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Sep 16, 2023
How to make a premium WordPress website

     The Spenser Wordpress theme (c) wordpress.org    

WordPress has become the preferred platform for building websites: according to 2022 statistics of the W3Techs, WordPress powers 43.2 percent of the sites currently in operation! The main reason WordPress is so popular is its ability to be developed by utilizing plugins. There are around 60,000 free plugins available in the WordPress directory of plugins. WordPress plugin directory as well as many other paid-for plugins.

Since we offer a very well-known feature of WordPress is members. This gives digital creators and publishers to offer exclusive products, services and content as goods to their customers (or members) at a cost that creates a brand new income stream.

Why you should sign up to premium WordPress?

The increase in this during the epidemic during the time when many were required to remain at home, and then browse or make content on the internet. Benefits of membership websites are many, both their owners as well as their clients (or customers). Some of the benefits associated with membership sites are:

  • Continuous stream of income: Membership sites offer an unending, steady revenue stream for creators since their members pay one-time or annually for access to these premium content and other services.
  • Community-building: Members' forums can help build a feeling and could provide the motivation for more participation and commitment. Members' forums online offer an opportunity for individuals who share a similar interest to talk with each other without the noise of like Facebook's free groups.
  • Possibilities for selling: Membership sites can offer upselling options as members are likely to be interested in buying additional content, products, access to real-world events and other products.

Using WordPress for member sites

WordPress is a robust CMS which manages content (CMS) that gives you a wide range of options as well as the ability to create of membership sites. With its vast array of themes and plugins WordPress allows you to build an entirely unique user experience for your customers.

With its user-friendly interface as well as its powerful features, it is easy to manage the management of memberships, access to content, as well as payments. Setting up a membership feature within your WordPress site isn't difficult due to the vast range of plugins available. The first thing to do is choose a hosting company and add WordPress.

Then, select a WordPress theme designed specifically to be used on membership websites. Pick a theme that has a clean and professional layout as well as seamless integration with the plugins for membership and has a flexible layout to provide the most optimal browsing experience on a variety of gadgets.

The installation of plugins for membership

After you've completed that then you can select the membership plugin you want to install and incorporate it on your website. The process of setting an online membership site can be an overwhelming task, especially if you prefer to focus on your work but don't have the knowledge of technology, or do not need to dedicate effort of creating a membership functionality.

There are plenty of WordPress membership plugins to choose from that each comes with distinct attributes and costs. Most well-known are MemberPress, paid memberships Pro. WooCommerce Memberships, and our own WordPress plugin.

Although it's possible to create an online membership website without the use of the plugin, they make this process easier and faster. In general, it's not recommended to install multiple different membership-related plugins on your site as they could interfere with each with each other.

The below membership plugins are typically regarded as solid and secure, so ensure that they are kept up to date. For the sake of fairness we've highlighted what we believe to be the key benefits and drawbacks for each platform:

1. MemberPress

Pros: The MemberPress platform was created to make it easy to restrict content, offering versatile access to the members. The integration of the platform with WordPress makes it easier to manage the site as well as content creation. MemberPress works with various payment processors and allows for different ways to monetize your site.

MemberPress

Con: Because MemberPress focuses only on memberships Full-color customization requires more technical knowledge, limiting design options for people who aren't technical. It is possible that you'll need other plugins to enhance the capabilities of your branding.

2. Restrict Content Pro

Advantages Restrict Content Pro's simple interface makes it easy to implement seamless content restriction and makes it simple for owners of websites. It supports a variety of payment methods, which can help improve monetization options.

Restrict Content Pro

Benefits Restricted Content Pro was developed to aid in the gating of content. Thus, more sophisticated membership options could require add-ons, potentially increasing the cost. It's a good fit for several kinds of memberships, customization could require some additional tech knowledge.

3. LearnDash

Benefits The LearnDash learning management system (LMS) allows for easy courses, drip-feeding and organizing the content along with the integration of multimedia. The gamification capabilities of the system engage learners as well. LearnDash has a wide range of methods for monetizing payments.

LearnDash

Pro: Some users have mentioned that LearnDash has a large and sluggish user experience, along with an extremely difficult user interface. The system was designed to be comprehensive but isn't easy to understand.

4. Paying Membership Pro

The benefits: It has robust content control and good access to membership levels, giving administrators control access to their content in accordance with the membership level. This lets you customize the user experience, as well as the option of pricing.

Paid Memberships Pro

Pros: The plugin has an unrestricted free version that is almost certainly requiring the upgrade for a decent level of customization and payment capabilities. The total cost of superior customer support, as well as the fees for payment gateways could be expensive.

5. WooCommerce Memberships

Pros: WooCommerce Memberships has been specially designed to seamlessly integrate with WooCommerce the website's own eCommerce system. It comes with a wide range of capabilities, like drips of control over access to content and payments integration through PayPal, Stripe and other options.

