Creating a membership site with WordPress is a great way to start. There are many built-in features that allow you to start building your site and offering memberships right away. Unlike building a new site, taking advantage of the elements in this model is always welcome!
In this article, we will discuss how to create a membership site using the default settings in WordPress. This can be done on your own or with assistance from a hosting company’s support staff, provided you have the basic knowledge of programming and web design skills.
To learn how to create your own membership site using this article as the blueprint, check out the last bullet point below.
Choose your hosting
After you have set up your site, it is time to choose your hosting. A hosting is the main operating system for your site. There are many types of hosting, so do not worry about making this decision for you.
To choose the right host for your site, look at how they support themes and plugins, response times, reliability, and available features. Each has its good and bad sides, so do some research before choosing.
Response times can be an issue when you have tens of thousands of users on your site daily! Having a fast server will help save you from issues such as downtime during or after a large user update.
Another important part of choosing a host is deciding where your site is hosted. There are pros and cons to this, so consider which countries or regions your users are coming from to determine if they need high levels of security or not.
Get your domain name
Once you have your website, it is time to get your domain name. A domain name is the unique piece of software that can be used to create a website on your own website!
Many internet service providers offer web sites to their customers. You can go through the process of registering your site with them and then transferring the domain name to your new site. There are many sites that offer this service, so choose one that works for you!
If you have trouble remembering your new domain name, take some time to write it down. Many websites offer easy ways to find your new site, including by using my email or using my web address.
Once you have your domain name, it is time to set up a website! There are several ways to set up a website for you. By far, the simplest way is by using WordPress.
Purchase a WordPress license
Once your site is up and running, you’ll need a way to keep it updated. There are a few ways to do this, but the best option is to purchase a new license for your site.
Most costly of all are DIY licenses. These can cost hundreds of dollars! Most hosting providers offer free updates, so it is not the most cost-effective way to run your site.
By purchasing a license, you’re also covered should the host need to update your software. Your new host will send you a new license sent directly to your email address so that you can quickly import it into your new site.
It is also important to periodically update your plugins and themes, as there are some that do not receive updates automatically.
Install and configure WordPress
Once you have your membership site set up, it is time to install and configure WordPress! You can run into some trouble getting WordPress to recognize your site, so make sure to check out our quick guide at the end of this article for help.
WordPress is very easy to use and start putting content on your membership site. Just create a new website called my-membership-site and then add the content you want to share with your members.
You can set up themes as well, which are great ways to varying the look and feel of your site. Many people use themes that have a vector or cartoon style look to them, or ones that are designer friendly.
Create content for your site
After you have your site set up, it is time to start creating content for it! You can add your own posts, createroups and communities for your members to join, or create a platform where others can contribute content.
Anytime you introduce a new group or community, there is a process of spam-free communication. People have to establish trust in one another before they can access quality content.
This is done by having each member pay a small fee to join their new group or community. This helps with the creation of quality content and promotes transparency in your operation.
By promoting transparency in your operations, people will feel more comfortable supporting your site and engaging with its content.
Decide on your membership levels
Once you have your membership site set up, it is time to decide what levels of membership you want to offer. Do you want free memberships or paid ones? Free ones are nice because you get access to the site, but you do not get any privileges such as access to the features or messaging with clients.
In order for members to receive benefits from your membership site, there must be a level of membership. This level can be free, paid, or otherwise defined.
Many times when offering levels of membership, the lowest level is not the best choice. If a member is already paying a certain amount per month or they would receive an item for free but would like another benefit in return, then offering them a lower level may help retain members.
A good rule of thumb is to offer at least two levels of membership in your website so that people can choose which one they want and value.
Set up payment processing
Once your site is up and running, you’ll need to set up payment processing to receive payments from your membership sites. This can be done easily through your WordPress dashboard or by creating a payment processor account via their website.
Once this is in place, you can start accepting payments from your membership sites!
Using a membership site platform like WP Amazon Associates will allow you to set up a paypal account so that members can pay via their paypal account or an integration with their website.
Add membership functions to your site
Now that your site has the basics set, it is time to add some membership features. You can add new membership levels via the dashboard or via a quick membership page!
Either way, you will want to create an administrative area called edit for these pages to work.
Edit Membership can be done on the dashboard or through the membership page. Once this is done, members can login and manage their account!
Bullet point ended here. If you want to go deeper into membership management, read past this point.