they expect, then you are building a team of loyal followers. 
  • Member demand keeps you on your toes. If you want to grow your website, your brand and your revenue, then it is crucial that you update and replenish the content you have to offer on your website. 

We hope that after reading this, you understand how membership websites work from a business perspective and a technical perspective and you will start to feel confident in your own website.

If you need further help or want to learn more about membership websites, please get in touch with Blue Whale Media today!