WooCommerce Memberships

Con: While WooCommerce Memberships can be used in a variety of methods, it was designed initially for eCommerce and not to be used as a membership. Therefore, it may not be able to cater to all membership models which could result in a lack of flexibility for your members.

6. WP-Members

The pros: WP Members provides easily customisable registration forms, with numerous fields for gathering specific data about users throughout the registration procedure. The plugin gives you an easy way to manage role-based user accounts, allowing users access to give distinct privileges to different membership levels.

WP-Members

Advantages: The payment gateways that WP-Members uses are limited, and if you're looking to integrate something other than PayPal or credit card processing, you'll need use third-party options. The same is true when you're using complex pricing models, or complex subscription plans and subscription models, WP-Members' capabilities might be limited.

7. BuddyPress

The benefits BuddyPress is a forum software that allows users to build social communities online and create groups using WordPress websites. This enables users to effortlessly connect to connect and work together via profiles, streams of activity and groups.

BuddyPress

Cons: Running a BuddyPress community can require significant server resources, particularly when the number of members increases. It could result in slower processing or more robust hosting environments and might not be suitable for small sites or firms.

It's remiss of us to not make mention of this! We offer a seamless integration with WordPress that allows for simple administration of your users as well as their access to paid-for content that can be customized in price and branding.

Most importantly, though we are actually an extension for WordPress but we don't perform the same way as most WordPress plugins. This Member Management Dashboard is located on our servers and therefore doesn't put an additional burden on your site. The dashboard has all the crucial tasks ( plus more!) required to run a successful membership-based company.

The structure was created for membership

To provide an enjoyable membership experience, it is important to clearly define the levels of membership as well as define the access rights associated with each level. It allows you to provide distinctive content and services to various groups of your customers. How can you do this:

  • The design of membership tiers: Carefully plan your membership tiers based on the benefits you wish to provide and the pricing system that will meet your objectives for the business. It is possible to offer different types of memberships, including premium, basic, or VIP. Each one has distinct advantages and disadvantages. It's helpful to make the different levels distinct and memorable like Bronze, Silver and Gold.
  • The sales funnel There is a need to create a page for pricing that allows users to purchase various levels of membership. The webpage should provide information regarding the different levels of membership along with their benefits and pricing.
  • Sign-up and login forms: You'll need to incorporate login and sign-up forms on your website in order that users can register accounts and sign in to access the content they have joined.
  • Content restriction: Use your chosen membership plugin to restrict access to premium content. So, only members with the appropriate level of membership can be able to see and use exclusive content.

Engaging and useful information

Content is the core and the soul of a successful website that is a member. To outrank your competitors make sure you create high-quality and entertaining content that's truly valuable to your users.

Here are some ideas that can achieve this:

  • Understanding your target audience: Take the time to understand your target group's requirements, issues and goals. Research market trends and communicate with the customers through surveys or feedback forms, as well as study their behavior to gain insight. This can help you tailor the content you offer specifically to your clients' preference.
  • Offer exclusive content: It is possible to make available exclusive material such as ebooks, videos tutorials, case studies, templates, and even business reports that can't be found anywhere else. The idea is to entice new members to join your site and will also help keep existing members entertained.
  • Consistent and regular updating: Regularly update your site with fresh and current information. It not only keeps your users engaged but improves your site's visibility and rankings in search results. Consider creating a calendar of your content for organizing and planning information in a way that is efficient.

Enhancing user experience

The smooth and easy user experience is essential for the successful operation of your membership website. If you can enhance the user experience it will increase the level of satisfaction as well as retention. Here are some ways to enhance the user experience for your website

  • Navigating with ease: Ensure that your website is clear and simple-to-follow navigation that makes it easier for members to locate the information they're seeking. Utilize the descriptive labels on menus to arrange your contents into orderly groups.
  • Responsive design: Optimize your membership site for different devices including tablets, laptops, and mobile phones. A responsive design ensures that your website appears and operates flawlessly, regardless of the device used by your users.
  • The streamlining of checkout processes: Simplify the membership process of registration and payments in order to decrease friction and boost the number of conversions. Give multiple payment options such as debit and credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay as well as Stripe and give clear instructions during each step of the checkout process.

Designing a premium Wordpress website is never easier because of the wide array of options that can be customized and the broad variety of available plugins. Incorporating a Membership feature on your site could help create a successful and lucrative online enterprise.

There is a chance to make an ongoing stream of revenue when you submit your project, a chance to forge a fantastic community of like-minded faithful users and also the chance to build a stronger relationship by selling additional materials or attending events in real life.

If you're hoping to share exclusive information, sell online courses for education, privately make a podcast, or even create your own social network, then building a top-quality WordPress website will help you reach your membership goals. Enjoy!

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